November, 2021 - The Ginger Quiff

VIDEO PREMIERE – The Scaramanga Six – Big Ideas

November 26, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

The Ginger Quiff is proud to present the exclusive premiere of the new video from The Scaramanga Six for their dark and majestic new single Big Ideas from their forthcoming tenth album, Worthless Music. You can pre-order the album now on their Bandcamp page (link below) with a release date of the 3rd of December.

The band have had an esteemed 26 year career to date, and Big Ideas, the fourth song to be released in anticipation of the album, continues to whet the appetite for what promises to be a huge new album.

Cementing what the band have become known for, Big Ideas is a behemoth of a track.… Read the rest

Middle Class Guilt – Perform the Songs of Middle Class Guilt EP review

November 25, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Coming at you from Glasgow, via that apparent hotbed of crime, Shetland (if the BBC series is to be believed) is the gloriously ramshackle chic of Middle Class Guilt who have decided we are ready for them to lay all that pent up guilt at our doors. We should all be truly grateful to be allowed the opportunity to let this into our lives.

The four songs that make up the the EP are an eclectic and somewhat eccentric mix – a bit like The Fall meets Fat White Family meets The Amazing Snakeheads, all thrown into a magimix, with the resultant new flavour delighting the taste buds while fucking a bit with your head as you wonder just what you have experienced, but desperate for some more…

The lead song, Part Evil, At Least has a sinister edge to it, as befits a song with such a title, but despite this underlying air of menace, it also has hints of a ska melody that will give you itchy feet.… Read the rest

Keeley – Echo Everywhere – EP review

November 24, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Earlier this year Dublin based Keeley released what is possibly one of my most listened to EPs of this year in Brave Warrior. The four songs on the EP were all utterly beautiful and had me transfixed from the off.

Keeley offers an unusual proposition in terms of songwriting in that all of her songs are written with one person in mind. All of her songwriting is written around the unsolved murder of Inga Maria Hauser, a German tourist who went missing in 1988 aged just 18. When she went missing, she was en route to Dublin, one of the destinations she had most been looking forward to visiting.… Read the rest

Thirteen – Ego Trap – EP review

November 23, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

“We are Thirteen, punk rock and roll” yell’s Dolly Robinson on the bands theme song and literally the closing number on their new Ego Trap EP, a full frontal assault on the senses, this is a mighty head rush of exactly what the band claim to be on heir eponymous song.

Dolly Robinson is the only remaining member of the original line up. The band formed in 2013 and have so far released two EPs and two full length albums. There was a bit of an enforced hiatus when Dolly was looking to recruit new band members following the departure of original members, but I’m glad to say, this search for new members has been a more than fruitful one.… Read the rest

Broken Chanter/wojtek the bear – Live – CCA Glasgow

November 21, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Friday finally arrived in a week when I felt entirely discombobulated. On a daily basis I had no clue what day of the week or what time of the day it was. All I did know was that was desperate for the weekend to arrive and for it to start with another Last Night From Glasgow launch night in the impressive surroundings of Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts.

This time around it was a double whammy, with wojtek the bear’s album heaven by the back door released on the label’s Hive imprint earlier in the year (review here), and headliners, Broken Chanter new album Catastrophe Hits seeing the light of day just the the other week (review here).… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2021 – Part 13

November 21, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

We are fast approaching the end of 2021, but the songs keep on coming with no sign of a let up. Here is singles round up number 13 for the year. Who knows there may even be a 14… If I was superstitious there would have to be. With each one new song that comes out, the decision for singles of the year becomes harder and harder…

Here we go again – in no particualre order…

James Domestic – Push on Through

A throbbing hypnotic bass line pervades the air, before adding a keyboard melody and some angular post punk guitars, ad a vocal that sounds like Ian Dury has joined Sleaford Mods and you’re about there with this hypnotic alternative fucked up caffeine fried road song.… Read the rest

Broken Chanter – Catastrophe Hits – album review

November 17, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Another Last Night From Glasgow album launch gig beckons this Friday in Glasgow’s CCA, this time around it is Broken Chanter peddling their wares ably supported by label mates wotjek the bear who released their latest album, heaven by the back door, earlier in 2021. The gig is to promote Broken Chanter’s superb new album, Catastrophe Hits, which came out on all the usual streaming platforms and to download the other week, with vinyl to follow (the current world shortage of vinyl delaying releases…)

Is the new album any good or is it a catastrophe? Of course it’s not a catastrophe, but a selection of ten epic new songs demonstrating David’s knack for writing lyrics that can be thought provoking, sentimentally touching and humorous within one song, Add to that immense tunes, driving beats and melodies that soar, filling the air with captivating harmonies.… Read the rest

The Jesus & Mary Chain & Gaye Bykers on Acid – Live in Glasgow

November 15, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

After a week that, if I was being polite, could have been described as both difficult and challenging, one name was a common denominator in easing my troubled mind. That name was Mary, and they took me from Darklands to Everything’s Groovy across the space of two outstanding gigs over the weekend.

The Jesus & Mary Chain in Stereo

Having rocked my world with their return to perform the classic debut album Psychocandy in Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom several years ago, East Kilbride’s favourite sons Jim and William Reid were due to return to the self same venue to give the same treatment to their follow up Darklands in March last year.… Read the rest

Hanya/The Wife Guys of Reddit – Live – The Hug and Pint

November 9, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Monday night at the Hug and Pint

Last week my working week was due to be bookended by two gigs, Monday night in the Hug and Pint and Friday night in Nice ‘n’ Sleazy. As things transpired, there was a very different outcome to the end of the week than first expected, encompassing the highs and lows of the Glasgow live music scene from the perspectives of both music fan and performers.

My third gig in as many weeks in The Hug and Pint, and a realisation that perhaps I was out too much when the barman pre-empted my drink order when I approached the upstairs bar.… Read the rest

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SELF ESTEEM – Prioritise Pleasure – album review

November 4, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

In a previous incarnation SELF ESTEEM, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was one half of indie/alt folk duo Slow Club. Since the band split in 2017, Taylor has written and recorded under the moniker of SELF ESTEEM. Over the last year or so she has released a series of perfect pop singles, culminating a couple of weeks ago in her second solo album, Prioritise Pleasure. Since it’s release it has rarely been far away from my turntable. I’ve been prioritising my listening pleasure, alternating between this and the new Broken Chanter album, Catastrophe Hits.

Absolute Triumph

Prioritise Pleasure is an absolute triumph from so many perspectives.… Read the rest