Gigs in Glasgow - The Ginger Quiff

Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds – Room 2

October 26, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

If you’re reading this expecting a detailed in depth review of Kid Congo Powers at Room 2, you should probably exit. This isn’t so much a review as the rambling thoughts of an aging music fan with social anxiety issues.

On the way to the gig I posted a throwaway comment on Facebook, (mis)quoting Bill Shankly, “Some people believe music is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

That statement, no matter how throwaway it seemed when I posted it, translated in a way I couldn’t have imagined as I headed into Room 2.… Read the rest

Young Fathers – Live in Glasgow Barrowland

October 24, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

For someone who still thinks the 80s was only a few years ago, the realisation that the last time I saw Young Fathers live in 2014 at the Last Great Weekend Festival was nine years ago came as a huge shock. It also started bringing back memories of standing In the excruciating bar queue after their set, with the one and only Keith Martin, debating the qualities of the band and whether they are better live or on record, as well as generally putting the world to rights. In the interim the band has gone on to great things, from winning the Mercury Music Prize that same year, and gaining plaudits left right and centre, right up to the nomination this year for their extraordinary latest album Heavy Heavy, pipped at the post by the Ezra Collective.… Read the rest

The Bathers – Sirenesque – Album (of the year?) review

October 20, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Unassumingly announcing its arrival with solitary and delicately understated piano paired with birdsong in the form of the calming beauty of Culzean, the long-awaited new album from Glasgow’s very own legendary band The Bathers, Sirenesque, then segues smoothly into its majestic title track. When Chris Thomson’s well-kent, instantly recognisable and richly expressive smooth brogue kicks in it almost induces tears, such is the effect of his highly emotive style, a welcome sound that rolls back the years both with a sense of ebullience, but also tinged with an element of melancholia, the song has an element of Blackstar Bowie to it, before the guitar break takes over and the sense of hopeful buoyancy takes the lead once more.… Read the rest

Carla J. Easton – Sugar Honey – album review

October 19, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Sugar Honey is the follow up to the last solo long player from Carla J. Easton from three years ago, Weirdo. With the interim period including an album release from her Poster Paints project with ex-Frightened Rabbit, Simon Liddell, time has been good to Carla in terms of creativity, Sugar Honey is a continuation of that seam of inspired creativity, the album a formidable statement of intent on several fronts.

Sugar Honey is a bit of a double-edged sword. The album title describes Carla’s music perfectly, a flawless blend of her sugary sweet synth/keys-based pop melodies, that never become mawkish and cloying, matched with her unique honey-coated voice, dripping with that feeling of familiar warming vocal hug, and the addition of a heavy measure of both melancholy and ire… Which is the other side of the double-edged sword. … Read the rest

Parallels & Brenda – Live in Nice ‘n’ Sleazy

October 18, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

*All photographs courtesy of Christopher Hogge Photography*

Early week/Monday night gigs in the middle of the month in Glasgow are notoriously a bit of a risk, and so it may have initially seemed in Nice n Sleazy on the first weekday night of the school mid term autumn break, with a pretty sparse turn out scattered around the venue as support band Brenda’s stage time arrived.

Is that something that bothered the fierce Glasgow trio? Absolutely not. Brenda give not one fuck, they are going to enjoy themselves whatever day of the week it is and regardless of who is there to witness it.… Read the rest

Tenement Trail 2023 – Walt Disco, Soapbox, Tina Sandwich, Bottle Rockets, Former Champ, Nani, Sister Madds, Big Girl’s Blouse, Junk Pups

October 13, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Saturday the 7^th of October was a big day in the gig calendar. Events transpired against me heading to London to witness Duncan Reid and a host of Big Heads say a farewell to music in The Lexington. A night that it would appear will live long in the memory of those who attended if the thoughts of good friend Alex Main are anything to go by…

Meanwhile in Glasgow, as we dodged the deluges, it was the annual Tenement Trail in Glasgow’s East End across a plethora of venues… the world famous Barrowland, Barrowland 2, St Lukes, The Winged Ox, BAad, Van Winkle, 226 Gallowgate and final stopping point, the legendary McChuills.… Read the rest

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

September 22, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

All Keeley photographs courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

Wednesday 20^th 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

Dark Places – a mini festival from The Filthy Tongues

August 13, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

The inaugural, I say that in hope rather than having any specific knowledge of this being an annual occurrence, Dark Places festival was to my ears, a roaring success, a glorious celebration of music across a variety of genres, and from new bands to the more established (I was going to say young and old, but let’s say young at heart…)

Martha May and the Mondays

The job of opening the festival was handed to Martha May and the Mondays, a new band for me, part of the virtue of a festival like this, the opportunity to discover music new to you..… Read the rest

Brenda – Live in The Glad Cafe (with R.Aggs)

July 30, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

I think I’ve probably been looking forward to this gig since I interviewed the band in The Bell Jar in February (link here) when we shot the breeze about the band coming together, their name, video shoots in LA and of course their forthcoming debut album.

Photo Courtesy of Chris Hogge (Chis Hogge Photography)

I’ve seen the band live on several occasions since then, but The Glad Cafe, being the official release of their self titled debut album (reviewed here), was set to be something special. Which ultimately is exactly how it turned out, a gathering of like minded individuals in a fabulous, intimate venue ready to celebrate the music of one of Scotland’s hottest new bands. … Read the rest

Siouxsie – Summer Nights Live at The Bandstand, Kelvingrove

July 26, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Kelvingrove Bandstand Summer Nights can end now. Last night was the first of this years run of gigs in the iconic and impressive venue, but they may as well not bother with the rest of them, as the equally as iconic and impressive Siouxsie unleashed a performance that, until it actually happened, I could never have even dreamed of witnessing and will be nigh on impossible to beat no matter who follows her.

I need to try to explain just how much this gig meant to me, and I imagine from the response last night there were people in a similar position to me.… Read the rest