"WE LIVE TO PLAY LIVE" | EDINBURGH'S GAMBIT ON NEW SINGLE, NOMINATIONS AND NORTHERN EXPOSURE LIVE |

INTERVIEW | GAMBIT by Anne Kelly

If you’re a fan of big riffs, foot-stomping grooves, and the raw energy of bands like Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith, you are going to love the first of our featured Northern Exposure Live artists set to appear at our Glasgow showcase gig later this month.

Edinburgh based, Gambit, have spent the last year refining a sound that is as authentic as it is loud. Fresh off the release of their stomping new single ‘Sympathy’ and currently shortlisted for Best Live Rock & Metal Artist of the Year at the Scottish Live Music Awards, Gambit are a band that lives for the stage.

Ahead of the Classic Grand showcase, we spoke to the band about their influences, keeping things fresh and those inevitable gig disasters.

First of all, who are Gambit?

Gambit are a Classic & Blues inspired Rock n’ Roll band from Edinburgh. We have four members: Emma Youmans (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Owen Morrow (lead guitar), Alastair Clarke (bass) and Oscar Marks Lewin (drums). Gambit started in early 2024, but the current line-up has been together since mid-2025.

What can you tell us about your latest single ‘Sympathy’? How did that one come together? What were your influences?

‘Sympathy’, our most recent single, was released on January 16th, 2026. It came together pretty organically because we gave ourselves the opportunity to play around with it for a while and find different possibilities structurally with the whole band.

We had an idea for the chorus chord progression for some time, but we’re just looking for the right riff to pair it with. Initially, Emma brought in the opening riff and then she and Owen worked on developing the guitar parts from there. We wanted a bluesy, foot stomping verse complimented by a layered and melodic chorus which both came together rather quickly, so our development work mostly focused on transitions and connective tissue within the song.

Our main influences come from guitar-driven music, so incorporating a prominent guitar solo is always a priority in our creation process. Overall, we are something of a jam band in the sense that we like to bring in ideas for songs and then jam with that to see what we can find. That approach certainly helped us find the through-line and energetic arcs to give Sympathy a dynamic flow. In the end, we couldn’t be more excited to have Sympathy out in the world!

Do you feel your sound has evolved over the years? How do you keep things fresh?

Our sound has definitely evolved, not only because we have two new members from the group we initially started with, but also because we have all influenced each other in ways that have enriched our creativity. When we stared, we were just sort of trying to discover our sound and figuring out what our creative process would look like through trial and a great deal of error.

Now, two years on and with the current line up, we have established what systems work for us as a group and that we are all on the same creative wavelength in terms of communication and sharing of ideas. The current environment is extremely supportive and conducive to us all pushing each other to challenge ourselves both technically and artistically.

“Rock” is such a huge umbrella term, and we now feel like we have the confidence and familiarity with each other as musicians to stretch our elbows a bit with incorporating different influences and approaches, while still staying anchored by our established sound.

We keep things fresh mostly by nature of how we work and the fact that we are always writing something new. Of course we have a couple songs on the setlist that we’ve played a million times, but we are always adding to the mix and keeping it fun.

How does Gambit on stage compare to Gambit on record?

Perhaps our most important value as a band is to play live the way we sound on the record; or as close as humanly possible. We believe in simply delivering our sound and what we are able to produce on stage on any given night, and that is reflected in our recorded music. With our style of classic/bluesy rock, we want to be raw and authentic to our live show sound because that is the lifeblood of what we do. We live to play live.

Of course, recording and releasing music is vital and we take a lot of pride in our discography, but we view our recorded music as a complimentary supplement to our live show. We hope our recorded music encourages people to come check us out live because that’s where the fun really is! We are quite interactive and we feel that the live atmosphere allows our style of music and personality as a band to reach its full potential. It’s loud, it pushes air through the room and it’s a celebration meant to be shared.

Have you ever had any gig disasters? If so, what lessons have you taken from that?

We have certainly had our fair share of gig disasters! It’s the nature of the beast, live performing arts always come with logistical and practical challenges and things that go wrong unexpectedly. Rolling with the punches is a skill and it’s vital to be able to navigate problems on the fly in a constructive way. Being flexible, respectful and willing to help goes a long way! That being said, speaking up and self-advocacy are also essential skills.

What can people expect from your upcoming show at Classic Grand?

If anyone is looking for a high-octane, vintage-inspired rock n’ roll show, our upcoming set at The Classic Grand will bring it. If you’re a fan of Led Zeppelin, Heart or Aerosmith, you should definitely come down to see us at The Classic Grand on February 13th!

What else do you have planned for 2026 that you can share?

We have loads of exciting things planned for 2026. Starting off, we are currently shortlisted for Best Live Rock & Metal Artist of the Year by the Scottish Live Music Awards. We are so honoured to be among such an amazing group of artists and it’s a huge privilege to have received so much support from the public vote. Secondly, we are making our Dundee debut on May 9th for our first festival slot of the year with the Bonnie Scotland Presents Blues Rock All-Dayer! We will be playing alongside some absolutely phenomenal blues and rock bands, so it’s definitely one we are buzzing for. We will also be heading down south in England this summer for a festival, but that’s all we can say for now! Stay tuned to our socials for the announcement 🙂

Finally, If you could open for any band, who would would it be and why?

It’s impossible to pick just one band we’d want to open for because the list is endless! But it would be an absolute dream come true to open for Guns N’ Roses, The Darkness, Larkin Poe or The Struts.

Gambit will play Northern Exposure Live in partnership with B12 Entertainment on Friday 13th February alongside Jazmin Jet, Annie & The Jays and more TBA soon. Tickets are available here!