Last night’s pint or two finished up in Hootananny’s, where a ska band were playing, the drummer of whom was known by a friend of one of us. So on my friend’s friend’s recommendation we toddled along and it turned out to be a fantastic gig. The band were called Bombskare, a ten-piece band that included brass, guitars, drums and keyboard, and who were holding the crowd in the upstairs bar absolutely captive with their great sounds as they crammed their number onto a stage that usually accommodates a four piece rock band.

According to their website, the Edinburgh-based band seems keen on taking their music not just to big cities (like Inverness!) but to further-flung places like Orkney, Shetland and Newcastle, and it’s always encouraging when artists take the effort to do this. It was a brilliant show, and the music was outstanding – everything from revamped reggae to Frank Zappa (or Frank Skank, as they called it). They even did a cover of the Inspector Gadget theme tune that really had to be heard to be believed. And there was no danger of me not hearing them – I was right at the front and my ears are still ringing eighteen hours later.

Talking of Orkney, I’ve just put a few pictures up of my trip there last week.