emon Drink Hug and Pint

Lemon Drink, flinch., Sacred Noise & Miss the Occupier – Live in the Hug and Pint

What better way to avoid the Sunday night blues than to attend a gig in one of my favourite little Glasgow venues with four (count em!) brilliant bands. Part of the series of the Endless Summer gigs in the venue, the line up was set to make this a very special night, and one which stuck two fingers up to the festivals that continue to lean heavily on white male guitar bands (says the aging white male who can’t play the guitar… but ), a fact which did not pass flinch. by… making a tongue in cheek comment about the line up being made up of white female electric guitar bands instead… Seriously though, on a night where England and Germany were battling it out in the women’s Euro’s, well done England… it was refreshing to be at a gig where male band members were outnumbered 2 to 1.… Read the rest

Keeley Drawn to the Flame album cover

Keeley – Drawn to the Flame – mini album review

Drawn to the Flame… an excellent description of the music of Keeley. From the moment I heard their first track, The Glitter & the Glue, I have been drawn to the hypnotic quality of the indie dream pop music and specifically to the burning passion lead singer and guitarist Keeley Moss has for the subject matter of her songs.

Keeley is an extraordinary and unique recording artist in so many ways. None more so than the fact that the subject of all the songs she writes is German backpacker, Inga Maria Hauser, who was murdered on her dream trip between Scotland and Ireland in 1988, somewhere between leaving Scotland and arriving in Ireland.… Read the rest

The Courettes

The Courettes – Daydream

The ”Fabulous” Courettes hit McChuills in Glasgow this weekend for what is certain to be one of the most explosive gigs of the year. Prepare to be blown away by the wall of sound that is sure to be served up by husband and wife duo Martin and Flavia Couri.

If you haven’t got your ticket yet, or indeed for any of the other remaining dates on the tour, what the hell are you waiting for?

Ahead of the gig, the band have released a video for the lead track on their recent mini album Back in Mono B Sides and Outtakes reviewed here

Flavia Couri: ””Daydream” is a living picture of our state of mind in the last couple of years.Read the rest

Run Into The Night/Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something – live

Sometimes things are worth the wait.

in a week where I personally had an intense release of pressure after finally delivering the pilot of a training programme that has been delayed for years not months due to COVID, Run Into the Night and Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something finally got to play their gig in Broadcast. And what a gig it was to, a celebration of all that is good about live music, a coming together of like minded souls, a common stream of consciousness if you like, basically, with an emphasis on having a good time.

We arrived too late to see the first support Fog Bandit, who appeared to have gone down well with the assembled throng.… Read the rest

Run Into the Night

Run Into the Night – Common Stream of Consciousness – single review

One of the Ginger Quiff’s “22 for ’22”, the revamped Run Into the Night release the first single recorded as the new 2 piece with Christina on guitar and vox and long term friend and collaborator Andrew (also of Powderkeg) on drums, with additional backing vox from Steven Young.

The result of their hard work is the addictively compelling Common Stream of Consciousness which will be available to purchase (or stream) tomorrow, and infiltrate your own consciousness, lodging itself firmly there and refusing to budge.

Hulking great dirty crunching riffs from Christina accompanied by a vigorous thunder of drums from Andrew herald the arrival of this deeply resonant rumbling growl of a tune.… Read the rest

James Domestic

James Domestic – Carrion Repeating – album review

James Domestic (James Scott) isn’t one to rest on his laurels. The frontman of hardcore punk band, The Domestics, he has a list of other bands/side projects the length of your arm, Carrion Repeating is his first solo offering which he describes as “post-punk pop music for weirdos”.

Swagger

How would I describe this solo project? Let me try… To me the album lives in a place somewhere between the cockney geezer swagger of Ian Dury, living in a world of John Cooper Clarke observational poetry and all bundled up with a soundtrack like the coming together of The Fall and Sleaford Mods.… Read the rest

Sacred Noise – live in Bloc+

This time last week I was still gutted that I wouldn’t catch Sacred Noise play their debut gig in Glasgow’s Bloc+.

I was resigned to this fact so to appease myself slightly I endeavoured to metaphorically shout about the band with a wee Introducing the Band feature.

Little did I know at the time but I was to be the only delegate on my training in Darlington, so we shot through the day at pace and I was on a train back home an evening earlier than expected. Still, I expected not to be back in time…

If i wasn’t an atheist, I’d say someone was looking out for me as, despite nipping into the office to finish some work, I managed to get to Bloc+ before the band made their appearance.… Read the rest

Simon Bromide

The Ones That Got Away… Simon Bromide – Following the Moon – album review

I have Joe Whyte to thank for introducing me to Simon Bromide. Following the Moon came out late last year, and despite not getting around to writing about it, I have been enjoying the lush and soothing laidback grooves from the Bromide frontman ever since. Bromide’s writing, both in terms of the musical arrangements and the storytelling in these nine songs has a calming influence allowing you to listen and disappear into your own cocoon, while the world around you could disintegrate without you giving it a second thought.

Can’t Put YourArms Around a Memory is an interesting reference point for the opening song The Waiting Room, as Bromide reflects on his past, of coming across his younger self in Leicester Square and giving some sage advice.… Read the rest

LNFG Birthday Bash

LNFG Birthday Bash – Domiciles, Deer Leader & Vulture Party

I was beginning to think I was going to miss more gigs than I managed to attend this year having missed four so far for a variety of reasons, none more so than work meaning I have been sleeping in more hotel beds recently than in my own.

Judging by the rising cost of fuel, grocery shopping and household gas and electricity, I better make the most of these nights before they become a luxury I can no longer afford…

It’s not that I haven’t been at any gigs this year, I’ve managed a few – John Robb and his Membranes owning the Oran Mor stage as his thundering bass pulsed through my whole body, IDLES doing what they do with great aplomb in Barrowland and a raucous set in Stereo from the Tequila slammin’ party band Los Bitchos among them, its just that my head hasn’t really been in the game in terms of writing about stuff.… Read the rest

Sacred Noise

Introducing the Band… Sacred Noise

Sacred Noise, one of my ”22 for ‘22” recently released their second single Part of Me, and are due to play their debut live gig in Glasgow’s Bloc+ on Thursday this week (24th March).

Unfortunately, having followed the band since their inception, I am missing this debut as I am out of the country with work… That doesn’t stop me encouraging the rest of you to throw caution to the wind and get your glad rags on and head over to Bloc+ on Thursday for a cracking night’s entertainment.

Sacred Noise indulged me and agreed to answer a few questions by way of an introduction to the band and their music…

Introducing the Band

GQ: I feel as if I’ve been on a journey with you as a band, following your social media for some time and hearing you grow.… Read the rest