Album/Single Review - The Ginger Quiff

Blue Aeroplanes – Culture Gun – album review

April 22, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

My tiny mind is blown. I thought Last Night From Glasgow had reached their zenith early this year with Hifi Sean and David McAlmont. Then along came Culture Gun. I must have listened to Side A at least half a dozen times before I even managed to flip over to Side 2, the four songs on the first side offering so much, it was hard for me to take it all in on the first listen. Raw energy. Commentary on the state of society. Impassioned vocals. Tunes which veer from boisterous and rambunctious to beatific and thought-provoking. Lets face it, Gerard Langley and Co.… Read the rest

Drunk Gods – The Immortality Project – album review

April 17, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

I honestly thought after hearing nothing from Drunk Gods since their single Found the Lord & Lost My Soul/Pet Hate, back in 2018, that Ewan was on an indefinite hiatus, maybe he had found “the lord” and lost the music mojo? Thankfully this is not the case, with Ewan taking to social media at the turn of the year announcing the imminent return of Drunk Gods, this return now cemented with the release of The Immortality Project, the follow up to 2015’s self titled debut, and album title perhaps a wry observation and a hint that you can’t keep a good man down.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2023 – Pt 2 – February 2023

March 19, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

It may be nearly March and all, but shit happens, so here it is better late than never….Another bumper singles round up for February with plenty of top quality tuneage to suit every taste…I’ve used my words sparingly, I’m so far behind and have still to start thinking about the March roundup. Just give them all a listen…they’re all deserving of your ears…

If they’re on Spotify, I’ve added a handy playlist so you can try before you buy via the band links…

Millie Manders and the Shut Up – Rebound

One of the best live acts around celebrated Valentine’s month with this boundlessly energetic anthem to relationship’s destined to fail.… Read the rest

Suede – Live in the O2 Academy, Glasgow

March 16, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Words; The Ginger Quiff All Photos: Stuart Westwood (www.stuartwestwoodphotography.co,uk)

Could there be a better way of spending a dreich Tuesday night in Glasgow than watching one of the best live bands in the country (world?) entertain a fervent and captivated sold out Glasgow crowd? I think not, and I’m sure another satiated 2499 gig goers would voice their agreement having just witnessed a superlative performance, so transcendent it will be nigh on impossible to surpass this year. Any year …

I first saw Suede live in King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in October 1992, a performance that left me gobsmacked, in no small way impacted by the antics of their engaging frontman, not just an extraordinary vocalist but a performer in the truest sense of the word.… Read the rest

Carol Hodge – Vertiginous Drops – album review and interview

March 10, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

As I write these words, it is International Women’s Day, what better way to celebrate than to listen to one of this countries best singer songwriters, Carol Hodge, and her latest long player Vertiginous Drops (best album title I’ve heard in ages too), quite possibly her most accomplished and varied work to date, as she takes her music and songs in different directions and calls upon some well known guests on a few tracks.

I also had the opportunity to talk to my namesake ahead of the official release of the album across streaming sites this week (the physical copies – CDs and vinyl – have been available direct from Carol since the end of last year) where we chatted about taking the plunge into being a full time musician, the new album and song-writing.… Read the rest

Syvdoh – Gentlemen – album review

March 4, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Two of my favourite albums of recent years have artwork featuring images of, or in, The Laurieston. The debut album from Album Club featured a shot of the outside of the legendary institution, while the latest album from Syvdoh, Gentlemen, features an image of the door of… well I’m sure you can guess.

Syvdoh’s new album is, as I would have come to expect, a work of utter genius, both musically and lyrically. For the unacquainted, I believe when I reviewed their last album, Death 1 Syvdoh 0, I described it along the lines of “death shouldn’t be this enjoyable”, a tag which could also sit well with Gentlemen.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2023 – Pt 1 – January 2023

February 10, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

So much for my plan of being better organised into 2023, Can’t believe we’re nearly 2 weeks into February and I’m still lagging behind…

Anyway, what follows is a list of the songs that have been soundtracking my January, some from the end of December too seeing as how I was TOO organised in December and published my December singles before Christmas…

Ren – Hi Ren

One of the most affecting singles of the end of December/beginning of January is this soul baring song from Ren. Brutally honest about his health struggles the song is a bare knuckle battle between himself and his thoughts, with a sound reminiscent of Eminem and The King Blues, once you press play on the video you will find it utterly impossible to be distracted by anything around you.… Read the rest

