Corrupt Intentions – Time to Give Up – EP review

Formerly part of the young punk quartet Minority Rule, whose flame burnt short but brightly leaving a lasting impression on many who saw them, Gregor Ritchie, together with Three n Eights bandmate Aaron Collins on bass along with drummer Liam Toner, is back with his new hardcore punk trio, Corrupt  Intentions.

Ritchie, who is an instantly recognisable part of the West of Scotland music scene, especially at punk and psychobilly gigs with his impressive black and red Mohawk, has swapped the bass of Minority Rule for guitar and lead vocals with Corrupt Intentions, a band who owe more of a debt to the NYC hardcore scene and West Coast punk legends Rancid (and all their associated bands – Operation Ivy, Transplants, Old Firm Casuals and Lars Frederikson and the Bastards to name a few) than they do to the UK punk scene, with, of course, a smattering of psychobilly thrown in for good measure…

The six songs offered up on their first release are raw and ferocious, six straight down the barrel, no nonsense, no messing, visceral knockout punches. … Read the rest

Amyl & the Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness Live in Glasgow

All photographs courtesy of Christopher Hogge

A month to the day that I get to go to New York for the first time and I awoke to the news the whole of the sane world was dreading, the USA have re-elected an incoherent rambling fool to be the head of the most powerful country in the world. As if the world isn’t fucked up enough, the UK is being run by a “sir” whose socialist ideals are as far away from Labour as I’ve ever seen, and that after we finally got rid of the moral bankruptcy and increasingly fascist ideals of Tories as well.… Read the rest

Scottish Music Collective Halloween Bash with Sister Madds

All Hallows Eve in Glasgow and the streets were filled with orange jumpsuited convicts, pirates and zombies… so no change there then from any other night… Who can really tell anyway? The post apocalyptic wasteland that is Sauchiehall Street these days looks like the Zombie apocalypse has already come to pass.  Anyway, having fought my way through the hordes of the undead I made it to Scottish Music Collective’s sold out Halloween spooktacular in Nice n Sleazy, a fearsome four band bill headlined by the unstoppable force that is  Sister Madds.

Before the headline act we were treated to a smorgasbord of diverse bands in the shape of Naked Actress, Vigilanti and Sean Choon & the Prawn Monsoon.… Read the rest

bodega live in room 2

Bodega – Brand on the Run tour, Glasgow

All photographs courtesy of Chris Hogge (@chrishoggephotography) • Instagram photos and videos

It feels that there has always been an affinity between Scotland, particularly Glasgow, and New York. It seems that the spirit of the cities live within each other. Perhaps it’s because we look alike, with Glasgow often substituting for the Big Apple in Hollywood blockbusters and then there is New York hosting a Tartan Week, perhaps it’s because both cities have a strong musical heritage spawning some of the worlds best bands and having some of the most iconic music venues, past and present. Or maybe it’s just because each cities people know how party and have a good time.… Read the rest

The Courettes – Live (& Interview) – Room 2, Glasgow – The Soul of The Courettes tour

All photographs of The Courettes courtesy of Christopher Hogge Photography Chris Hogge (@chrishoggephotography) • Instagram photos and videos

The new album by The Courettes came out on my birthday, what a gift to receive. Fortunately I’d had access to the album in advance so by the time I received the vinyl, I was well versed in the songs contained within the grooves. After all these years, and there have been more than a few now, there is still nothing like playing a record for the first time, and a band like The Courettes really should be listened to on vinyl… 

I had been looking forward in anticipation to a huge list of gigs in September, but unfortunately I never made the majority of them, and the one’s I did make it to, while the  gigs were great, I wasn’t as locked in as I normally would be, my head and thoughts were often elsewhere and try as I might, I couldn’t lose myself in the music the way I usually do.… Read the rest

Sister Madds, The Froobz, Lemon Drink & comfort girl – King Tuts Summer Nights Live

My gig game has been weak recently. I’ve missed several fixtures that should have been easy home wins. For some reason I’ve gone down the route of weak football analogies here, I should point out that as an armchair Aberdeen fan, I may be giddy through their early season success, as I started to write this my team was sitting in the recent uncharted territory of the top of the league. 

Personally, I’ve not been match fit recently so my first gig back for a while was an opportunity to test my fitness levels. Not my actual fitness levels, testing them would most definitely not have a positive outcome, but what I mean is my ability to seamlessly slip back into the pattern of play as if nothing had happened.… Read the rest

punk and disorderly

Punk & Disorderly – The Dead Thatchers, Trumpton Riot, The Fuck Ups, Smalltown Tigers, Black Bombers, Rancid, Hateful, Ex-, Litterbug, Year Zero.

Punk comes in many shapes and forms, as the Don Letts 2005 documentary attested to, it was never really about a musical “style” per se but as the title of the documentary suggested, it was all about the Attitude.

There was no blueprint about what a punk band should look or sound like, and that message is still relevant today, the spirit being kept alive by those who got, and get, it, although there are those who don’t and never did get it and would have some of their own “heroes” turning in their graves when they demonstrate behaviours and attitudes that are a volte-face from what they stood for.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 7 – July

I love new music. Simple. New music from new bands. New music from old bands. It never ceases to amaze me when I come across people who don’t like music (at all?!?) or are determined to tell me, all the great music has already been made (really?1?)… Suffice to say, EVERY month there are dozens of quality new sounds and bands that blow my mind…

Top 10

I keep digging a hole for myself by rating things. How hard it is to have a favourite! it’s like, do I prefer eating, drinking or breathing? Anyway… here goes…

Single of the Month

Keeley – Inga Hauser

One of the Ginger Quiff’s 24 for ’24, the peerless Keeley Moss and her band Keeley, continue to go from strength to strength, having wowed me from the off with the songs on their Brave Warrior EP, and literally everything that has followed since, culminating in my finally getting to see this musical tour de force live last year.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 6 – June

I’m not entirely sure I’m ever going to catch up… August is already in flight and here I am sharing my June singles…Anyway. Here they are, with playlist at the end.

Single of the Month

Junk Pups – Spoonfed

The June released singled from their Ball and Chain EP (full EP reviewed here)…

…Spoonfed….“for anyone who misses the off the wall duo, The Bikini Bottoms, this bouncing garage rocker will fill that hole. A hauntingly mysterious melody unfolds into glorious dual harmonies from Jack and Dylan. This mesmerising slice of psych/garage rock, and it’s lyrical ode to dysfunctional relationships, comes replete with some blisteringly face-melting triumphant wah-wah riffing as the song reaches its dazzling zenith courtesy of guitar goddess Ishi.Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 5 – May

I am so unbelievably behind it’ll be Halloween soon and I’ll still be at Easter… I’m still working month’s behind in singles round ups, and about 6 months behind in album and EP reviews. I’m putting that down to shit like life getting in the way, but I’ll also use the excuse that there is so much fantastic new music out there by bands old and new that I can’t keep up with the sheer volume of music to listen to, which to be fair, ain’t that far from the truth.

My May (yeah I know, May, that was like months ago, literally…) round up follows, as does a playlist of all the songs on Tidal.… Read the rest