Indie - The Ginger Quiff

Hadda Be – Another Life – album review

April 22, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

If you’ve ever read any of my blog posts, you’ll probably be fed up with the very mention of Last Night From Glasgow, but I make no apologies for the repetition. The fact is, those in charge of quality control at the heart of LNFG have got their heads screwed on and are totally in tune with quality sounds.

Case in point is the debut album, Another Life, from the band formerly known as Foundlings, Hadda Be.

Gloriously Joyous Riffing

If you’ve been fortunate to hear the recent singles, the albums title track and the more recent Wait in the Dark, you’ll know exactly what I mean.… Read the rest

Natalie Pryce – Bad Men – album review

April 9, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

The mysteriously enigmatic band Natalie Pryce unveiled their latest album Bad Men recently. As usual this is an unsettlingly enjoyable listen. The musical content of the 10 male-monikered songs to be found within is suitably reflected in the cover art featuring a sinisterly creepy masked man in crumpled pyjamas reclining aggressively on a bed…

This album comes at a time where issues like taking back the streets for women are to the fore in the wake of recent events following the murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of a serving policeman. I’m sure the messages portrayed on this album won’t be popular with the “not all men are like that” brigade.… Read the rest

The Gracious Losers – Six Road Ends – album review

April 3, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Continuing in their quest to cause me marital grief due to the ever increasing number of vinyl arrivals, Last Night From Glasgow released the latest album from The Gracious Losers last week.

This supremely talented collective have come together once again to create a sublime soundtrack to my various trips around Scotland for work this week.

Last Night From Glasgow Patreon

Taking these soul soothing tunes with me reminds me to mention that, if vinyl isn’t your thing, and I’m not judging, you can join in the party with a monthly subscription that allows you to access all the labels releases in digital format.… Read the rest

Jason How – Plastic Dreams and Lovers

March 23, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Guitar string empresario by day and psyche pop guitarist and lyricist extraordinaire by night. Rotosound’s Jason How excels himself once again with, unbelievably, an album which is apparently made up of songs which didn’t make the cut for previous albums. The outcome is a remarkable collection of songs that feel like they were made to be together, and any right minded band would be proud of.

The majority of the songs on the album are exactly what you would expect, and want, from a Jason How record. Powerfully perfect psyche pop melodies coupled with his usual selection of razor sharp observations and biting criticism, sitting perfectly alongside his emotive human interest tales.… Read the rest

Minerva Wakes – Mirrored Moon review

March 19, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Minerva/mɪˈnɜːrvə/ (Latin: [mɪˈnɛrwa]; Etruscan: Menrva) is the Roman Goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of defensive war only.

Utterly Hypnotic

The Twistettes take a break away from their grungy alt punk existence to appear on an altogether “D’arc”er plain with their enigmatic side project, the utterly hypnotic and engrossing trip hop of Minerva Wakes.

The album lands at an apposite time and space given events of recent months. Perhaps more pertinently, recent weeks. Minerva is waking to justified calls for justice in the shape of Black Lives Matter and even more befitting in recent weeks, in the wake of the righteous anger at the death of Sarah Everard and the wave of accounts of women who feel unsafe walking on their own in the streets of the UK.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up – Jan to March 2021

March 14, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Despite my realisation that I had been slowly disappearing down a black hole, and taking the prompt from Action for Happiness to have a more Mindful March, it has been difficult to get out of the rut, still finding myself lost in “busyness” much of the time and not living life in the moment.

I have managed to take several “moments” out though to listen to the plethora of quality new singles, songs or demos that have come my way by way of e-mail, social media or by pure chance. Many of these songs are due to be followed up later in the year with an album, so the future of 2021, music wise at least, is looking rosy.… Read the rest

Mogwai – As the Love Continues/Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark – reviews

March 5, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Scottish Indies

What a week for Scottish independent music. Last week saw the latest magnum opus from Mogwai claim the number one album in the UK, with the magnificence of As the Love Continues This week sees the welcome return of Aidan and Malcolm. Their new masterwork, As Days Get Dark, of course, released as days start to get lighter and we crawl out of the depths and darkness of winter.

Both albums are a joy to behold, music is my solace, no more so than in the last couple of months, and these two albums will be a refuge to raise the spirits in any moments of darkness in coming months.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up – January 2021

January 17, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Merely two weeks into 2021 and already my inbox is inundated with e-mails – new singles, forthcoming albums, demo’s. Certainly enough to focus my attention on the music and not the ongoing shit-show that 2021 has already shown itself to be.

It is nigh on impossible to listen to everything, but there have been certain songs that captured my attention more than others for one reason or another. Here is a selection of my favourites of the singles I’ve received so far (and I make absolutely no apology for sharing the first three again).

Mark W Georgsson

Theoretically this is a 2020 single given that it was released on Hogmanay, but I’m counting it as one of the first great singles of 2021.… Read the rest

GingerQuiff – Final lists of 2020

December 31, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Following on from my albums of the year list, the following are my final lists for 2021.

I don’t have a top gigs list for 2021 as I only went to a handful at the start of the year not realising what the year had in store. Though The Wildhearts, Backyard Babies, The Interrupters, Savage Cut and Outstandifold & the Wettygrippers were a pretty good start to what should have been a great year of gigs..

Re-Releases

Bob Mould – Distortion (1989 – 2019) – what can I say, Santa was good to me this year. What a fantastic box set this is.

… Read the rest

Last Night From Glasgow – A success story for 2020

December 31, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

My love for certain record labels is well documented with NYC based, while retaining its Scottish roots, Tarbeach Records up there amongst my favourites. A fact that is ably demonstrated by the inclusion of The Cundeez Teckle and Hide and New York Junk‘s Dreaming (shortly to be available for ordering on red vinyl) amongst my favourite albums of the year.

It is probably the only record label that I can say, hand on heart, that I own every pone of their releases. Here’s to another successful year in 2021 from Tarbeach.

Last Night From Glasgow…

This year though, one record label stands out amongst the others.… Read the rest