Review: Zoey Van Goey, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh

Published on Sunday 18 April 2010 22:36

THE healthy crowd at Limbo, the Voodoo Rooms' regular celebration of the best in new Scottish music, were treated to samples from two of the nation's finest labels.

Headliners and Chemikal Underground signees Zoey Van Goey were the out-of-towners, having trekked through from Glasgow. But first, electronic one-man-band X-Lion Tamer and singer-songwriter Chris Bradley, both representing Edinburgh micro-label 17 Seconds, provided high quality local support.

Bradley's new album To the Outpost has just surfaced and his style is blessed with a suitably retro polish. Three fellow veterans from the group Aberfeldy make up his backing band, and their playing added plenty to a set which ultimately relies upon whether the listener shares Bradley's admiration for 1970s transatlantic AOR.

Zoey Van Goey are a band whose influences lie a little closer to home: the sweet but wry spirit of Glasgow's C86 scene, all jangling guitars and toytown keyboards, pervades their songs. Their sophisticated yet accessible lyrics on tracks like The Cake and Eating It and new songs You Told the Drunks I Knew Karate and Robot Tyrannosaur make them a band that's easy to take to heart, while the tenderly heartbreaking encore City is Exploding continues to demonstrate that twee and funny aren't all they do exceptionally well.