The Bathers Sirenesque

The Bathers – Sirenesque – Album (of the year?) review

Unassumingly announcing its arrival with solitary and delicately understated piano paired with birdsong in the form of the calming beauty of Culzean, the long-awaited new album from Glasgow’s very own legendary band The Bathers, Sirenesque, then segues smoothly into its majestic title track. When Chris Thomson’s well-kent, instantly recognisable and richly expressive smooth brogue kicks in it almost induces tears, such is the effect of his highly emotive style, a welcome sound that rolls back the years both with a sense of ebullience, but also tinged with an element of melancholia, the song has an element of Blackstar Bowie to it, before the guitar break takes over and the sense of hopeful buoyancy takes the lead once more.… Read the rest

Carla J. Easton – Sugar Honey – album review

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

Parallels & Brenda – Live in Nice ‘n’ Sleazy

*All photographs courtesy of Christopher Hogge Photography*

Early week/Monday night gigs in the middle of the month in Glasgow are notoriously a bit of a risk, and so it may have initially seemed in Nice n Sleazy on the first weekday night of the school mid term autumn break, with a pretty sparse turn out scattered around the venue as support band Brenda’s stage time arrived. 

Is that something that bothered the fierce Glasgow trio? Absolutely not. Brenda give not one fuck, they are going to enjoy themselves whatever day of the week it is and regardless of who is there to witness it.… Read the rest

Julie Hamill – June – Book review

In the latest in an occasional series of book reviews on the Ginger Quiff blog, it is the third book in Julie Hamill’s series of Life and Soul novels, June, that features. The follow up to Frank and Jackie, June picks up the story of this close knit family and their group of friends as they deal with the trials and tribulations of life, touched by tragedy and sadness, but also filled with love, hope and happiness.

As the series title, Life and Soul, suggests, once again Julie has packed her novel full of situations that are entirely relatable, circumstances we can all empathise with, because what Julie writes about is real life.… Read the rest

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

Saturday the 7th 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

The Kidney Flowers – Burn Your Furniture – album launch gig review

After the gig to celebrate the release of the or new record, I think we can safely say The Kidney Flowers new album is well and truly launched, along with a large percentage of the gathering in The Old Hairdressers who spent the night crowd surfing and gleefully body slamming into anyone who cared to reciprocate. 

This was a breathless night in many ways, the breakneck speed of 99% of the songs, with nary a chance to register what was happening between songs, and quick handovers between bands leaving no time to take a breath, but also the stifling heat in the venue, probably in no small part the temperature raised by the heaving mass of bodies, adding to the intoxicating and suffocatingly intense atmosphere. … Read the rest

The Laurettes – “mini” gig review, HMV Glasgow re-opening

On the day their brand new single Witches was released, the dynamic duo of Lynette and Lauren were joined by bass player Ari (with a tres chic bodiless stand up bass), and drummer extraordinaire Lesley (aka Soup from The Hedrons) for a short but sweet five song set.

After a hastily made new acquaintance, the sound man for the previous band, the quintessential quartet were set up and ready to go, wasting no time in getting the fairly sizeable gathering in the HMV basement going with Burn, encouraging sing-a-longs from the off. Like I said when I reviewed their live performance with The Hedrons, if you want party started, invite The Laurettes.… Read the rest

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

All Keeley photographs courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

Wednesday 20th 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 Witches single

The Laurettes – Interview & Witches single review

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 cover

Ruby Gaines – Heavy Good – EP review

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