Folk - The Ginger Quiff

November Singles Round Up – Pt 8 – Upturned Boats, Port Sulphur, Quad 90, The Braes, Soapbox, Dead Pioneers

December 4, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

The last part of Novembers singles is mainly a homegrown affair with the second song from Upturned Boats for this month, along with Port Sulphur and Quad 90 fresh from their Stereo gig, the latest offerings from The Braes and the mighty Soapbox. Last word goes to Dead Pioneers who have a few harsh words to say in the wake of the month of Thanksgiving in the US…

Upturned Boats – Please Don’t Go

As if one sweepingly majestic song in a month isn’t enough, Upturned Boats once again test my ability to keep my composure as the heart melting melancholy of Please Don’t Go hits hard.… Read the rest

November Singles – Pt 5 – Horsegirl, Upturned Boats, Dead Pony, Ron Briskin, Sunturns, Tombstones in Their Eyes…

December 2, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Part 5 and some more belters here…

A taster for album number two from Horsegirl, an early Christmas treat from Sunturns, plus songs from Upturned Boats, Tombstones in Their Eyes, Ron Briskin and Dead Pony.

Horsegirl – 2468

Ahead of the release of their second album Phonetics On and On comes the single 2468, an uncomplicated laidback and sprawling folky slacker rock tune.

Horsegirl

Upturned Boats – Car Park Sadness

The first of two tunes in the November Round Up for Upturned Boats with this heart-rending ballad Car Park Sadness, an atmospheric slow burn of an intro unveiling an affecting vocal that will appeal to fans of King Creosote and wojtek the bear.… Read the rest

Singles, Singles, Singles…. August to October 2024 (Part 1)

November 21, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

I’m admitting defeat, I can’t keep up the pace with what I’d really like to do with The Ginger Quiff. The Singles Round-Ups are an onerous task… what with adding all the links and videos and the like.

I’m going to have to re-think my approach, after all the reason I want to feature so many singles is because I like them… not because I feel I have to. But I do need to make the process more manageable, and to get the joy back into it, and not have that “oh fuck, I’ve still got another 30 songs to write about” feeling that I currently experience.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 7 – July

August 16, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

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 5 – May

July 24, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

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

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 4 – April

June 15, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Life seems to have got in the way again, its now June and not only have I not got anywhere near publishing a May round up, April’s has been languishing incomplete and unpublished too…

But hey, its Singles Round Up Part 4! One third of the way through the year already and the great songs keep on coming.

I read something recently commenting on how bad the state of music is these days. I think this must have been written by a person who relies on the charts and certain radio stations for their daily dose of music, or should that be daily doze of muzak, as I’m inundated by brilliant music on a daily basis.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 3 – March

April 10, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Another month, another singles round up, and a bumper selection it is too, 61 songs in this month’s list, This month’s selection comes from a range of bands and singers from newer talent such as Dancer, Soapbox and recent BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year Bottle Rockets through to established legends such as Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, as well as home grown legends Arab Strap and the continued welcome return of James King and the Lonewolves ahead of their new album The Mortality Arcade.

The Top 25

Single of the Month

Soapbox – Fascist Bob

Several reasons for this being single of the month for March, first and foremost it’s a fucking great song cementing Soapbox as one of the best of the current crop of Scottish bands displaying a punk attitude in the true spirit of the first wave of punk, kicking against the pricks and railing against the right wing.… Read the rest

The Laurettes – Meet Me at the Mainstage – album review

March 8, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

What better way to celebrate both Friday and more importantly International Women’s Day than with the long-awaited debut album by The Laurettes, an album which just so happens to be hitting the airwaves and making its indelible mark on the world this weekend.

Having worked harder than just about every band I could think of on the live circuit, perhaps with the exception of Tbe Courettes, The Laurettes have tirelessly played gigs and festivals, big and small, building their reputation as a fearsome live prospect and the ultimate party starters. This has led up to where they find themselves today, paving their way to the release of Meet Me at the Mainstage, and in doing so, they have continued to make their own way up the bills of festivals left, right and centre, soon to be Mainstage headliners if their stellar trajectory continues on its current path.… 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

The Laurettes – Interview & Witches single review

September 20, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

It must be something in the name. Dynamic duo The Courettes are often labelled as the hardest working band in the world. But, there is a band closer to home along the Clyde Coast that are certainly giving them a run for their money, and another band built around a hard-working, forever gigging duo, this time friends Lauren and Lynette, aka The Laurettes.

The Laurettes are a band who, despite being on the go for some time, I only came across for the first time when they supported The Hedrons at their comeback gig in Glasgow’s SWG3 in October of last year.… Read the rest