Jo Jo & the Teeth – No More Good News – album review

January 16, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

This album already appeared in my round up review of 2022 as one of my top 30 albums of the year, despite not having posted a review earlier in the year. The album was on heavy rotation towards the end of the 2022 and since the turn of the year, it has been my go to album virtually every day. I can’t get enough of it. No More Good News? While that album title pretty much sums up exactly how I felt about 2022, it certainly doesn’t sum up the music of Jo Jo and the Teeth – the music on this album is ALL Good News.… Read the rest

Review of the Year – 2022

January 7, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

If I don’t get my arse in gear, it’ll be February before I publish my round up of 2022. To be honest, I’ve still got a (virtual) pile of albums still to review… as a result, some of my favourite records of 2022 will be in the lists but remain unreviewed!

Singles of the Year

I already published my top 15 singles of the year (well actually I published a list of 80 songs…. but my top 15 were as follows:

15 – Dumb Poets – Magic Happens

14 – Dream Wife – Leech

13 – Syvdoh – As I Lay Dying

12 – The Bobby Lees – Monkey Mind

11 – Collars – Baby I’m Bored

10 – Keeley – Shadows on the Hill

9 – His Lordship – All Cranked Up

8 – Brontes – First Hand Arrogance

7 – Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something Easy Peelers

6 – Sacred Noise – Part of Me

5 – Junk Pups – Miss Behave

4 – Horsegirl – Anti Glory

3 – Pizza Crunch – Wilting Youth

2 – Water Machine – Hot Real Estate

1 – Monica Queen – What is Home?

… Read the rest

Singles Round up of the Year – 2022

January 2, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

I published 12 singles round ups for 2022, one per month (OK, so maybe some were slightly delayed…) which amount to a rough total of 350 – 400 songs in total. The fact that I featured the songs meant I liked all the songs in each list, so when I thought – I’ll do a Festive 50 like John Peel used to do, I failed miserably, so here is my Effervescent Eighty, first off, my top 15, then the rest in no particular order…

Monica Queen – Where is Home?
Water Machine -Hot Real Estate
Pizza Crunch – Wilting Youth
Horsegirl – Anti Glory
Junk Pups – Miss Behave
Sacred Noise – Part of Me
Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something – Easy Peelers
Brontes – First Hand Arrogance
His Lordship – All Cranked Up
Keeley – Shadows on the Hill
Collars – Baby I’m Bored
The Bobby Lees – Monkey Mind
Syvdoh – As I Lay Dying
Dream Wife -Leech
Dumb Poets – Magic Happens

The rest (in no particular order)

Sloan Brothers – Songs Like This
Wife Guys of Reddit – Pig Fat
Dead Pony – Bullet Farm
Bikini Bottoms – The Game
Port Sulphur – Kone Trips
pMad – Broken
Gentle Sinners – Face to Fire (After Nyman)
Earl of Hell – Hang ’em High
The Kaplans – Get Inside It
Jill Lorean – Black Dog
Run into the Night – Common Stream of Consciousness
Panic Shack – Mannequin Man
Savage Cut – The Debt
Sister John – Young at Heart/The Bluebells – Glasgow is a Rainbow
Trashcan Sinatras – Lay of the Land
Bunkhouse – RIP ie
Katherine Aly – Hype Up
Tallies – Special
Spyres – Honestly
Butcher Boy – So Far So What
HiFi Sean and David McAlmont – The Skin I’m In
Dead Thatchers – Nae Pasaran
Jo Jo and the Teeth – Don’t Get Too Heavy
London Plane – Come Out of the Dark
bdrmm – Three
Marianne Dissard – When Somebody Thinks You’re Wonderful
The Best Bad Influence – Boomstick
Vulture Party – Bad Wolf Moon
The Courettes – Daydream
Deux Furieuses – Bring Down the Government
Cloth – Lucid
Simon Bromide – Not That Type
Scorpio Leisure – Give Us Our Space
The Claudettes – Exposure
Suede -15 Again
Pete Astor- Fine and Dandy
Girls in Synthesis – Watch with Mother
Lloyds House – Heather
Tina Sandwich – Fast Cars (and Movie Stars)
Simon Love – L.O.T.H.A.R.I.O.

… Read the rest