Music - The Ginger Quiff

speranza and Rudebeard The Bungalow Paisley

Esperanza and Rudebeard – Live in Paisley

September 28, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

For the second time is as many weeks, I found myself in the sweatbox that is intimate venue, The Bungalow in Paisley. This time for an evening of high octane ska/ska punk courtesy of “Pirate Ska” band Rudebeard (aka Smell Yer Ska) and the now legendary Esperanza. If it was hot and sweaty when I arrived, things were going to reach furnace status when the skanking began…

You can be sure that Dr Marten and Mr Perry would have been rubbing their hands in glee at the site of their iconic products adorning probably 90% of the gathered throng. You could be mistaken for thinking they may have been sponsoring the event, along with the ever popular libation, Buckfast as favoured by both bands from the stage…

Rudebeard – “a bunch of guid cunts”

Rudebeard were first to take the stage, their first gig in aeons (since February 2020 to be precise), and with Rod having a rare Friday night off, the band were ready to party.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2021 – Part 10

September 24, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

2021 is building up to be as big a shit storm of a year as 2020, COVID still looms large, but is quickly being taken over by events in Afghanistan and closer to home, the clusterfuck that is the fall out of Brexit. Hey, but we’ve got blue passports, crowns on pint glasses and are back to using pounds and ounces…

It is with an enormous debt gratitude of then, to all the bands and artists who keep me sane with the music they keep releasing this year. It has been a phenomenal year so far for new music and we’ve still got three months to go.… Read the rest

The Muslims – Fuck These Fuckin Fascists – album review

September 15, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

As John Lydon does all he can to piss on the legacy of punk and the Sex Pistols, through wearing his MAGA hats and moving further to the right and dissing the left, the true voice of punk in the 21^st Century belongs to the likes of the visceral voice and unyielding energy of Bob Vylan, the most important UK punk act to emerge in recent years. And from the US, while musically treading a poppier punk path but with no less anger and resentment towards a countless list of deserving targets it’s the turn of THE MUSLIMS “a crunchy, kickass punk band of Black + brown queer muzzies.”… Read the rest

The First Big Weekend…

September 13, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

My return to live music kicked off in style last weekend with Hugh Reed & the Velvet Underpants in the Bungalow Bar in Paisley. This weekend was what you could call the First Big Weekend (copyright: Arab Strap) of my 2021 gig calendar with not two but three consecutive nights of live music. Bring it on. (Not sure if I should be apologising to my family or whether they were just glad to see the back of me for three nights…)

I’m not going to deny, it wasn’t without some trepidation that I was returning to gigs, and not just due to COVID and everything that goes along with that, but also the being around people in general, and social anxiety aspect of it all.… Read the rest

Hugh Reed & the Velvet Underpants – Live in Paisley

September 6, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

It had been 576 days since my last live gig (not that I was counting or anything) and I will admit to a bit of trepidation. Since the easing of lockdown I’ve experienced having dinner in a pub that the punters were acting as if COVID had never happened, but to counter that I’ve also had pleasant experiences elsewhere when everyone was still acting with a air of caution and sensibility.

In fact, I’d been in Perth for a couple of days with work and on my way home, tired and lethargic, I almost talked myself into not going. Thankfully, I didn’t take that course of action, gave myself a shake and jumped in the car to Paisley.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2021 – Part 9

September 5, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

2021 has been rammed full of quality new music, so many new singles and ones to fit every musical taste. Here’s my latest round up of the ones that have caught my attention.

And a note to all festival organisers whose bills are crammed with ladrock, there are literally thousands of alternatives out there….

Brat Coven

Brat Coven are a three piece riot grrrl/punk band with attitude form Glasgow. Listen to the lead song on their latest three track single and be in absolutely no doubt that they will accept NO unwelcome advances from sleazy blokes with the uncompromising grunge punk of Not Ur Girl.… Read the rest

Jackal Trades – At This Point – album review

September 1, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Mark McGhee never rests.

Does this man never sleep? He seems to be constantly spinning plates, managing to keep them all going and letting nothing slip, while keeping up high standards and levels of quality control on everything too …

Live shows with The Girobabies (whose Who Stole Utopia? album remains an absolute revelation), You Call That Radio podcasts, and of course Jackal Trades (and master of them all), whose album At This Point was released a couple of months ago…. Yes, I’m still playing catch up, but that s a good sign – hunner’s of brilliant new music out there…

At This Point is essentially McGhee’s (and a supporting cast of thousands) commentary on the state of the COVID era disunited kingdom.… Read the rest

Mickey 9s – Modern Kunst – album review

August 30, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

The delay in writing this review is very remiss of me, I’ve had the latest Mickey 9s album for what seems like aeons. Certainly at least a few months before it was actually released, I’m sure the residents of Simshill/Castlemilk/Kings Park and the surrounding Glasgow Southside environs are probably sick of it blasting out my car windows on repeat. Either that or they’re now all fully fledged Mickey 9s converts. I’d like to think the latter.

I mean how can you NOT like this album? Playing it in the car was probably a bad idea. You can’t really listen to this album without getting sucked in by the high octane addictive post punk-funk.… Read the rest

Weve Met Before Havent We Deer Leader album cover

Deer Leader – We’ve Met Before… Haven’t We? – album review

August 29, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve only just regained control of my emotions after the stunning Sister John album, then Last Night From Glasgow only go and do it again…

I have to say, this is one of my most hotly anticipated releases of the year having been blown away by each one of the series of singles that preceded its release.

I’m There Right Now

To be honest, this album hasn’t lived up to its promise. It has smashed it. Exceeding my expectations in more ways than I could ever have hoped or imagined. I’m actually apprehensive about reviewing this as I’m not sure I can find the words to do it justice.… Read the rest

monsterpop – Undaunted – album review

August 28, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

Jimmy Dev seems to have been an omnipresent part of the Glasgow music scene forever, playing with countless bands putting his hand to a variety of music styles over the decades. Testing and honing his craft throughout his career, he can most recently be found and heard releasing singles and EPs under the nomenclature of monsterpop (lower case “m” intentional).

The resultant sound for monsterpop is a harmonious amalgamation of the different incarnations of Jimmy through the years (and believe me, if you’ve seen him on Facebook, there are many of those….) take a hunk of hard rock, a peppering of punk, a few grains of glam, an element of the eighties and plenty of punchy power pop, mix well and you’re pretty much there.… Read the rest