Scottish Punk - The Ginger Quiff

Singles Round Up 2023 – Pt 1 – January 2023

February 10, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

So much for my plan of being better organised into 2023, Can’t believe we’re nearly 2 weeks into February and I’m still lagging behind…

Anyway, what follows is a list of the songs that have been soundtracking my January, some from the end of December too seeing as how I was TOO organised in December and published my December singles before Christmas…

Ren – Hi Ren

One of the most affecting singles of the end of December/beginning of January is this soul baring song from Ren. Brutally honest about his health struggles the song is a bare knuckle battle between himself and his thoughts, with a sound reminiscent of Eminem and The King Blues, once you press play on the video you will find it utterly impossible to be distracted by anything around you.… Read the rest

The Dead Thatchers – Nae Pasaran Ya Bass/Perfect Vision – album/EP review

July 29, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

Taking nothing away from the band or their deeply engrossing and engaging music, it is actually embarrassing that a band such as this needs to exist in 21st Century Britain. It’s almost like 1979 never happened and we’ve not learnt a thing. Rising interest rates, poverty, food bands, a summer of discontent, strikes left, right and centre, a Tory government that is doing its best to increase the gap between the rich and poor and to top that off a pair of clueless Thatcher-lite puppets who just seem to spend their time arguing about who will be the worst Prime Minster for the country.… Read the rest

2 Sevens – Back on Track – album review

June 17, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

No Guitars were Harmed in the Recording of this Album*

John Kenny is known for launching his guitar during a live performance… 2 Sevens launch their debut album Back on Track on an unsuspecting public today. I’ve witnessed pictures of his broken guitars and In a broken Britain (there is a slight irony on the album title given current circumstances) the album is a much needed tonic, its a lot of fun, one of these albums that you put on to blow the cobwebs away and just blast out some good old punk rock n roll.

With a name like they have, you can probably work out where their key influences come from, and without meaning any disrespect to the band, that is exactly what you get on Back on Track.… Read the rest

Ramonas/Reaction – Live in Glasgow/Nice n Sleazys

May 9, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

The second gig of the weekend for me was an entirely different affair from the night before, a full throttle punk affair featuring Airdrie’s Reaction and the high octane thrill ride that is Ramonas. Unfortunately due to train cancellations I missed the start of Reaction’s set, but appropriately, when I arrived, breathless from a quick sprint up from the station, they were part way through Faster, a theme which was to be a core principle for the evenings entertainment.

As I sat in the station earlier, and the announcements came over the tannoy about cancelled trains, I almost chucked it and went home, my head telling me “Its Sunday night, maybe you’d be better having an early night – work tomorrow”.… Read the rest

Weekend Offenders – a weekend of punk’n debauchery

April 24, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

My creaking bones and tired feet are just recovering from my old folks weekend out (no offence meant to anyone else on the wrong side of 50).

Talking of offence, the weekend offending started on Friday might with a gathering of the usual suspects in the intimate surroundings of McChuills on High Street, for what seemed like the first time in forever.

This is Scotland Calling …

On the bill, two of Scotlands finest exponents of harmonious first wave of punk rock sound, The Zips and Reaction. This was one of several gigs around Glasgow on the eve of Scotland Calling and Record Store Day, triggering conversations around the reasons why bands such as these two are constantly overlooked for the annual punk festival in Glasgow, an ideal opportunity to showcase the best in Scottish punk.… 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

We’ll be coming, we’ll be coming…

June 1, 2021 By neilho27@sky.com

…when you hear the noise of the Cundeez and Rudebeard boys, we’ll be coming down the road.

Remember the old days, remember the O’Jays… no, I’m going down the wrong cut de sac here. Remember in your youth (if you are of a certain vintage) when Scotland qualified for competitions with clockwork regularity? Only to crash out to some minnows in the group stages right enough, but qualified none the less.

Even if you weren’t a football fan, you knew we’d qualified. Who can forget being on the march wi’ Ally’s Army and Andy Cameron in 1978 when we all thought we were really going to come home from Argentina as trophy winners only for our dreams to be crushed.… Read the rest

GingerQuiff – Final lists of 2020

December 31, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

Following on from my albums of the year list, the following are my final lists for 2021.

I don’t have a top gigs list for 2021 as I only went to a handful at the start of the year not realising what the year had in store. Though The Wildhearts, Backyard Babies, The Interrupters, Savage Cut and Outstandifold & the Wettygrippers were a pretty good start to what should have been a great year of gigs..

Re-Releases

Bob Mould – Distortion (1989 – 2019) – what can I say, Santa was good to me this year. What a fantastic box set this is.

… Read the rest

The Cundeez – Teckle & Hide – album review

October 16, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

I’ve been immersing myself in some Dundonian culture lately thanks to Teckle & Hide the latest, and strongest, album from The Cundeez

An Intoxicating Heady Brew

100% proof claims the album cover, and its claims are not wrong. The sixteen tracks served up are an intoxicating heady brew. The Cundeez cementing themselves as a North East Scotland powerhouse. One minute offering an ultimate good time party anthem, guaranteed to have any party jumping as they provide the raw unfiltered craic, once again promised on the album cover. I’m not going to lie though, the party might get messy, there are no guarantees how things might end up.… Read the rest

Reaction – The La Chunky Sessions EP Volume 1 – review

July 21, 2020 By neilho27@sky.com

There are dozens of independent record labels that are a cause for celebration. The one’s that, when you hear they have a new release coming, it is almost guaranteed you will love it. I’m not going to start listing those. Suffice to say that Tarbeach Records based in New York but with roots still attached to the heart of the West of Scotland is one that holds a special place in my music collection. I own all the releases to date. So far there is not one I don’t like. So, it gives me great pleasure to be reviewing the first of three tree-mendous releases (the pun is intentional) coming your way now.… Read the rest