Jesus H. Foxx/White Heath

Maggie’s Chambers, Edinburgh, April 21

Two of Edinburgh’s most excellent new(ish) bands on the same bill, free to get in…so why the bloody hell were there only about forty people here?

Well, well done to those who made it, because quite frankly, this was an excellent gig, and the rest of the city doesn’t know what it missed. White Heath blew me away with their debut EP last year. The five piece are now recording their debut album with Jim Sutherland (who was at the helm of Aberfeldy’s debut Young Forever), which should be released sometime later this year on Electric Honey. They sound charmingly powerful live, with a mix of guitar, violin, and a singing drummer, amongst other things. The four tracks from the EP all get an airing tonight -‘7:38am’ ‘Leviathan’ ‘When the Watchemn Leave Their Stations’ and ‘Election Day’ which made the 17 Seconds Festive Fifty last year. I’ve wiated a long while to see these guys and I was not disappointed.

Jesus H. Foxx are also working on their debut album, due to be released on Song, By Toad Records later this year. I saw them live supporting Broken Records at their Christmas show in December (obviously) (on a bill that also featured Withered Hand, now there’s a bill to tell the grandkids about), and this evening I fall for them even more.

To these ears, this fantastic seven piece with their two drummers, innumerable guitarists and lovely trumpet work from Tallah are like a fantastic marriage of Pavement and the Go-Betweens. With added trumpet, obviously. looking at my notes I see that I wrote that their song ‘Trying To be Good’ is like a marriage of Pavement’s ‘Type Slowly’ (yes, the one with that lyric) and the Go-Betweens ‘Draining the Pool for You.’ I mean this as a compliment, to show the paths they are follwoing and the new paths they arecarving out as a band. They finish with the very fine ‘I’m Half the Man You Were.’ I’ve enjoyed both the ‘Tightt Ideas’ (sic) single and the Matter EP, and on the evidence of tonight’s show, both bands are at the forefront of what Edinburgh has to offer.

Both bands will be appearing at Tigerfest: Jesus H. Foxx play with There Will Be Fireworks at The Electric Circus, Edinburgh on May 12; and White Heath are the latest band to join the bill, and will be appearing with X-Lion Tamer and The Wildhouse at the 17 Seconds Records night which takes place at the Roxy Art House on May 9.