Anxiety - The Ginger Quiff

Live Music – The Best Bad (Good) Influence…

July 10, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

This is a post I started writing earlier, but the outcome has changed as a result of today’s activity…

Rollercoaster of Emotions

I’ve been on a bit of a rollercoaster for the last few weeks, experiencing some of the highest highs and the lowest lows I’ve felt in a long time from a mental health perspective.

Yesterday I finished delivering a two week induction training course in Perth for 10 new starts, and I’m now emotionally and physically drained after two weeks of putting my heart and soul entirely into work. I’m glad to say the actual training was an entirely positive experience, with the odd left field issue thrown in to test me.… Read the rest

Jim McCulloch – When I Mean What I Say – album review

June 1, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve never had the good fortune to meet Jim McCulloch, but I’m willing to bet he’d be one of life’s good guys. I’m also willing to bet that the vast majority of music fans will own or love at least one song featuring the talents of McCulloch the maestro in their collection. Whether they know it or not.

I may be wrong, but he gives the impression of being a quiet unassuming genius who just loves creating and playing music. Keeping his head just under the parapet focussing on what he loves and producing some timeless, unforgettable records in the process.… Read the rest

Mindful March

March 4, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Let’s not sugar coat it. January was shite. If anything, February was worse…

I’m willing to bet I’m not the only person that in any “normal” year hates the early months of a new year. The promise of a buoyant New Year seen through the haze of a Hogmanay dram, usually fades to a miserable grey thought as the realisation hits. It’s January.

I mean, January and February are normally a barren wasteland of dark mornings and dark evenings. Days and nights of nothing much happening after the hustle and bustle of December. 2021 has added a whole new dimension of shite to the mix.… Read the rest

Lockdown Ramblings

December 10, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I recently almost killed the Ginger Quiff website. I had reached a point where it wasn’t giving me any joy, it wasn’t serving the purpose I first started it for. It felt like a chore and I was putting myself under stress and pressure to get some content up. I began to see it as an unimportant “nice to have”. And in many ways, it is. Nothing I write is going to change the world or have a massive effect on anyone’s life. Well, that’s not entirely true, it has made a massive difference to my life since I started writing.… Read the rest

Aw Naw – No Again EP review

July 27, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Aw Naw? The only aw naw moment here is that it’s taken me so long to get around to getting a review uploaded for the debut EP, No Again from Aw Naw.

Everything about this EP is Aw Yass. With the three tracks ranging from the sublime (Secret Face) to the mirthful (Demon Drink).

The Demon Drink tells the story of an empty at Big Stevie’s. Or more precisely, the effects of a certain type of wreck the hoose juice on the protagonist. The lyrics will have you laughing and cringing as you realise you’ve either met (or been) that person at house parties.… Read the rest

New York Junk – Dreaming – mini album review

July 24, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

New York Junk are one of those quintessential NYC bands. As soon as you listen to the songs you know where their origins lie, not just because the style of their music rests well with the icons of the New York City alternative an punk scene of the 60s/70s but also because the subject matter of their lyrics often reflects topics relating to the Big Apple or tackles the issues the city faces.

It seems only right then that the band release their new record, Dreaming, on Astoria, NY based label, Tarbeach Records. The record follows hot on the heels of another ex B-Girl Cynthia Ross related release, last year’s glorious ElectraJets Transatlantic Tales album, one of my albums of the year for 2019.… Read the rest

Lockdown ramblings…

May 12, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve being doing a lot of internal reflection on the back of the latest seemingly ill thought out random series soundbites and subsequent bumbling backtracking and mixed messages coming from Downing Street, apparently without any real plan or substance to back them up. While I feel that many of us with some common sense have been able to live by the guidelines up until now, these new messages have just caused confusion amongst many. This isn’t really a political post though. The statement and subsequent fallout were merely a trigger.

Home Truths

It brought home a few realisations and home truths.… Read the rest

Carol Hodge – Savage Purge – Interview and Review

February 28, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Roots

Ahead of the release of her latest work of genius, Savage Purge on the 30th of March, I had the privilege to catch up with fellow Hodge, Carol. I don’t often meet other Hodges, so I had to ask about her roots and whether she had ever investigated her family tree…

Yeah, well, funnily enough my mum did, she was into genealogy for a while, so she did our family tree. I was born in Greenock, we lived in Port Glasgow when I was a kid. All my family comes from around there.

Then going back far enough, from Ireland, it was maybe like the 1700s when the first Hodge came over.

… Read the rest

Caroline Flack – a reflection

February 16, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I don’t know much about Caroline Flack. I don’t watch Love Island and I haven’t been aware of much of the fall out of recent events. This weekend’s tragic events are no less affecting despite my lack of knowledge. I’m not going to pretend I know all the ins and outs of what led to this young woman taking her own life, but I’ve read enough to know that there were probably several contributing factors.

Kind of hypocritical as I’m sharing this via social media, but a combination of vile red tops creating exaggerated salacious press stories combined with vicious trolling via several social media outlets surely would have had an impact on her state of mind.… Read the rest

Back, like a bad penny…

December 9, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

I’m back. Like a bad penny.

I’ve been away from the Ginger Quiff for a short while, but still probably longer than I had initially hoped or intended. Like many others, balancing work and life is sometimes a challenge. Occasionally, that constant juggling of commitments ends up in us dropping a ball.

At times though, it must be a conscious decision to juggle with less balls to make it easier on yourself.

Take a break

Initially, it wasn’t a conscious decision to step away from my blog, I just lacked the free time and head space to give it the quality time I wanted to.… Read the rest