Category: Review

Quad 90 – debut album review

October 31, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

The debut album from the talented duo of Amelia Lironi and Naomi Mackay, who met while studying music at Riverside College, is an exquisite masterpiece with its stylish melding of 1970s styledisco and funk with 1980’s post punk, their perfectly syncopated dual vocals playing off the sweeping synths, disco handclaps and funk/punk guitar riffs and creating an overall sound that is elegantly suave and coolly sophisticated.

This album has feel good written all over it, the infectious nature of the music, and it’s laidback geniality has a way of catching you unaware, enveloping you in it’s warm embrace until you feel invincible, like you don’t have a care in the world and nothing really matters anymore, apart from the music.… Read the rest

Station Nord – Mind Control Radio – album review

October 28, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Station Nord is a project by what could be described as a Scottish supergroup, even though some of its members are now divided by oceans, the core element of the band originate from the hotbed of musical talent that is North Lanarkshire. Readers of these pages will recognise some of the names and the dulcet tones of the roll call – guitar wrangler for The Scottish Sex Pistols and Johnny Cash tribute Jericho Hill, Joe Whyte, Jonzip of the first wave of punk band The Zips, Peter Lacey of God Fearing Atheists (whose album I discovered I had two copies of recently…), Walt WXYZ of Tarbeach Records and Thee Effits, jazz bassist Iain Wyper and Dominic Gallagher on all sorts of other “sonic wizardry.”… Read the rest

Gutterblood – Good Dogs Will Never Die – Album/EP review

October 26, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Gutterblood first came to my attention with the release of their single with political commentator Bonnie Prince Bob, the excellent anti-monarchy rant that is Gardyloo and their excellent Hard Ghandi EP from whence it came. I’m glad to note that the outspoken Bob is back alongside Tom with some hard hitting vocals and lyrics when you pair that with founding member Andy MacVannan whose thunderous ground-shaking bass lines form the solid backbone of the bands sound, complemented by some heard hitting heavy riffing by ex-Gin Goblin Dave you have a band who are in fine fettle angrier and more forthright than ever. … Read the rest

Panic Shack – Live in Glasgow, The Garage

October 17, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

All Panic Shack photographs courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

Panic Shack were re-visiting our Dear Green Place as part of their powerhouse of a debut album tour having slayed a packed King Tuts in May prior to the album release. Having had the pleasure of being part of the sweaty mass on that occasion, the anticipation was great, and expectations high.

First up it was Punchbag and, having been introduced to the excellent duo The Pill on Panic Shack’s previous outing, then enjoying their return to Glasgow later in the year in Nice n Sleazy, I was hoping for another impressive support band.… Read the rest

Tenement Trail 2025

October 15, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve not written a blog/review since April… and reading that one back now, the negativity in my tone probably said as much about my state of mind at the time as it did about the event itself.

Maybe I should have noticed the slow decline from then until a few months later when things came to a head and my brain, for want of a better word, imploded and became my worst enemy once again. but hindsight is a great thing isn’t it? Slowly getting back on track means revisiting the things that bring a bit of joy and relief into an insane world and try to regain some sanity and balance, it means bringing some conscious positive habits in to replace all the unconscious negative habits that insidiously creep in.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2025 – February – Part 5

April 24, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

If it was down to me, I’d listen to and write about music 24/7, but unfortunately, that doesn’t pay the bills, it only adds to them! So work has to take priority which doesn’t help when you have to burn the candle at both ends just to stand still…

Anyway if I don’t change the way I do these singles round ups it’ll be July before I’m done with February.

So here goes…

All the way from Brazil, Signo 13 served up another slice of moody gothic post punk with Onironautus while The Faint revival continued apace with an unreleased single, Brokers, Priests and Analysts, from their reissue of Blank-Wave Arcade.… Read the rest

This Questionable Life – Exquisite Torment EP review

April 22, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Exquisite Torment is the second EP from This Questionable Life following up their debut, The Softest Heart, from 2022.

The EP’s gloriously named title track is the opening song of the three on show. It just takes a glance at the names of the songs to give an indication of what you can expect musically. With Exquisite Torment and the closing eponymous song bookending the self-deprecatingly titled Car Crash of Me, it’s glaringly obvious that these aren’t going to be happy go lucky pop songs. Thankfully. Yeah, OK, maybe sometimes you need those throwaway songs that wash over you without touching your soul but, arguably for me, I need music to make me feel.… Read the rest

Dead Pioneers – Post American – album review

April 20, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

If there is any justice, this album is destined to be on album of the year lists across the globe for 2025. Dead Pioneers are out to set the record straight, a band not afraid to raise their heads above the parapet and tell it like it is. These songs reveal the true account of American history past and present, a much needed adjustment of the white-washed “American as apple pie” version of the USA that Presidents present, and past, and the genocide denying lies of the silver screen will have you believe. 

Apart from redneck Amerikkka, those of us with our sanity intact around the rest of the US and beyond are looking on in shock and disbelief as the future takes on a dystopian slant with the orange one m, and his brainwashed cronies in charge.… Read the rest

Klingonz – live in Audio, Glasgow with Thrown Away, Three n Eights and Numbskulls

April 18, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

Another epic night thanks to Shrunken Head Promotions in the company of Thrown Away, Three n Eights, Numbskulls and the mindblowing Klingonz, along with a cast of hundreds!

A Shrunken Heads night guarantees several occurrences… a great mix of musical genres; punk to rockabilly, ska to psychobilly and a melting pot of ages and styles, all coming together in a pit instigated by the usual suspects, alongside a huge grin on everyone’s  face and a feeling of being part of something bigger, and this occasion was certainly no exception.

Thrown Away kicked things off with their rollicking in yer face punk tunes, unfortunately work and life got in the way and I only caught their last two songs but there was plenty there to tempt me back for more.… Read the rest

House Guest Festival 2025 – Review

April 14, 2025 By neilho27@sky.com

In 2024, the inaugural House Guest Festival was such a roaring success, I had high hopes and expectations for this years event. My hopes were most definitely not dashed as Scottish Music Collective & Crowded Flat pulled off another cracker of an event, planned perfectly and executed with a pinpoint precision, with timings being a major factor in events such as this, everything flowed as gracefully as as a swam gliding across water, but I’m sure this meant no end of unseen frantic exertion behind the scenes. Kudos to all involved.

Count the Days


The Sankaras opened proceedings in Sleazys, but my starter for 10 for the day was a furiously energetic Count the Days.… Read the rest