Dead Hope - The Ginger Quiff

The Muldoons – Made for Each Other – album review

July 30, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I have recently been expounding my love for a certain record label, the wonderful Tarbeach Records from Astoria, NY with links to home soil in Airdrie. Another of my favourite labels is altogether closer to home. Last Night From Glasgow, and its various offshoots Hive and Komponist have not let the grass grow under their feet during lockdown, with a seemingly endless supply of announcements and releases to delight and excite.

As I’ve recently reviewed two of the latest releases from Tarbeach It seems only fair that I balance this out and expound the virtues of Last Night From Glasgow too.… Read the rest

Shot Balowski – Eton’s Burning EP review

June 24, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Shot Balowski, the purveyors of one of the Ginger Quiff top ten album of last year, released a three track EP last week. If you are of the “keep politics out of music” brigade, look away now. Eton’s Burning is the lead lockdown anthem taking a swipe at the old boys’ club.

Kicking off with Debbie’s sonorous bass throb, the dynamic thrusting guitars crunch into life with Simon’s distorted vocal spitting venom backed by Tef’s thundering drums. The track ends on a plea. “Don’t dial 999”, in a squall of Manic Street Preacher style guitars. Class.

England’s (not) Dreaming

As a former Morrissey devotee, you may be forgiven for thinking I may be offended by track two.… Read the rest

Savage Cut – Before the Sea Does the Mile – review

May 15, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

The last gig I attended this year had Savage Cut on the bill. The first time I’d managed to catch the band live, and I have to say I was blown away. It will have to live long in the memory as it may be one of the only gigs I get to in 2020. The band are a three piece with no singer. Instead their songs feature a line-up of inspired choices of guest vocalists or samples.

The gig in Sleazys featured a cast of distinguished guests including the legendary Jimbo McKellar and rapper Hexstacy (review of the gig here).… Read the rest

Singles Round-up

March 5, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Loads of great singles blasting out in the Ginger Quiff towers just now. Where to start…

The Best Bad Influence

One of the hardest gigging bands on the scene just now are the phenomenally talented three-piece The Best Bad Influence. They seem to be ubiquitous currently. Every time I look on social media, I see them announcing more live dates. If someone were to ask me to name one band I want to be huge it is this pack of young wolves, so it gave me a huge rush to see that they hadn’t only announced more live dates recently but had dropped a new single.… Read the rest

The Armory Show – Live: King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow

October 18, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Now and then a gig creeps up on you, one you have been looking forward to it, but has been slightly under your radar, life takes over and the night arrives without you really realising it. You’re expecting a good performance, but then the band strike up the first chords…

Last night was a case in point, The Armory Show (not a mis-spell) surpassed all expectations, speaking to several others after the gig, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

Mystify

It had already been a week of revelations and back stories. Having already attended a preview of Mystify, a revealing documentary about INXS frontman, the charismatic Michael Hutchence, which filled in several blanks, revealing the tragic events which subsequently led to his behaviour changes and triggered the chain of events that led to his sad and untimely death.… Read the rest

Quotes of the Dead – Twist or Stick – new single

September 13, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Today sees the release of the new single and video from Glasgow’s Quotes of the Dead. The song Twist or Stick is a gloriously feisty three and a half minutes of alternative/indie guitar rock with a sinister undertone.

Seemingly telling the seedy tale of several unsavoury characters and their unconventional habits after dark… “welcome to the party where the rooms are painted red, bring a plus one and join me in my bed…” The song is both intensely dark and uncompromising while retaining an upbeat groove. Animated riffing and high-spirited melodies form the backbone to the track as the guitars soar and the resounding roll of the bass verges on ska phrasing on occasion.… Read the rest

Spotlight on Curdle

September 12, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Curdle

Curdle is a 4 piece Glasgow-based band playing their unique blend of riot grrl infused goth horror punk with lashings of 1960s trippy pop psychedelia for good meassure.

The band consists of:

Wiggy – Guitar, Bass, Theremin, Vocals
Sarah – Guitar, Bass, Synth, Vocals
Clare – Drums
Lucy – Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals

Their mesmerising debut album is receiving a vinyl release later in the year on the wonderful Double A Side records. (I recently revisited this for a review on the site). The band kindly took some time out of their busy schedule to speak to the Ginger Quiff.… Read the rest

Run Into the Night ft Martin Metcalfe Mon Cheri

Martin Metcalfe and Co…

August 23, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

There has been a flurry of activity from Martin Metcalfe and associated acts this week.

The Filthy Tongues

First up, the Filthy Tongues dropped a clip of a new song at the start of the week. Mummy Can’t Drive sounds very Bowie-esque to me. Featuring Marie Claire Lee who has been ably filling Shirley Manson’s shoes on recent Goodbye Mr MacKenzie dates, is this a little taster of what is to come from the third album in the trilogy? I hope so…

Goodbye Mr MacKenzie

Talking of Goodbye Mr MacKenzie, Good Deeds and Dirty Rags finally has an official release date and a flourish of promotional activity announced that this week.… Read the rest

16 Years Scottish Club Gigs in Scorland 1974-1990

Spotlight on – 16 Years: Gigs in Scotland 1974 – 1990

July 29, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Do you love live music?

Are you (or were you), like me, a regular gig-goer, and some of your best live experiences were in the small venues where you can see the whites of the eyes of the bands?

Did you attend club-sized gigs in the late seventies or eighties early on in a bands career?

Do you just like music and are interested in seeing pictures and other memorabilia from club gigs around Scotland?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then there is a book for you in the off-ing. Read on to find out more, but consider as you read, the success of this venture is down to you… and you…and you…Don’t just read this, think “that sounds great”, then continue surfing the net or scrolling through facebook.… Read the rest

Adventures of Salvador – Welcome to Our Village – album review

July 28, 2019 By neilho27@sky.com

Do you miss The Fall, those undeniable grumbling vocals from the late and much loved curmudgeon Mark E Smith? If so, you could do a lot worse than get yer lugs round Adventures of Salvador, a band doing a sterling job of filling the void.

Welcome to their world…

In the space of the 3 minutes 40 seconds of opening track, Girl With the Broken Face on their Welcome to Our Village album I am dragged in several directions, the song appearing to draw on the jangly guitar sound of early Happy Mondays, through the weird genius of Eat to the twisted acerbic Manc drawl of everyone’s favourite miserable bastard the aforementioned Mark E Smith.… Read the rest