Insecure Men @ Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 2 Feb

Standing outside Sneaky Pete’s in a long line waiting for a gig to start isn’t a common occurrence these days. The bands of today are usually so terribly punctual. This is the first sign that Insecure Men, the solo project of Fat White Family’s Saul Adamczewski, is going to treat us to a night of something different.

At quarter to eight, the red neon Sneaky Pete's sign flickers to attention and the punters hit the bar. This affords an opportunity to get front left immediately, an absolute must for a gig where anything could happen. First up, Earl Cave and Mimiko McVeigh as Bell Practice – an injection of instant atmosphere. Straight out of a time machine, they’re all pinned tresses, flapper skirts, dark suits and pasty complexions, sharing sweet, melancholic love songs that betray a diet of classic 50s and 60s pop and rhythm and blues. It’s a shame that the late start denied Callum Easter his sound check and therefore his set, as he’d have been the perfect local accompaniment.

Nevertheless there’s palpable excitement when we cut straight to Insecure Men. Adamczewski starts off solo with the reverb-drenched and devastating Tulse Hill Station, the band huddled side of stage supplying mournful, bloodhound backing vocals. Issues with Adamczewski’s voice at previous shows mean the acoustic numbers have been brought forward, but this makes for an ecstatically-paced set albeit a bit short.

After Graveyard (Of Our Love) the band joins in for more from their new record, A Man For All Seasons, released on Fat Possum at the end of 2025. The Flamingos-esque doo-wop of Time Is a Healer and the sweet 60s psych-pop of stalker anthem Alien are fantastically fucked up and fuzzy in the live setting. Despite the tardiness, borderline hopelessness (at one point, Marley Mackey has to bark at Adamczewski to get in the right key after he forgets how to tune his guitar), and general ragamuffinery, they are a band carrying a beautiful, vulnerable secret in their tattered fingerless gloves: they wish to show you their heart. 

The band plays a couple of hits from their debut – Cliff Has Left The Building and I Don’t Wanna Dance (with My Baby) – before closing with sleazy synth-pop banger Cleaning Bricks. The grand finale sees Adamczewski torturing his guitar and amp so much that the latter sounds like a stuck pig in the final throes. An ear-splitting finish to a delightfully chaotic gig that was absolutely worth the wait.