Category: Gig

The Countess of Fife – Live in The Glad Cafe

May 24, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Photos courtesy of Stephen Brown

The Countess of Fife recently released her second album, New Phone, New Car, New Man, so for the Glasgow half of her album launch gigs, having already played Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms earlier in the week, it was fitting for her to return to the scene of previous victories, a local gig for me at The Glad Cafe.

It was a very civilised affair in the intimate surroundings of the room in the Southside venue, and as I took my seat, I was anticipating a highly entertaining night packed with jocose quips from the inimitable Countess herself punctuating a set of rabble-rousing alt-country anthems.… Read the rest

Warmduscher & San Jose – live in the Classic Grand

May 19, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

This was a bit of a last minute one, I’d seen the Warmduscher gig advertised but it was only in the last week or so that I noticed San Jose were to be the support, that sealed the deal for me.

Anytime I’ve seen San Jose before, the gig descends into near riot with stage invasions, beer flying, raucous pits, athletic moves and incursions into the crowd from their rambunctious frontman Calum as well as disrobing by the band, well particularly guitarist Cean. Despite the early set time and the fact it was a Tuesday night, pretty much everything was there apart from the stage invasion for the finale, a boisterous and life affirming multi faceted anthem through one of my favourite singles of last year, Dirty Linen.… Read the rest

Thrum Thirty – La Chunky Studio, The Hidden Lane

May 16, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Say the names Johnny Smillie and Monica Queen to any music fans of a certain vintage in Glasgow and they will probably nod knowingly with the pair having been a ubiquitous part of the Glasgow music scene for as long as I can remember going to gigs. I’ve seen them live in various incarnations over the years, I believe the first time may have been when they were playing as Moni and supporting Horse in the Barrowland Ballroom? Anyway, this year, in their Thrum incarnation, their classic album Rifferama is getting a long overdue re-release to celebrate thirty years since it received its first outing and in support of this they will be playing several dates across the UK including dates in Edinburgh in the Wee Red Bar and Cottiers in Glasgow.… Read the rest

Middle Class Guilt – Their King of Comedy – album launch gig – Nice ‘n’ Sleazy

May 9, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

There is a strange dichotomy that exists when I’m dealing with my mental health that means when I get overwhelmed with anxiety and depression, the first things that fall off the radar are the things that bring me joy, keep me grounded and give me a focus. I end up fixating all my energy on negativity, overthinking and becoming selfishly insular and uncommunicative, and I start to spiral and break before I realise what is going on. I’ve really struggled to keep on top of things for probably the last 2 years now, but with some support from therapy which, along the way, opened up some raw wounds but also allowed me to have some closure, I really believe that I’m starting to feel as if for the first time in a long time, I finally recognise who I am and can take back control again.… Read the rest

Awful Eyes, Oedipus and the Mamas Boys, Citizen Head & Vacant Pavements – live in King Tuts

January 16, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

All Photos courtesy of Dale Harvey

What should have been my third gig of 2026 turned out to be my first one, and it was a belter with four very different bands all ploughing their own furrow in their chosen genre, or indeed just by ploughing their own furrow full stop and in doing so defying pigeonholing…

The first band on the bill were a case in point, when I previously saw Vacant Pavements supporting Tanzana in McChuills I was late to the venue and only caught the last song of their set, which was more than enough to whet the appetite for more, I’m disappointed in myself that it’s taken until now to fix that.… Read the rest

Count the Days Backs Against the Wall EP cover

The New Sound of Scotland – Count the Days – Backs Against the Wall – EP Review

January 7, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

The first feature for one of the bands appearing on the You Are Here – The New Sound of Scotland CD coming out shortly is an EP review for Count the Days and their debut Backs Against the Wall. This review comes on the eve of their headline performance as part of King Tuts New Years Revolution alongside Comfort Girl, Dalmatic & The Noise Club, a tasty line up if ever there was one.

The five track EP includes their 3 singles to date Above You, Springbank Road and Get Up! alongside new song Kings and Queens, and an acoustic version of Springbank Road.… Read the rest

Looking Back… Junk Pups

December 30, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

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

December 30, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

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

December 21, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

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

December 17, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

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