I've seen Jeff Scott Soto in a couple of guises before. Once as the show stealing frontman of W.E.T. when they bossed the stage at the much missed Firefest and once as the most energetic, charismatic frontman Journey has ever had. Tonight in Edinburgh is different, he's here with his band to highlight his latest, and for his more melodically rock minded fans, controversially heavy outfit Soto. Although we were also to be treated to so much more. First up however were the Swiss outfit Vanadine, a band JSS has long been championing, and UK lads Bigfoot, who have in recent times begun creating a buzz almost as large as their shoe size. Sea of Tranquility's Steven Reid was there.

Although the 'official support' for this tour, Vanadine hit the stage first, a pretty much unknown name here in the UK given the chance to show their wares before a reasonably sized crowd. Sitting on the riffy end of heavy rock, there's a mix of good time vibes, thunderous guitars and the occasional tongue in cheek lyric about what this lot do. It's also clear that they're here to have fun, and to make sure everyone else does too. In truth, the language barrier between frontman Mitch M. Michel and the audience also creates a few unintentionally humorous moments, but in general it's a reasonably solid set of riff packed songs that make the desired first impression. "Liar" is a chunky slice of controlled anger, although it's the 'love song' "Fuck U" and it's infectious Ugly Kid Joe like bounce-about that proves the highlight. They didn't quite have folk scurrying to the merch desk to throw money at them, but Vanadine certainly made some new friends with a performance that suggests that with a little honing and stage presence, they could go far.

Wigan lads Bigfoot on the other hand seemed to already be well known faces to many, this young act packing the front half of the Bannerman's 'tunnel' (or oven, if you visit in the summer…) with ladies and gents already wearing the band's logo adorned t-shirts. And no wonder. This lot are the real deal. It's a long time since I've seen a young band who not only have all the right moves and the right look, but also the stage craft to immediately command the crowd and bring the whole room with them on the journey through their set. Most importantly, they have the songs to carry it off, an influence list as wide and varied as The Beatles, Iron Maiden, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jagged Edge and just about everything in between, at their disposal. What's also clear is just how much time they've put in to their show, a slick but not too slick, professionalism married to a keen sense of humour, making what this band do equally entertaining and likeable. The immensely tight little stop start sections an attention grabbing blast from the past that many bands of longer vintage could learn from.

There's only one way to enter the stage area in Bannerman's and that's directly through the crowd. Hence with most of the band already on the stage, the assembled throng was asked to part down the middle to let the one, the only, Jeff Scott Soto through. Moses himself couldn't have done a better job of splitting the seas, as the man mountain strode through the room to huge acclaim. At over six feet in height and with hugely broad, solid shoulders, JSS is an imposing sight at the best of times, but crammed onto the small stage in this venue, he looked like some sort of dark glasses wearing goliath as the band slipped eagerly into gear. Hitting hard from the off – well after a few microphone problems had been sorted out (something that would set the tone for the night), "Freakshow" and "Wrath" took no prisoners and even with JSS admitting to an extremely late bedtime the night before, it was the heaviness of the guitars and the aggression in the vocals that knocked everyone sideways. Surrounding himself with some amazing talent, the show was never about Soto the man and always about Soto the band, guitarists Jorge Salan and BJ, drummer Edu Cominato and bassist David Z contributing on an equal footing, whether that be through stunning bass workouts, searing solos, intricate percussive power, or rock solid rhythm guitar work. Add in some amazing backing, and at times lead, vocals from BJ, Edu and Z, and as JSS is as great pains to point out, Soto is a solidified unit, not another solo venture. That also came across strongly in the chemistry onstage, the camaraderie and gentle mickey-taking throughout always raising some hearty laughs.