Category: Post punk

Singles Round Up 2026 – January – Part 2

January 22, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Part two of an already strong month for new singles and another smorgasbord of songs from bands old and new from harmonious folky melodies from Amy Duncan and M. John Henry through to in your face punk from Dropkick Murphys and Gogol Bordello… Part three still to come with some more outstanding songs…

First up in this part is Ghost Reverb, the lead track from the Post Punk No Wave EP from Novelistme the alterego of multi-instrumentalist Andrew Price and in which he leaves behind standard verse chorus verse song structures to create a one take improvisational commentary on life, it’s often a bleak and uneasy listen.… Read the rest

Awful Eyes, Oedipus and the Mamas Boys, Citizen Head & Vacant Pavements – live in King Tuts

January 16, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

All Photos courtesy of Dale Harvey

What should have been my third gig of 2026 turned out to be my first one, and it was a belter with four very different bands all ploughing their own furrow in their chosen genre, or indeed just by ploughing their own furrow full stop and in doing so defying pigeonholing…

The first band on the bill were a case in point, when I previously saw Vacant Pavements supporting Tanzana in McChuills I was late to the venue and only caught the last song of their set, which was more than enough to whet the appetite for more, I’m disappointed in myself that it’s taken until now to fix that.… Read the rest

The Twinsets – Peel Sessions 82-83 – Album review

January 13, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Precious Recordings of London have excelled themselves once again with the latest of their album length session releases, this time celebrating Edinburgh sisters Gaye and Rachel Bell, aka The Twinsets, in compiling all three of their Peel Sessions. This release may also attract a whole new set of fans following their inclusion in the excellent Since Yesterday documentary.

Forty odd years on from the airing of the three sessions this feels like the debut album the band never got the chance to release having only ever released one single, Heartbeat, on cassette which also included their cover of The Shangri-Las Sophisticated Boom Boom, the Peel Versions of which both appear here.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – January Pt 1

January 11, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

A couple of weeks into January and things are already bright in terms of new singles, with plenty of action from bands close to home, a cover from a forthcoming cover versions album and the return of a few indie legends… The first couple of songs in the first part of the January round up are from home grown talent both with French titles.

I’m surprised Fraser McCallum has time to write his own music given his status as sought after guitar for hire in the Scottish music scene, taking on the mantle of a young version of Douglas McIntyre… But indeed he has made the time and the resultant impassioned single where he takes on a persona of Serge Gainsbourg L’eau à les yeux is a masterstroke, a song that is so swathed with affecting pathos in it’s sound and delivery that it could easily be a Morrissey song, in a time and place where Morrissey songs were to be celebrated.… Read the rest

Tracks of the Year – The Ginger Quiff Top 100 of 2025

January 1, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

I could write and re-write this list 100 times and still not come up with a definitive 100 songs, I know I’ve missed out songs from some of my favourite albums, I’ve hummed and hawed over songs to include, and I know these lists are subjective and could change by the day depending on my mood. The list also leans heavily towards home grown talent, not an unintentional move, as I want the blog to be a platform to promote Scottish bands, but not at the exclusion of everything else… There also occasions where some bands could have had several songs in the 100, so to avoid multiple entries, I’ve limited my choices to one song per band.… Read the rest

The Ginger Quiff – Albums/EPs of the Year

December 31, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Having had a prolonged break from writing The Ginger Quiff blogs in 2025, as well as missing many of the gigs I wanted to get to, it also meant I missed reviewing some of my favourite albums of this year. That didn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying the music or using it as a form of therapy, I am one of those people who can’t get through a day without listening to music, and if I do, something is majorly wrong… any, for what it’s worth here are my 50 favourite akbums of 2025, 25 favourite EPs (actually 26) and my favourite re-releases and compilations, where I did review them, I’ve included the link to the review.… Read the rest

Slime City – National Record of Achievement – album review

December 23, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Slime City have already reached legends in their own lunchtime status in their home city, the shitehole that is Glasgow, with their debut album Death Club so it was clearly time to go interstellar and conquer the rest of the music loving public. And what better way to do it than with the release of their new album, National Record of Achievement. I’m too fucking old to have experienced National Records of Achievement, but I’m willing to put my trust in Slime City (is that wise?) that they were a waste of time and energy, labelling them an utterly pointless exercise as they ascertain that nobody will ever ask to see it. … Read the rest

This Questionable Life – Sucker Punch – EP Review

December 22, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

This is the fifth EP from the band whose name unfortunately becomes more and more pertinent with each release, or may be that’s just me…

Anyway, however questionable things may be in the current dystopian times we are living through, there is always music to fall back on, giving a respite from reality, or that feeling that you’re not alone and there is hope for change. That’s the feeling from listening to this EP from This Questionable Life.

The hard-edged driving rhythm of the EP’s opening song, it’s title track, has a sense of R.E.M. in it’s melody, a punchy high-energy beat underlines some crunching riffs and sets the standard for the rest of the EP.… Read the rest

The Primevals – Best of the BBC Sessions 

December 22, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve not written enough about Nick Godfrey and what he’s doing with Precious Recordings of London. These sessions are a testament to how important radio is as a means of exposure to bands trying to get their music heard far and wide. It’s always been a struggle to make it in an industry packed with traps and pitfalls, and even more so in this day and age with the rise of AI and corporates and streaming companies who are trying to bleed bands for as much as they can get and pay them next to nothing. BBC Radio Scotland should be ashamed of recent announcements ending several shows that have given space and exposure to hundreds of local bands over the years. … Read the rest

MILANGE – Till You Drop – EP Review

December 19, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

From the opening bars of the potent energy of  Front Row right through to the closing bars of On & On Milange had me utterly absorbed. The former, a glorious anthem celebrating live music that has you imagining you are right there front and centre, while the latter announces its arrival with a low bass rumble before forging a path of low key menace, the spoken word vocal sitting somewhere between despair and rage and the clamorous soundtrack matching it’s absorbing intensity. 

And across the five songs in between, Milange draw you in with their engaging narratives in the lyrics, and have you thrilled by the dynamic magnetism and dramatic fervour of the accompanying music.… Read the rest