Review - The Ginger Quiff

House Guest Festival 2024 – review

April 9, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

First things first, a huge congratulations must go to Scottish Music Collective and Crowded Flat for pulling off a superb inaugural House Guest event. Not only was the sold out day a huge success due to the phenomenal line up, bulging at the seams with a smorgasbord of new Scottish talent, the day ran like clockwork, the dream team in Sleazy’s (where, despite plans, I based myself all day) from bar staff to event management ensuring things ran like clockwork. I hope the success helps this event to go on to be a celebrated annual event much like its template events such as Tenement Trail. … Read the rest

Eater/Jo Jo & the Teeth – live in Broadcast

March 26, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

For the second weekend in a row it was a Sunday visit to Broadcast that was to bring the weekend to a celebratory conclusion. This was a night bristling with expectation after waiting for what seemed like a lifetime to witness the glory of Jo Jo and the Teeth live after being wowed by their debut album in 2022. Not only that but it was a double whammy as the band also transformed into Eater with the estimable Andy Blade to create a venerable punk rock riot.

Chemicalwhiteroom

The riot started early with the arrival of support act Chemicalwhiteroom to the Broadcast stage.… Read the rest

Death Valley Girls with Junk Pups and Tanzana – Broadcast

March 19, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

The last time I caught Death Valley Girls live was on a dreich and miserable Monday night in the self same venue, but with the stage where the bar is, and vice versa. Bonnie and the band were on top form back then with local duo Run Into the Night in tow. This time around they outshone themselves with a mind-bending stellar performance.

Before the headliners took to the stage though, they already had a lot to live up to after the performances from the two support bands for the evening.

First up it was the turn of fresh faced quintet Tanzana.… Read the rest

The Laurettes – Meet Me at the Mainstage – album review

March 8, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

What better way to celebrate both Friday and more importantly International Women’s Day than with the long-awaited debut album by The Laurettes, an album which just so happens to be hitting the airwaves and making its indelible mark on the world this weekend.

Having worked harder than just about every band I could think of on the live circuit, perhaps with the exception of Tbe Courettes, The Laurettes have tirelessly played gigs and festivals, big and small, building their reputation as a fearsome live prospect and the ultimate party starters. This has led up to where they find themselves today, paving their way to the release of Meet Me at the Mainstage, and in doing so, they have continued to make their own way up the bills of festivals left, right and centre, soon to be Mainstage headliners if their stellar trajectory continues on its current path.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 2 – February

March 3, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

February was another formidable month for singles, with the round up for this month including a whopping 50 top tunes.

As usual, I’ve collected them all on a Spotify playlist, against my better judgement, for you to sample should you choose. If you like the songs, go and search out the bands music, buy their merchandise and go to their gigs. It’s the only way to ensure the future of new music and keep music venues open.

Single(s) of the Month

Here’s my top 15 singles of the month for February… at the top of the list and earning the “trophy” for single of the month is a band on the ascendency…

Junk Pups – Trophy Wife

It feels like an age since Junk Pups released their last single, Miss Behave, but have certainly not been sitting doing nothing, gigging constantly, the latest of which was headlining the last night of January’s New Year’s Revolution in King Tuts (review).… Read the rest

Lusty – If We Can’t Live Together, Then We Die Together – album review

February 29, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

The follow up to I’m Gonna Make Your Death All About Me from rapper and former Happy Martyr and Rats From a Sinking Ship frontman Alex Lusty is another sombre affair, with thirteen new songs (purposefully unlucky?), which are once again raw and emotional, soul baring, no holds barred songs about the human condition and an insight into the darker and more sorrowful sides of the human psyche.

The mood of these songs swings between angry resignation, stark despair and brutal cynicism as Lusty sings his songs of life, death, love, loss, isolation and loneliness. The rawness of the songs and the vivid imagery in the lyrics suggest that many of the themes explored and the stories told come direct from personal experience. … Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 1 – January

February 28, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

A new year for music and (eventually) the first round up of 2024, and what a bumper crop already for January. A massive 62 songs (OK, so some might be from the end of 2023 as I posted end of year posts early…). Anyway, we’re certainly out of the traps and off running at speed, with this list containing some well-kent names, some new kids on the block, as well as the return of some legends. All told providing a wheen of top quality tunes which succeeded in lifting the January blues. If that was January, this is set to be another cracking year for music…

The hazard of deciding to do a monthly singles round up means also trying to find the time to write up the blog… I seem to be caught in a vicious circle of promising myself I’ll spend more time on writing, then disappearing in a world of work, or spending hours overthinking things and getting fuck all done…

I’ve therefore had to make an executive decision.… Read the rest

The Hedrons – Tired of Taking – album launch with f.o. machete

February 24, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

All photos courtesy of Chris Hogge Photography

They’re back. With a huge fuck off vengeance. Who’s that I hear you ask? Well, The fucking Hedrons of course… but, before they utterly owned the Room 2 stage, it was the return of another legendary band to return to the live arena. And what a fucking return it was.

The band with one of the best names in music, f.o. machete (in its original context, not the family friendly “fresh orange” on their current badges and stickers), tore through their set, laying waste to Room 2 and leaving a scene of joyful devastation, and gobsmacked punters, in their wake. … Read the rest

Thee Effits Psychic Coffee Shop album cover

Thee Effits – Psychic Coffee Shop – album review

February 19, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Call this what you like, a post CD release, or a pre-vinyl release review on Tarbeach Records, so you could say it’s either well overdue, or it’s way ahead of the proposed summer vinyl release. The question is who are the mysterious Thee Effits, I hear you ask? The band is the latest incarnation of the ever mysterious The Electric Fits, the brainchild of Walt (aka Thee E-Fits), who released a debut album Opposable Thumbs back in 2015/6. The band is now, pick your adjective, re-formed, re-imagined, re-invigorated, re-generated, re-born, re-invented, re-incarnated into…Thee Effits and to celebrate this re-birth, have released this six track album in the form of Psychic Coffee Shop.… Read the rest

Swansea Sound. Water Machine and I Wanna Be a Truck Driver – Live in Mono

February 19, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

ALL Photos – courtesy of Stuart @blackmagicplastic • Instagram photos and videos

Nearly March already and not a dish done. I still haven’t managed to get to an album review this year, or published the January Singles Round Up, despite my thinking I would get a chance to play catch up. Life and work gets in the way…

I have however managed to get to another gig though… should have been more, but… see above! Anyway. This was another belter. There may be less gigs for me this year due to… see above (again)… and funds… however, the ones I’ve attended to date have been nothing short of inspirational, and this one was to prove no different.… Read the rest