Post punk - The Ginger Quiff

For Your Audio Pleasure – Scorpio Leisure Interview and gig review

April 18, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Scorpio Leisure had me transfixed from the minute I first heard their music, this was courtesy of their bass player Coco sharing an enigmatic video clip of their hypnotic song Driving. The band had an air of mystery about them at the time, other than Coco, I had very little knowledge of the who was in the band. The one thing I knew was they had the potential to be one of my new musical obsessions.

And so it transpired, trying to see the band as often as life and work permits, having been wowed by the first time I saw them in The Rum Shack – even heading out East to catch gigs in Sneaky Pete’s and La Belle Angele, I don’t do that for just any band.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 3 – March

April 10, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Another month, another singles round up, and a bumper selection it is too, 61 songs in this month’s list, This month’s selection comes from a range of bands and singers from newer talent such as Dancer, Soapbox and recent BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year Bottle Rockets through to established legends such as Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, as well as home grown legends Arab Strap and the continued welcome return of James King and the Lonewolves ahead of their new album The Mortality Arcade.

The Top 25

Single of the Month

Soapbox – Fascist Bob

Several reasons for this being single of the month for March, first and foremost it’s a fucking great song cementing Soapbox as one of the best of the current crop of Scottish bands displaying a punk attitude in the true spirit of the first wave of punk, kicking against the pricks and railing against the right wing.… Read the rest

House Guest Festival 2024 – review

April 9, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

First things first, a huge congratulations must go to Scottish Music Collective and Crowded Flat for pulling off a superb inaugural House Guest event. Not only was the sold out day a huge success due to the phenomenal line up, bulging at the seams with a smorgasbord of new Scottish talent, the day ran like clockwork, the dream team in Sleazy’s (where, despite plans, I based myself all day) from bar staff to event management ensuring things ran like clockwork. I hope the success helps this event to go on to be a celebrated annual event much like its template events such as Tenement Trail. … Read the rest

Death Valley Girls with Junk Pups and Tanzana – Broadcast

March 19, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

The last time I caught Death Valley Girls live was on a dreich and miserable Monday night in the self same venue, but with the stage where the bar is, and vice versa. Bonnie and the band were on top form back then with local duo Run Into the Night in tow. This time around they outshone themselves with a mind-bending stellar performance.

Before the headliners took to the stage though, they already had a lot to live up to after the performances from the two support bands for the evening.

First up it was the turn of fresh faced quintet Tanzana.… Read the rest

Scorpio Leisure – Apology E.P. review

March 7, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

2024 is set to be a bumper year for releases by some of the Scottish music scene’s rising talents. Not satisfied with the release of their self titled debut album later in the year, Edinburgh based post-punk supergroup Scorpio Leisure release their 4 track EP, Apology this month, a treat for those who have a voracious appetite for the band’s music and need an amuse-bouche to keep them going ahead of the main course.

The band is the coming together of like-minded friends and musicians from a variety of bands past and present, representing a cross section of the alternative music scene, all throwing their individual styles and influences into the melting pot and resulting in the serving up of an unconventionally unique and luscious offering in their own inimitable style.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 1 – January

February 28, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

A new year for music and (eventually) the first round up of 2024, and what a bumper crop already for January. A massive 62 songs (OK, so some might be from the end of 2023 as I posted end of year posts early…). Anyway, we’re certainly out of the traps and off running at speed, with this list containing some well-kent names, some new kids on the block, as well as the return of some legends. All told providing a wheen of top quality tunes which succeeded in lifting the January blues. If that was January, this is set to be another cracking year for music…

The hazard of deciding to do a monthly singles round up means also trying to find the time to write up the blog… I seem to be caught in a vicious circle of promising myself I’ll spend more time on writing, then disappearing in a world of work, or spending hours overthinking things and getting fuck all done…

I’ve therefore had to make an executive decision.… Read the rest

The Hedrons – Tired of Taking – album launch with f.o. machete

February 24, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

All photos courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

They’re back. With a huge fuck off vengeance. Who’s that I hear you ask? Well, The fucking Hedrons of course… but, before they utterly owned the Room 2 stage, it was the return of another legendary band to return to the live arena. And what a fucking return it was.

The band with one of the best names in music, f.o. machete (in its original context, not the family friendly “fresh orange” on their current badges and stickers), tore through their set, laying waste to Room 2 and leaving a scene of joyful devastation, and gobsmacked punters, in their wake. … Read the rest

The Alleged – Don’t Hold Back – album review

February 22, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

The punk scene of the late 70’s/early 80’s was a green light and an opportunity for many to pick up a guitar or drumsticks, or make their voice heard for the first time. Inspired by the early proponents of the scene, many of these bands shone brightly as they made their mark on their local scene only to burn out as they blazed their trail before getting the chance to release an album.

One such band was The Alleged from Glasgow, forming in 1978 and becoming one of the shining stars and stalwarts of the Glasgow punk scene before splitting again only a couple of years later in 1980.… Read the rest

Thee Effits Psychic Coffee Shop album cover

Thee Effits – Psychic Coffee Shop – album review

February 19, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Call this what you like, a post CD release, or a pre-vinyl release review on Tarbeach Records, so you could say it’s either well overdue, or it’s way ahead of the proposed summer vinyl release. The question is who are the mysterious Thee Effits, I hear you ask? The band is the latest incarnation of the ever mysterious The Electric Fits, the brainchild of Walt (aka Thee E-Fits), who released a debut album Opposable Thumbs back in 2015/6. The band is now, pick your adjective, re-formed, re-imagined, re-invigorated, re-generated, re-born, re-invented, re-incarnated into…Thee Effits and to celebrate this re-birth, have released this six track album in the form of Psychic Coffee Shop.… Read the rest

Swansea Sound. Water Machine and I Wanna Be a Truck Driver – Live in Mono

February 19, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

ALL Photos – courtesy of Stuart @blackmagicplastic • Instagram photos and videos

Nearly March already and not a dish done. I still haven’t managed to get to an album review this year, or published the January Singles Round Up, despite my thinking I would get a chance to play catch up. Life and work gets in the way…

I have however managed to get to another gig though… should have been more, but… see above! Anyway. This was another belter. There may be less gigs for me this year due to… see above (again)… and funds… however, the ones I’ve attended to date have been nothing short of inspirational, and this one was to prove no different.… Read the rest