Looking Back… Junk Pups

Junk Pups recently bowed out playing their last gig as part of the Palestine Red Crescent Benefit gig in the Hug and Pint in December. Here is every appearance in these pages from 2022 to that last gig…

2022

Singles Round Up 2022 – Part 4…

Junk Pups – Front Garden Flamigo

In the time its taken me to eventually getting round to publishing this, Junk Pups have another single out in the shape of Miss Behave, but lets take some time to bask in the glory of the angular post punk guitars and laidback funky groove of Front Garden Flamingo.… Read the rest

The Ginger Quiff – Gigs of 2025

With the count coming in at 44 it was a poor showing on the gig front for 2025 for me, it was a clusterfuck of a year with a mixture of poor physical & mental health curtailing, with a certain irony given the dopamine boost live music brings, my gig going somewhat and also curtailing my writing. I probably missed just as many gigs I’d planned to attend as I actually attended, and among these missed events I’m sure would have been some guaranteed to be amongst the best of the year.

As it was, every gig played it’s part in making it a successful year of gig going despite the high number of missed dates…

The Second House Guest Festival in April alongside Tenement Trail in October were two obvious highlights of the gig going year giving the opportunity to see a whole host of bands who are all part of the reason the live music scene in Scotland is in such rude health, and they also sewed the seeds of an idea in my head that should be coming to fruition imminently despite a delay in the planned announcement…

Several bands had me return to see them time and again, each time proving their worth and playing cracking sets (equally there were bands I had tickets to see several times and didn’t make any of their gigs…).… Read the rest

Miki Berenyi Trio & f.o. machete – Live in Sleazys

It was the last gig of 2025 for me, so what better way to bow out than in the company of one my favourite bands who also happened to be the purveyors of one of my albums of the year (a list which I’ve not even considered yet, and given that I missed a whole chunk of the year needs a bit of thought…) and also in the presence of a singer who I last saw in what I fear was as far back as 1994 in King Tuts if my memory serves with her first band Lush, so I was well overdue a re-acquaintance.… Read the rest

Water Machine/Maz and the Phantasms/Vibrator/Junk Pups – Live Review – Palestine Red Crescent Society Benefit

My third from last gig in 2025… in a year when I seem to have missed more gigs than I managed to get along to for a combination of reasons not worth going into here..Let’s just say I need to resolve to ensure 2026 is much of a shit storm than 2025…

There was the potential for me to be missing this one too, but with this line up, plus the knowledge that this would be the last ever outing for Junk Pups it was a no brainer to pull out all the stops and make it by hook or crook.… Read the rest

Pick of the Gigs for December

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

Son of the Right Hand – EP launch gig – Glad Cafe

It had been too long since I’d been at a gig in the Glad Cafe, especially considering that it and The Rum Shack are my local venues. It was especially great to walk into the venue knowing what I was going to witness, such is the beguiling and intriguing nature of the music of Son of the Right Hand. Clearly the feeling was mutual given the hubbub and upbeat buzz around the cosy and welcoming venue right from doors open. I had a good feeling that it was going to be a gig to remember.

Before the band got to officially launch their EP, we had two support bands to entertain us, with eclectic styles to mix things up a bit.… Read the rest

Pick of the Gigs for November AND October’s Singles Round Up

Two birds, one stone and all that… November in Glasgow has some inviting offerings large and small, with the usual amount of gig clashes. While we’re here October served up some juicy morsels on the singles front…

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start… Another multi venue offering comes Glasgow’s way in the 1st of the month, with Scottish Music Collective serving up a smorgasbord of some of the best young talent Scotland has to offer. Fheadain takes place in Stereo and The Old Hairdressers, and the festivities kick off in The Old Hairdressers at 2.30 in the afternoon with Lint Bin, followed by Vacant Pavements, Awful Eyes, Puppy Teeth, Milange, PVC, PSweatpants, Straid and The Froobz, with Roller Disco Death Party winding things up at 10pm.… Read the rest

The Wytches – live in Nice n Sleazy

I’m going to admit it right now. I knew next to nothing of The Wytches before I walked through the door of Nice n Sleazy. To find out when the band announced it from the stage that they have just released album number FIVE, my first thought was, seriously were this lot recording albums when they were but mere foetuses? 

I know that sounded like the old “Aren’t doctors getting younger days” cliché…anyway before the Brighton four piece took to the stage it was the turn of Newcastle’s Melanie Baker, both lead singer and band name…, they played an outstanding support set of new songs “all these songs are unreleased” as they unleashed a set of quirky energetic indie rock songs with themes of everything from basically telling people to mind their own business to….… Read the rest

pedalo – live in McChuills

Walking into a busy McChuills from a crisply cold Friday evening in October, I was  immediately plunged into darkness as my glasses steamed up, so apologies to anyone I blanked on the way in… Alan. The bar was packed with a mixture of Friday night revellers and Psychedelic Furs fans stopping by for a few liveners before heading to Barrowland, a place where I could very well have been heading if I wasn’t staying put in one of Glasgow’s best bar-come-venues for a triple bill of three up and coming young Scottish bands.

First on the bill was Sick Pay, purveyors of indie anthems which pick up the baton from the Pixies school of loud quiet loud, blending poignant quiet moments with raucous frenzied guitar noise.… Read the rest

Panic Shack – Live in Glasgow, The Garage

All Panic Shack photographs courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

Panic Shack were re-visiting our Dear Green Place as part of their powerhouse of a debut album tour having slayed a packed King Tuts in May prior to the album release. Having had the pleasure of being part of the sweaty mass on that occasion, the anticipation was great, and expectations high.

First up it was Punchbag and, having been introduced to the excellent duo The Pill on Panic Shack’s previous outing, then enjoying their return to Glasgow later in the year in Nice n Sleazy, I was hoping for another impressive support band.… Read the rest