Category: Scottish Punk

Singles Round Up 2026 – January – Part 4

January 29, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

The final part of this month’s singles round up runs to 21 songs, bringing the total to 57 brilliant new songs for the first month of the year, 23 of these from Scottish bands/artists, a cracking start to the year I’m sure you’ll agree. Part 4 of the singles for January includes new singles from 3 bands that feature on the forthcoming New Sound of Scotland CD namely Cowboy Hunters, Vanderlye and The Froobz, and with Oedipus and the Mama’s Boys being on Part 3 of the round up, it’s already stacking up to be a great year for new music from the bands on the CD, the next couple of months are shaping up well with singles on the way from pedalo, Martha May and the Mondays and Sister Madds to name but 3…

As soon as I get the CDs delivered, I’ll post details on how to get your hands on one… it’ll be a case of when they’re gone, they’re gone…

First up on this part it’s the somewhat eery and menacing Dr Love from Would Be Goods, be well warned by the spookily haunting melody and don’t let the name fool you, this Dr Love is not there to heal you or mend your broken heart, rather he will pull the rug from under you and rip your heart to shreds.… 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 2025 – Part 12 – December

January 7, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Perhaps unsurprisingly, December was rather barren for new release singles, I say that in numbers alone as the quality of what I did hear was high, with one of December’s singles, from Falkirk’s Static sneaking into my top 100 singles of the year. The sum total of my December round up is 10 singles. It may have been me in not being as active on social media or missing some quality songs dropping into my inbox, but 10 it is and they were a cracking wee bunch to be fair…

The Just Joans followed up Here Come the Rugby Boys with Limpet, yet another gem from the band who have a knack for creating stylish kitchen sink vignettes of life and whose lyrical tales always take you on an emotional journey, whether that be humorous, melancholic or just pure joy, the dual-vocalled, brass infused Limpet is a heart-melting slice of unbridled love and joy.… 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

The Red Eyes – After Hours (Acoustic Volume 1)

December 29, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Like Ex-, The Red Eyes are one of Scotland’s prime purveyors of melodic punk influenced by the first wave of 1978/77 punk bands. Alan Bishop and Co. have been a fixture on the Scottish punk scene for what must be coming up on thirty years, with five albums under their belt from their debut Up to Our Eyes In It through to 2022’s Falling Through the Cracks. My own introduction to the band came after a friend raved about them having seen them support 999 in Glasgow, and lent me their first two CDs, the aforementioned Up to Or Eyes In It and On Prescription, and since then I’ve seen the band in a variety of venues across Glasgow, never failing to put on anything less than an outstanding performance, the driving rhythms of the bands punk roots shining through and giving a platform to Alan’s now familiar vocals delivering his stories through song.… Read the rest

Ex – – Imposter Syndrome – album review

December 27, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

On Know Your Rights The Clash handily provided their listeners with a “public service announcement with guitars.” 43 years on, and on their twentieth album/EP release to date, Imposter Syndrome, the prolific Ex- provide not so much a public service announcement but a social conscience with guitars. Taking nothing away from the rest of the band, the vitality and energy of whose playing provides the indispensable soundtrack to Imposter Syndrome, Meek’s lyrics here are as essential as ever and a crucial part in what makes Ex- stand head and shoulders above the majority of their peers. As someone who is as profuse in his writing as Meek, he never fails in managing to blend his creativity with a nail on head social commentary.… Read the rest

Pick of the Gigs for December

December 6, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

For reasons too boring to go into, the last part of Novembers Singles round up hasn’t yet been completed, and the pick of the gigs for December is appearing a week into the month with some top gigs already passed…

My first week in December didn’t quite go as planned… the pattern of missing more gigs than I’ve seen in 2025 continues having missed Gutterblood’s first Glasgow gig last Wednesday. My ticket for Thursday’s gig featuring The Liminanas supported by the brilliant Scorpio Leisure also went a-begging AND even with the best will in the world I was never making t back to Glasgow for the 5pm launch of Lacuna’s new EP Nest in Assai on Friday afternoon… Let’s hope 2026 is a better year for so many reasons.… Read the rest

Singles… so far…

November 10, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

November is still in it’s infancy but by the end of last week, there was a flurry or singles that were on my radar. I’ll leave my favourite until last, but let’s kick things off with Death Valley Girls who have already left Halloween behind and have their minds on the next holiday season on the sublime Season of Dreaming, a swoonsome Christmas offering shrouded in atmospheric tenor saxophone, with the addition of bells to give it that Christmas vibe. As Bonnie Bloomgarden sings of “dreaming of the year you will make” and the “season for dreaming and believing” they do feel like the perfect band to bridge the seasons, with plenty of their spooky psych-goth remaining, and just enough festive spirit to start the feels.… Read the rest

Fiendz YT – Unfortunately Live with… EP review

November 7, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Hot on the heels of their double whammy of August singles in the form of the suitably unhinged Mad Men and high octane rush of Do What I Want the riotous garage rockers present their tongue in cheek titled EP. I say tongue in cheek as anyone who has been fortunate enough to see Fiendz YT live will know just how utterly rowdy and joyful that experience is, a life affirming opportunity to chuck everything in the fuck it bucket and let yourself go with reckless abandon. The six tracks on this EP are representative of that live experience and have the band revelling in their natural environment, with furious garage punk kicking things off on Vote For Me, “vote for me or you’re fuckin’ brain dead” is the message… or should that be threat as the vocals reach a pinnacle of blood vessel bursting rage as the fuel injected punk goes full-on nitro.… Read the rest