The Moshville Times - Gig Review: Marco Mendoza / Bad Actress – Bannermans, Edinburgh (5th April 2022)

Here we are back at Bannermans in Edinburgh again to catch up with Mr Bass himself, the fabulous Marco Mendoza. But first we have Scottish band Bad Actress.

They open up with “Poison Snake” and “Red Hot” from their excellent 2021 Red Hot EP and the train gets rolling and it just does not stop for the whole set. The band are full of pure 80’s rock n’ roll with Vinnie looking like Stephen Pearcy from Ratt, and Chick rocking Poison’s C.C. DeVille vibe the whole night. They are ably backed up with Alexi on bass, Tommy on rhythm guitar and Lui on drums.

Bad Actress were on fire and went down really well with the crowd tonight, with a few of us being old enough to have seen these bands back in the day. They even did an excellent version of the Poison classic “Talk Dirty to Me”. In addition, they fired through the likes of singles “Outta My Head” and the excellent “Mama Ain’t Talkin'” along with a couple from their cracking Low Down ‘N’ Dirty EP. This included “Road Rage Singer” before ending a short but excellent set with the fabulous “Hellbound”.

This was a fun enjoyable set from a bunch of young lads with a bright future ahead. If you like old rock n’ roll brought up to date with a fun dirty Scottish swagger then these are the boys for you. Go check them out and keep these excellent young bands on the go.

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The main event now and Marco Mendoza is back with the same excellent musicians as 2019 – Tommy Gentry on guitar and Kyle Hughes on drums. Marco’s shows are always eclectic and electric, and take you on a journey through his musical back catalogue as well as his personal favourites.

Tonight’s show is no different as we start with the title track from his 2018 album Viva La Rock. The band are as tight as ever and obviously all enjoying themselves, as are the packed crowd. We are treated to old songs, new songs and classic covers tonight in a short but fun packed set. We get a few more from Viva La Rock (“Rocket Man”, “Sweetest Emotions” and one of my favourites tonight “Sue is on the Run”), and the interaction with the band being the usual joy to behold. It makes a big difference when you watch a band that are not just going through the motions but truly enjoying what they do.

They play “Look Out for the Boys” from the album Live for Tomorrow before we get an absolutely stunning version of “Higher Ground”. This song will always show how good a bass player really is, the venue bouncing during the song and singing along. The guitar starts to fly as we enter “Chinatown”, swiftly followed by a fast and furious “Jailbreak”, Thin Lizzy at their finest. The band sailed through them with ease, and we have a reprise of “Higher Ground” before the set ends with the fabulous “Sweetest Emotions”.

I’ve seen Marco three times solo now, and once with the Dead Daisies, and he is just such a joy to watch and listen to. He had us singing along, snapping our fingers, clapping along and just having the best time. The band were enjoying it all with smiles all night, and Kyle had a huge grin on his face. This is one of the best and tightest bands out there and worth every penny to go and see. Get along and live music now more than ever – get your tickets in advance to let the band, the venues and the promoters know you want to get out and rock.

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Photos by Gary Cooper