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Beldon Haigh at Whistle Binkies: A Night of Dystopian Brilliance

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On Sunday, November 10, 2024, Falkirk’s finest export, Beldon Haigh, stormed back into Edinburgh’s Whistle Binkies for a performance that felt less like a gig and more like an audacious theatrical statement.

Marking the band’s final show of the year, the night brought their ambitious Dystopia – The Rock Opera full circle following a triumphant run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The result? A blistering mix of indie rock, satirical storytelling, and raw showmanship. Fake money and moon bonds rained down from the stage in surreal moments that balanced stinging political commentary with theatrical flair.

The vibe was electric before the first note. Crew members roamed the floor, handing out mini flags emblazoned with the now-iconic Dystopian logo—a cheeky touch that turned the audience into a makeshift nation. GoPro cameras dotted the stage, signaling that something special was about to unfold.

Cue Justin Skelton, Beldon Haigh’s enigmatic frontman, who stepped into the spotlight with a magnetic swagger to greet the crowd as “Citizens of Dystopia.” The band’s Orwellian themes were hard to ignore, serving up scathing social commentary on a world teetering on the brink. Skelton led a musical assault that was equal parts biting and brilliant. Backed by Dru Baker (horns and keyboards), Fiona Lynch (backing vocals), and an expanded live lineup—Willie Logan (guitar), Sean Harkins (drums), and Duggy Coulter (bass)—the band dialed up the drama, slipping into their satirical alter egos: Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump, respectively. Because why just play music when you can make a political statement that slaps just as hard? It was a surreal, unpredictable mix of biting satire, raw energy, and blistering sound—the kind of gig that reminds you why live music matters.

The set opened with Dumpster Fire, the explosive lead track from World Got So Dumb, a biting anthem that immediately locked the crowd into the band’s dystopian groove. From there, Beldon Haigh crafted a narrative-driven set that blurred the line between concept album and full-blown stage production. A commanding voice punctuated the transitions, addressing the “Dystopian people” like a darkly comedic overlord weaving the show’s Orwellian threads.

Highlights included Soap Machine, where Skelton’s rockstar theatrics meshed perfectly with Lynch’s ethereal harmonies and Baker’s keyboard brilliance. Sean Harkins’ drumming proved to be the driving force behind the evening, adding both technical precision and unpredictable flair. Midway through, World Got So Dumb delivered the night’s quirkiest moment, as Skelton cheekily referenced whales and plankton before the band launched into solos mimicking marine creatures—an absurdist flourish that landed perfectly with the audience.

For all the biting satire, the heart of the show lay in its communal spirit. Tracks like Hermano, with its Latin-tinged rhythms, and Happiness, a euphoric anthem, became rallying cries for unity. These were not just songs; they were shared moments of catharsis, turning the venue into a collective sanctuary.

Beldon Haigh’s sound is big—too big, perhaps, for Whistle Binkies. The band’s theatricality, ambition, and sheer presence suggest they are destined for much larger stages. Watching them perform Dystopia – The Rock Opera felt like witnessing the genesis of something extraordinary—a bold, unapologetic vision that demands attention.

This wasn’t just another gig; it was a thrilling, surreal mix of rock and theatre that turned sharp political commentary into a wild, unforgettable experience. Beldon Haigh aren’t just playing music—they’re building worlds.

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Acclaimed US singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd to tour the UK for the first time this summer.

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Shortly after releasing her sophomore album in 2007, US-based singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd walked away from music completely for more than 10 years, feeling burned out and unhappy with her career progression like so many other independent artists. After going through a divorce in 2019 and in the midst of a global pandemic, she found herself pulled back toward the siren call of songwriting and again making the leap to pursue it full time. Her latest album ‘Carnival’, released in 2024, is in many ways the culmination of those decisions, and the reintroduction of an artist who now has the wisdom of experience.

There’s an unmistakable urgency you can feel when a song is written and performed from a place of complete honesty. That feeling permeates ‘Carnival’. “I’ve always been envious of writers who say they write songs because they have to, because they had these things they just had to get out of themselves,” Juliet says. “I had never really felt that way until this album. I’ve become someone who writes because they have to.”

Stylistically, ‘Carnival’ draws on a range of influences from Laurel Canyon-era singer/songwriters, to Lilith Fair rockers, to confessional country/folk balladeers, to indie pop. The central theme of the record and that of its title track is not being too precious about any one experience or decision. Take them for what they are, live in the moment, and move on when they’re done. It acknowledges also that memory can be subjective, and ambiguous—was an experience ultimately a good thing or a bad thing? And whose memory can you rely on to determine the answer to that question?

‘Carnival’ doesn’t just deal with the complexities of ending relationships, it also deals with all the feelings that come with moving on. The album’snine songs feature evocative storytelling that reveals a simple truth: when the carnival inevitably leaves town, you’re left with an empty parking lot. And how you remember, it is a choice. As Juliet sings in the title track, “If only there was a way you could bottle up that feeling / and you’d drink it in / when the days are short and you long.”

Across her 20+ year career, Juliet has been admittedly stylistically non-monogamous. Her first full-length album, ‘All Dressed Up’, was released in 2005 and was heavily jazz-influenced- a label that she rejected at the time. “I am a piano player and a woman, so I was immediately compared to Norah Jones—and I bristled at that,” Juliet says. “Listening back now, I can totally see that it was true, and it of course wasn’t a bad thing.” Her follow-up release ‘Leave the Light On,’ came out two years later and featured a slick piano-pop production that led to five of its songs being placed on reality TV shows on MTV and VH1. Coming back after her 10-year break from writing and recording, Juliet released ‘High Road’, a collection of five Americana/soul-tinged songs produced by Jim Ebert (Meredith Brooks, Shai) that earned her widespread recognition and songwriting awards both in her home region of DC as well as nationally.

Now with her first ever UK tour scheduled for July 2025, Juliet has also dropped a completely brand-new single ‘Wild Again’, which like ‘Carnival’, was written with and produced by Todd Wright (Lucy Woodward, Butch Walker, Toby Lightman). ‘Wild Again’, however, charts yet another new step in Juliet’s journey.

Carnival’, is full of deeply personal songs that are drawn from my real-life experiences and relationships. Coming out of that album cycle, I was feeling a little exhausted by my own navel-gazing and I was craving inspiration elsewhere. So, a lot of the songs I’m writing now are an evolution of sorts – focused more on external stimuli and finding the personal stories and humanity in that. Wild Again is a perfect example of this,” she explains.

The idea for ‘Wild Again’ was born out of a NY Times podcast Juliet listened to about the real-life efforts to return the whale that played Willy in the iconic movie ‘Free Willy’ back into the wild.

“It’s an insane, heartbreaking story that asks all kinds of thorny questions about human responsibility and humility and what’s the “right” thing to do and is that the same as the “kind” thing to do. There was a line that one of the trainers said in the podcast, explaining that they were trying to “train him to be wild again.” The complete absurdity of that statement hit me in the moment, and I immediately started jotting down lyrical ideas”, Juliet says.

Catch Juliet Lloyd on her UK tour this July:

1st July: The Folklore Rooms / Brighton
2nd July: The Hyde Tavern / Winchester
3rd July: Hen and Chicken / Bristol (CRH Music promotions)
4th July: Artisan Tap Hartshill / Stoke-on-Trent

5th July: Waggon & Horses, Nottingham

6th July: Cafe#9 / Sheffield
7th July: Hyde Park Book Club / Leeds
10th July: FortyFive Vinyl Café / York
11th July: The Muddy Puddle / London
13th July: The Wrotham Arms / Broadstairs

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