"Siren Song" Single Tour Completed!

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since my last blog post when "Siren Song" was released - and PLENTY has happened since then so I'll go through it all chonoligically here.

Following the single release, on the 19th February I had my debut solo show at Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh, which was a truly special night. The very excellent Daniel McGeever opened up the show - he's a songwriter I've really admired for a long time so having him involved in the event was amazing. The venue was filled with fans, friends, family and even bandmates and to have such a strong turnout and support on my first show was really humbling. 

Then on the 21st February, we drove up to the granite city of Aberdeen for a show at The Blue Lamp. It had been ages since my last visit up there so making my return a headline show was pretty cool. The room was cosy and with support from Ross Dillon kicking things off, I then took to the stage. It was great performing the tunes to a totally new audience and the comments from folk at the end were all positive which was really nice.

On the 26th February it was Glasgow's turn - at The Red Door Club / the basement of the Old Toll Bar. Very cool venue and the murals of legendary musos such as Gerry Rafferty and Billy Connoly made for a cool backdrop. Adam Thom stepped in as a last minute support act and did a stellar job. There was a wee Dunbar contingent in attendance, as well as 5-star lineup of Glasgow's music scene, as well as the one and only Kaiser George who was instrumental in the early days of Logan's Close recording our debut EP. It was a lovely night shared with lots of great folk.

Following that, on the 1st March we drove down to Newcastle for a show at The Head of Steam. We were in full swing of the tour at this point so the setup of gear and merch had become a well-oiled machine. This show had been squished together with another show which was originally taking place at another venue, but the promoter had asked if we can combine audiences by sharing the bill - which I was more than happy with. AJ Potter - a local lad who was reccommended to me by another early LC mentor - Martin Stephenson - got the night rolling with great rapport and tunes. Then I played my set which went down a storm - particularly with some of the lovely fellas from London-based FEZ who performed supporting Barcelona band MOURN. It was cool having such a variety of acts on the same bill and we all had a great time playing/pinting afterwards.

Next up was the proper English leg of the tour, starting with Birmingham at the Kitchen Garden Cafe on the 4th March. We set up at the front of the pub and as the set went on there was a real mob of folk watching attentively which was great. It must have been a decent show because one audience member bought me a bottle of champagne from the bar, and another couple who were meant to attend a gig across the road decided they'd rather stay and watch my set which was amazing to hear.

The next day we drove to London for my show at The Harrison at King's Cross.We had a wee bit of car trouble on route but luckily nipped the issue in the bud before it rendered the motor a write off which would have been disastrous! Having made it to the big smoke we then headed to the venue for the show. Again, some Dunbar mates who had moved down there came along as well as some family, friends and a lot of new faces too which effectively made it a really busy turnout. The gig was great and being asked for a double encore really solidified it as a belter.

After a day of hanging over, and cutting about town, on the 7th March we set off for Liverpool to play at Round The Corner. Naturally I had to do a bit of the Beatles pilgrimage while in town, stopping at Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane on the way to the venue. We then set up, and following a beautiful set from Francesca Louise I then performed my set. After getting the chat in and packing up we then had the long drive back to Edinburgh the same night which closed the book on the English leg of the tour. 

During the week between the Liverpool show and the Inverness show I was back at Post Electric Studio in Leith recording single number two - no rest for the wicked! WIth the drumming talents of Gavin Lamont at my disposal, we bashed out all the tracking in one day. More on that when the time comes...

Now the Highland leg began with a show on the 14th March at The Tooth and Claw in Inverness. It's a stunning drive up to the capital of the Highlands, and I've always enjoyed the city. The very talented Daniel Gunn opened up proceedings with a great set of originals, then I performed afterwards. My dear parents had made the journey up for this one which was so nice, and there was a good mix of local folk and musos in attendance too which was great. We then took the after party to The Market Bar which was a revelation - such a cool place! And a night out in Inverness without ending up in Johnny Foxes isn't really a night out in my opinon so we did what was required.

The next night I had my debut show in Ullapool at the Argyll Hotel. It's an absolutely gorgeous town and the gig got very busy, very quickly. I was heaped with compliments afterwards and assured they'd need to get me back in ASAP which was great!

After a weekend of hiking and enjoying the stunning views and walks, we drove back Edinburgh-bound, but on the way stopped in at Medicine Show Radio just outside Perth to perform a live-streamed concert. What a cool location and studio! The guys were great chat and the setup is so professional - it was a really cool experience.

Then to wrap up the tour - the final show on the 21st March in Kirkcaldy at the Harbour Bar. Myself and Scott from LC had performed here last year so I knew there would be a good turnout and good vibes all round. James Low opened up the show with some great original tunes which I'm told are being recorded - can't wait to hear em! I played my set and after an encore of a CCR tune (after being reminded I've got John Fogerty looks) that was the end of the "Siren Song" Single Tour!

It was an absolute journey but total food for the soul, and it's genuinely the lifestyle I could live forever. Myself and Klaudia, who I literally couldn't have done it without, took the liberty of a wee cheeky holiday in Lanzarote this past weekend as a reward for all the hard work. 

Which takes us right up to today, where I have just received the final master for my next single! All will be revealed in due course but until then I just want to thank everyone who has supported my solo stuff since its inception - it's been so much fun and I fully intend to keep this ball rolling!

Lots of love xxx

Carl