Every Wednesday, Marta brings a slice of the Mediterranean to Sheffield to see if the music scene really differs at all.
Last weekend I went to Edinburgh. It’s not that I don’t like Sheffield, but I like scotch more.
Because we were three young gals with a good working liver in the whiskey capital, we based our vacation on tastings. I don’t remember much actually; I still feel a sharp pain in my stomach whenever I bend down, which is probably a sign I tasted just a little bit too much.
In our wanderings, we ended up in a pub called something like Toss, Tass or Tess. I can’t remember. But I do remember the name of the band that was playing: Benny Vista Social Club, not Buena Vista Social Club.
They are not on Myspace, they are not on Facebook, or on Soundcloud. They don’t exist outside of the real world. But they are a fantastic trio, made of guitar, drums and bass. They were doing covers of all the biggest British successes in the past 25 years in a small, non touristic pub, changing what was supposed to be a drunken, solitary night for most of the regulars in a cheerful sing along of UK musical proud. Which is kind of weird considering they were all Scottish, but it was also very good to hear.
They were not professionals; on the contrary, they were happy Scots in their late 60s, probably retired. But the singer had a very powerful voice, and the drummer was going very hard on the plates. Their version of Blur’s ‘Song 2’ was the most energizing cover I ever heard. Because of the cultural experience, I was hoping they would start using a bagpipe at a certain point, but they kept it simple. It’s a pity in a way, because scotch does not taste the same without some Scottish folk music in the background.
At least I think. I can’t remember. In the fog, the only memory that comes out is that of those three young grandpas stamping on the drums and making the whole pub sing. It is definitely not a coincidence that out of everything, they are the memory that stuck… so if you ever go to Edinburgh, try to find them somehow. It’s going to be fun.
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