Category: Goth

Bela and the Lugosis – International Radio Star – EP Review

January 20, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

Tune your analogue radio dial to the wham bam glam of the 1970s and the dark sweeping goth of the 1980s and ready yourself for a gloriously heady extravaganza in the form of the goth/glam fusion from everyone’s favourite purveyors of Bowiehaus, Bela and the Lugosis. If you’re already familiar with the band, the International Radio Star EP is going to be a welcome addition to your burgeoning collection of the bands effervescently boisterous and hugely entertaining goth songs with more than a smattering of glam sugarcoating. 

That old familiar squeal & fizz of radio static as you tuned the vintage dials on your old radio fills the airwaves as the EP’s title track kicks in, and it feels like it’s the band’s Radio Ga Ga moment.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2026 – January Pt 1

January 11, 2026 By neilho27@sky.com

A couple of weeks into January and things are already bright in terms of new singles, with plenty of action from bands close to home, a cover from a forthcoming cover versions album and the return of a few indie legends… The first couple of songs in the first part of the January round up are from home grown talent both with French titles.

I’m surprised Fraser McCallum has time to write his own music given his status as sought after guitar for hire in the Scottish music scene, taking on the mantle of a young version of Douglas McIntyre… But indeed he has made the time and the resultant impassioned single where he takes on a persona of Serge Gainsbourg L’eau à les yeux is a masterstroke, a song that is so swathed with affecting pathos in it’s sound and delivery that it could easily be a Morrissey song, in a time and place where Morrissey songs were to be celebrated.… Read the rest

The Ginger Quiff – Albums/EPs of the Year

December 31, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Having had a prolonged break from writing The Ginger Quiff blogs in 2025, as well as missing many of the gigs I wanted to get to, it also meant I missed reviewing some of my favourite albums of this year. That didn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying the music or using it as a form of therapy, I am one of those people who can’t get through a day without listening to music, and if I do, something is majorly wrong… any, for what it’s worth here are my 50 favourite akbums of 2025, 25 favourite EPs (actually 26) and my favourite re-releases and compilations, where I did review them, I’ve included the link to the review.… Read the rest

Singles… so far…

November 10, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

November is still in it’s infancy but by the end of last week, there was a flurry or singles that were on my radar. I’ll leave my favourite until last, but let’s kick things off with Death Valley Girls who have already left Halloween behind and have their minds on the next holiday season on the sublime Season of Dreaming, a swoonsome Christmas offering shrouded in atmospheric tenor saxophone, with the addition of bells to give it that Christmas vibe. As Bonnie Bloomgarden sings of “dreaming of the year you will make” and the “season for dreaming and believing” they do feel like the perfect band to bridge the seasons, with plenty of their spooky psych-goth remaining, and just enough festive spirit to start the feels.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2025 – January – Pt 5

February 10, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Gates of Light – Advance

An incessant drum beat underlining Louise Quinn’s shimmering vocal gives way to an intense throbbing electro baseline (that somehow gives me 1980s TV show Miami Vice vibes) which gets under the skin as Louise’s breathy dreamlike, almost otherworldly, vocal begins to take hold and give you a woozy spaced out feeling that entrances you and you can’t help but let yourself be taken under its spell.

Gates of Light

Sweet Unrest – How Are You Feeling?

The energy ramps up several notches when Sweet Unrest pick up the baton and runs with it, pounding staccato drums set the furious pace picked up by frenetic guitar bursts, everything coming together like an inescapable burning fireball hurtling towards earth.… 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 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

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