The Kidney Flowers – Burn Your Furniture – album launch gig review

After the gig to celebrate the release of the or new record, I think we can safely say The Kidney Flowers new album is well and truly launched, along with a large percentage of the gathering in The Old Hairdressers who spent the night crowd surfing and gleefully body slamming into anyone who cared to reciprocate. 

This was a breathless night in many ways, the breakneck speed of 99% of the songs, with nary a chance to register what was happening between songs, and quick handovers between bands leaving no time to take a breath, but also the stifling heat in the venue, probably in no small part the temperature raised by the heaving mass of bodies, adding to the intoxicating and suffocatingly intense atmosphere. … Read the rest

The Laurettes – “mini” gig review, HMV Glasgow re-opening

On the day their brand new single Witches was released, the dynamic duo of Lynette and Lauren were joined by bass player Ari (with a tres chic bodiless stand up bass), and drummer extraordinaire Lesley (aka Soup from The Hedrons) for a short but sweet five song set.

After a hastily made new acquaintance, the sound man for the previous band, the quintessential quartet were set up and ready to go, wasting no time in getting the fairly sizeable gathering in the HMV basement going with Burn, encouraging sing-a-longs from the off. Like I said when I reviewed their live performance with The Hedrons, if you want party started, invite The Laurettes.… Read the rest

KEELEY – Debut Glasgow Gig – Nice n Sleazy – Live Review

All Keeley photographs courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

Wednesday 20th September in Glasgow was a special night for a select gathering of gig goers with clearly impeccable musical taste. What was special about this date? Well, it marked the debut Glasgow gig for a certain lyricist and guitarist extraordinaire Keeley Moss and her band Keeley. A date which, for many of us in attendance, has been a long time coming, after falling in love and feeling a strong affinity her music, songs, and their subject matter from day one, wishing for the day to come when we could finally witness these remarkable songs played live.… Read the rest

The Laurettes Witches single

The Laurettes – Interview & Witches single review

It must be something in the name. Dynamic duo The Courettes are often labelled as the hardest working band in the world. But, there is a band closer to home along the Clyde Coast that are certainly giving them a run for their money, and another band built around a hard-working, forever gigging duo, this time friends Lauren and Lynette, aka The Laurettes.

The Laurettes are a band who, despite being on the go for some time, I only came across for the first time when they supported The Hedrons at their comeback gig in Glasgow’s SWG3 in October of last year.… Read the rest

Ruby Gaines Heavy Good EP cover

Ruby Gaines – Heavy Good – EP review

Late Summer/early Autumn has been a great time for new singles/EPs from Scottish based acts. Heavy Good from Ruby Gaines has been out for a couple of weeks now, the four tracks on this exceptional release getting better with every listen, and more than living up to the weighty moniker they have been given. Heavy Good … or as I’m sure George Orwell would agree if he was alive today doubleplus Heavy Good.

Ruby Gaines is a name that should be shouted from the rooftops, her vocal range is astounding, a fact that didn’t escape me when I first saw her live earlier this year, having somehow escaped my radar until then.… Read the rest

Water Machine Raw Liquid Power EP

Water Machine – Raw Liquid Power – EP review

Water Machine are working their way into your psyche slowly but surely. So far they have completed various small steps on their journey to world domination, gigging their little hearts out and in doing so building a roots up solid base of fans in their home city of Glasgow. Then releasing the now sold out (too slow losers) S/T Demo Tape, featuring live favourites Water Machine, I Quit, Flowers and the song which drew me in to the music of the band in the first place, Hot Real Estate, to great acclaim, and following this up with the superb vinyl EP, Raw Liquid Power (more of which shortly).… Read the rest

Scorpio Leisure Give Us Some Space

Scorpio Leisure – Give Us Some Space – single review

Ramrock Records have given us a well-deserved re-release of the previously independent offering, the divinely hypnotic Give Us Some Space single from the supreme talents of what can only be described as post-punk supergroup in the form of the wonderful Scorpio Leisure. Taking their name from the now defunct and infamous Edinburgh “attraction”, the band’s live nucleus of drummer Russell Burn (The Fire Engines/Win), bassist extraordinaire Colin J Whitson (Gin Goblins/Boots for Dancing/Voicex), guitarists Mungo Carswell (The Solid Bond) and Ricky Maymi (Brain Jonestown Massacre) with the delectable Hettie Noir on simmering sultry vocals is bolstered on the single by further post-punk luminaries in the form of Malcolm Ross (Josef K/Orange Juice) and Gareth Sager (The Pop Group/Rip, Rig & Panic).… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2023 – Pt 7 – July & August

Doubling up for this massive round-up, the last couple of months have disappeared in a flash… Loads of great new music from these summer months. As usual, where available, I’ve added the songs to an evil Spotify playlist for you to sample before you buy… support the artists by buying their music, and merchandise, if you like what you hear.

In no particular order, but kicking off here with the new single from the duo who have given me one of my most unique and unusual gig memories of the year, well, to be fair, probably my life…

The Courettes – Tough Like That

Returning to these shores for the second time this year, The Courettes are currently taking a break from recording their new album with a tour of England, and released a video for their Back in Mono B-Sides and Outtakes track, Tough Like That.… Read the rest

The Bucky Rage – Living in a Cult – album review

Do you ever get the rage? Do you need a release for your pent-up frustrations? Then maybe it’s time you did something about it, and what better time than now to try Living in a Cult with The Bucky Rage.

If you’ve ever seen the band live, you’ll know they’ve got a reputation for anarchic chaos, taking to the stage in their luchador mascaras, with a resultant frenzied melee that leaves you in a state of confused bewilderment and elation, wondering just what it was that hit you. Pretty much the effect Living in a Cult will have on you too.… Read the rest

Escape-ism and Scorpio Leisure – live in Sneaky Petes

I have my cousin to thank for my trip through from Perth to Edinburgh for this gig, having introduced me to Ian Svenonius via the Nation From Ulysses album Plays Pretty for Baby , what now seems like aeons ago. To be fair, that’s only part of the reason for my trip to Festival City. I could have seen Escape-ism in my home city, however, the Sneaky Petes gig did have the added attraction of the mesmerising Scorpio Leisure as the opening act…for our audio pleasure. 

Scorpio Leisure

If you’re still not au fait with the incredible Scorpio Leisure, my question for you is, what the fuck are you waiting for?… Read the rest