Last Night From Glasgow - The Ginger Quiff

The Countess of Fife – Interview with Fay Fife

November 13, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

The Countess of Fife, the solo project from the iconic Fay Fife have recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for their second album, the follow up to their well-received and critically acclaimed debut the Star of the Sea. The current campaign, for the album A Woman of Certain Wisdom ends on November 22^nd, with plenty of tempting packages to attract the discerning music fan.

HELP FAY FIFE MAKE A NEW ALBUM : A WOMAN OF CERTAIN WISDOM by Fay Fife — Kickstarter

I met up with Fay recently in Coffee Saints in Edinburgh to catch up with her (and Harris – her beautiful Golden Retriever, who enjoyed his pup cup) on all things Countess of Fife and navigating the music industry in the 21st Century.… Read the rest

Scorpio Leisure – Audio Pleasure – Album review

July 7, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

The witching hour edges ever closer. The album launch gig (or should I say release gig – especially for Coco) for this majestic brooding masterpiece in Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms on 19th July looms large. I for one am expecting nothing less than a spectacular show from this singularity unconventional quartet who are currently one of Scotland’s most exciting music exports. To coin a phrase oft made by the bands manager “you should go”!

Audio Pleasure is a uniquely bewitching album from a band like no other, each member brings something different to the mix from their varied backgrounds in several Scottish bands from across the decades.… Read the rest

Xan Tyler – Holding Up Half the Sky – Album review

May 3, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

This month Xan Tyler follows up her 2021 sunshine-swathed reggae-tinged album with The Mad Professor, Clarion Call, with her latest album Holding Up Half the Sky. The new album is an altogether different prospect than its predecessor, leaving behind the reggae influence and adding an intriguing gamut of alluring instrumentation, I’m no expert but is that flutes, oboes and tubas I hear being used among others to dreamily dramatic effect? The album retains the feel of basking in the sunshine, but this time musically reflecting those relaxed dog day afternoons languishing in the balmy heat with a dreamy listlessness, an album that with any luck will herald in the start of the summer after a long dreary wet winter.… Read the rest

Scorpio Leisure – Apology E.P. review

March 7, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

2024 is set to be a bumper year for releases by some of the Scottish music scene’s rising talents. Not satisfied with the release of their self titled debut album later in the year, Edinburgh based post-punk supergroup Scorpio Leisure release their 4 track EP, Apology this month, a treat for those who have a voracious appetite for the band’s music and need an amuse-bouche to keep them going ahead of the main course.

The band is the coming together of like-minded friends and musicians from a variety of bands past and present, representing a cross section of the alternative music scene, all throwing their individual styles and influences into the melting pot and resulting in the serving up of an unconventionally unique and luscious offering in their own inimitable style.… Read the rest

The Filthy Tongues and Scorpio Leisure – Òran Mor, Glasgow

February 7, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

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

What a start to the gig year this has been. Already having been entertained by some of the country’s best rising talents in January, my February gigs dawned with a double header from two bands featuring legends of the Scottish alt music scene. Fire Engines, Win, Boots for Dancing and Gin Goblins amongst the bands featuing members of Scorpio Leisure while headliners The Filthy Tongues of course featuring the well-kent inimitable trio of Metcalfe, Kelly and Fin of Goodbye Mr MacKenzie fame, now more than embedding themselves in the story of Scottish music with these songs revealing their even darker more foreboding side… because of course Goodbye Mr MacKenzie songs were all bunny rabbits and flowers weren’t they…?… Read the rest

24 (and a bit) for ’24

December 31, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

When I started doing this little feature a few years ago, I didn’t consider having to add another to the list each year… but hey, there is plenty to look forward to already in 2024, new bands, older bands returning, albums, singles, re-releases and gigs. In no particular order, but starting with the earliest one in the calendar…

Tina Sandwich and Sister Madds – Already having produced one of my favourite single sof both of the last 2 years, Tina Sandwich were part of the line up at my first gig of 2023 at King Tuts New Years Revolution. On 6th of January Tina’s back at the same venue but this time as headliner!

… Read the rest

Albums of the Year 2023

December 30, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Before I list my favourite “Albums of the Year 2023”, an apology.

I have been inundated this year with new music, new albums, requests for reviews and features. First, I’m happy that there is so much great music out there and that I’m party to being able to hear and share that new music, but secondly, a huge apology to many bands and artists whose music I’ve loved and planned to review/feature but it hasn’t happened. I’d love nothing more than to spend my life listening to and writing about music (and the book I keep meaning to finish), but that doesn’t pay the bills.… Read the rest

Singles of the Year 2023

December 28, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

I have no idea how John Peel narrowed songs down to a Festive 50 every year, he must have received 1000 times the number of songs I receive on a yearly basis. Maybe if I did a Singles of the Year 2023 blog again tomorrow or the next day, things would change slightly as I think of another song that needs to be included, as in the singles round-ups (links to all the round ups of the year at the foot of the blog) I must have listed between 400 and 500 songs this year, another bumper year for new music.… Read the rest

The Bluebells Anyone Could Be a Buzzcock single

VIDEO PREMIERE – The Bluebells – Anyone Could Be a Buzzcock

August 17, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Anyone Could be a Buzzcock is the new single taken from The Bluebells latest album, In the 21st Century, their first for over twenty years. The absorbing album from the legendary Glasgow icons has received great plaudits both by critics and old and new fans alike. The band go back to their roots on this energetic single, a welcome slice of first-wave-of-punk influenced nostalgia, inspired by the late, great Pete Shelley. The song is both a whole lot of fun and a great tribute to the Buzzcocks frontman, one of punks finest songwriters, and is accompanied by a suitably vibrant and colourful video from Glasgow artist, Jim Lambie.… 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