Indie - The Ginger Quiff

Carla J. Easton – Sugar Honey – album review

October 19, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Sugar Honey is the follow up to the last solo long player from Carla J. Easton from three years ago, Weirdo. With the interim period including an album release from her Poster Paints project with ex-Frightened Rabbit, Simon Liddell, time has been good to Carla in terms of creativity, Sugar Honey is a continuation of that seam of inspired creativity, the album a formidable statement of intent on several fronts.

Sugar Honey is a bit of a double-edged sword. The album title describes Carla’s music perfectly, a flawless blend of her sugary sweet synth/keys-based pop melodies, that never become mawkish and cloying, matched with her unique honey-coated voice, dripping with that feeling of familiar warming vocal hug, and the addition of a heavy measure of both melancholy and ire… Which is the other side of the double-edged sword. … Read the rest

Tenement Trail 2023 – Walt Disco, Soapbox, Tina Sandwich, Bottle Rockets, Former Champ, Nani, Sister Madds, Big Girl’s Blouse, Junk Pups

October 13, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Saturday the 7^th of October was a big day in the gig calendar. Events transpired against me heading to London to witness Duncan Reid and a host of Big Heads say a farewell to music in The Lexington. A night that it would appear will live long in the memory of those who attended if the thoughts of good friend Alex Main are anything to go by…

Meanwhile in Glasgow, as we dodged the deluges, it was the annual Tenement Trail in Glasgow’s East End across a plethora of venues… the world famous Barrowland, Barrowland 2, St Lukes, The Winged Ox, BAad, Van Winkle, 226 Gallowgate and final stopping point, the legendary McChuills.… Read the rest

KEELEY – Debut Glasgow Gig – Nice n Sleazy – Live Review

September 22, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

All Keeley photographs courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

Wednesday 20^th September in Glasgow was a special night for a select gathering of gig goers with clearly impeccable musical taste. What was special about this date? Well, it marked the debut Glasgow gig for a certain lyricist and guitarist extraordinaire Keeley Moss and her band Keeley. A date which, for many of us in attendance, has been a long time coming, after falling in love and feeling a strong affinity her music, songs, and their subject matter from day one, wishing for the day to come when we could finally witness these remarkable songs played live.… Read the rest

The Laurettes – Interview & Witches single review

September 20, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

It must be something in the name. Dynamic duo The Courettes are often labelled as the hardest working band in the world. But, there is a band closer to home along the Clyde Coast that are certainly giving them a run for their money, and another band built around a hard-working, forever gigging duo, this time friends Lauren and Lynette, aka The Laurettes.

The Laurettes are a band who, despite being on the go for some time, I only came across for the first time when they supported The Hedrons at their comeback gig in Glasgow’s SWG3 in October of last year.… Read the rest

Ruby Gaines – Heavy Good – EP review

September 17, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Late Summer/early Autumn has been a great time for new singles/EPs from Scottish based acts. Heavy Good from Ruby Gaines has been out for a couple of weeks now, the four tracks on this exceptional release getting better with every listen, and more than living up to the weighty moniker they have been given. Heavy Good … or as I’m sure George Orwell would agree if he was alive today doubleplus Heavy Good.

Ruby Gaines is a name that should be shouted from the rooftops, her vocal range is astounding, a fact that didn’t escape me when I first saw her live earlier this year, having somehow escaped my radar until then.… Read the rest

Water Machine – Raw Liquid Power – EP review

September 17, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Water Machine are working their way into your psyche slowly but surely. So far they have completed various small steps on their journey to world domination, gigging their little hearts out and in doing so building a roots up solid base of fans in their home city of Glasgow. Then releasing the now sold out (too slow losers) S/T Demo Tape, featuring live favourites Water Machine, I Quit, Flowers and the song which drew me in to the music of the band in the first place, Hot Real Estate, to great acclaim, and following this up with the superb vinyl EP, Raw Liquid Power (more of which shortly).… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2023 – Pt 7 – July & August

September 6, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Doubling up for this massive round-up, the last couple of months have disappeared in a flash… Loads of great new music from these summer months. As usual, where available, I’ve added the songs to an evil Spotify playlist for you to sample before you buy… support the artists by buying their music, and merchandise, if you like what you hear.

In no particular order, but kicking off here with the new single from the duo who have given me one of my most unique and unusual gig memories of the year, well, to be fair, probably my life…

The Courettes – Tough Like That

Returning to these shores for the second time this year, The Courettes are currently taking a break from recording their new album with a tour of England, and released a video for their Back in Mono B-Sides and Outtakes track, Tough Like That.… Read the rest

Junk Pups – Interview and Live Review (The Hug and Pint 17th August ’23)

August 25, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

(All Photos Courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography)

Last week, Junk Pups played their second headline gig, this time at The Hug and Pint as part of the Endless Summer series of gigs. Having been meaning to do so for a long time, I finally managed to catch up with the band (and Angel!) after they’d sound-checked ahead of the gig.

The Ginger Quiff: So, just a bit of background first and foremost, how did the four of you get together as a band.

Jack: During the first lockdown I messaged Dylan, I knew Dylan from a thing we did in school called Behind the Noise, I knew they played bass, and I was just like.

… Read the rest

The Bluebells Anyone Could Be a Buzzcock single

VIDEO PREMIERE – The Bluebells – Anyone Could Be a Buzzcock

August 17, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Anyone Could be a Buzzcock is the new single taken from The Bluebells latest album, In the 21st Century, their first for over twenty years. The absorbing album from the legendary Glasgow icons has received great plaudits both by critics and old and new fans alike. The band go back to their roots on this energetic single, a welcome slice of first-wave-of-punk influenced nostalgia, inspired by the late, great Pete Shelley. The song is both a whole lot of fun and a great tribute to the Buzzcocks frontman, one of punks finest songwriters, and is accompanied by a suitably vibrant and colourful video from Glasgow artist, Jim Lambie.… 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