Walt Disco - The Ginger Quiff

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 5 – May

July 24, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

I am so unbelievably behind it’ll be Halloween soon and I’ll still be at Easter… I’m still working month’s behind in singles round ups, and about 6 months behind in album and EP reviews. I’m putting that down to shit like life getting in the way, but I’ll also use the excuse that there is so much fantastic new music out there by bands old and new that I can’t keep up with the sheer volume of music to listen to, which to be fair, ain’t that far from the truth.

My May (yeah I know, May, that was like months ago, literally…) round up follows, as does a playlist of all the songs on Tidal.… Read the rest

Walt Disco – The Warping – album review

June 20, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

2024 has already been an outstanding year for album releases, however, Walt Disco certainly do not need to be fazed by what has come before as their second album finally hit the shelves. The Warping twists and turns, contorts, confounds convention and delights in equal parts as the serpentine songs worm their way into the very fibre of your being, and while not totally vitiating all comers, the album lays waste to much of the competition.

Where Unlearning announced their arrival as the ones to watch, The Warping takes that complex blueprint and not so much runs with it as rips it to shreds and starts again, taking the sum of their parts, adding layers of instrumentation, multiplying their sophisticated textures by distorting, altering and reshaping their already distinct signature soundscapes and somehow making their music even more passionately intense, akin to some sort religious awakening.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 4 – April

June 15, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Life seems to have got in the way again, its now June and not only have I not got anywhere near publishing a May round up, April’s has been languishing incomplete and unpublished too…

But hey, its Singles Round Up Part 4! One third of the way through the year already and the great songs keep on coming.

I read something recently commenting on how bad the state of music is these days. I think this must have been written by a person who relies on the charts and certain radio stations for their daily dose of music, or should that be daily doze of muzak, as I’m inundated by brilliant music on a daily basis.… Read the rest

Junk Pups – Ball and Chain – EP Review

May 26, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

You may have heard me wax lyrical about the endearingly sublime qualities of Glasgow based queer art-rock quartet Junk Pups on occasion. If you haven’t, and your first question is “Who the fuck are Junk Pups?”, my immediate response might be, “Where the hell have you been?” Followed quickly by a thoughtful wish that I was in your shoes and could have the awe and excitement of hearing, and seeing, the band for the first time again.

Fear not though, now’s your chance to play catch up as the band, having had a rabid pack of pups and pupettes baying for new tunes to listen to, finally release their debut 4 track EP, Ball and Chain.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2024 – Part 3 – March

April 10, 2024 By neilho27@sky.com

Another month, another singles round up, and a bumper selection it is too, 61 songs in this month’s list, This month’s selection comes from a range of bands and singers from newer talent such as Dancer, Soapbox and recent BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year Bottle Rockets through to established legends such as Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, as well as home grown legends Arab Strap and the continued welcome return of James King and the Lonewolves ahead of their new album The Mortality Arcade.

The Top 25

Single of the Month

Soapbox – Fascist Bob

Several reasons for this being single of the month for March, first and foremost it’s a fucking great song cementing Soapbox as one of the best of the current crop of Scottish bands displaying a punk attitude in the true spirit of the first wave of punk, kicking against the pricks and railing against the right wing.… 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

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

October 13, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Saturday the 7^th 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

Singles Round Up Part 10 – October 2022

November 22, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

We’re well into the last quarter of the year now so it is time to share the third last selection of the best singles, demos and other tracks that have been earworms for The Ginger Quiff during the month of October… as usual I’ve added any that are on the evil corporate musician shafting platform that is Spotify for you to try, then go and buy music, merch and gig tickets from the bands.

Reaction – Bad Trip Express

Much like their forebears The Clash (just as long as we don’t get a Cut the Crap at some point), Lanarkshire punks Reaction have never been a band to stand still, rest on their laurels or become complacent with their sound.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up Part 9 – September 2022

October 5, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

two thirds of the way through the year and time for another round up of the best singles, demos, live tracks and general goodness that has come my way by hook or by crook throughout the month of September.

bis – Lucky Night

It’s your lucky day, bis returned in September with their new single Lucky Night, a song packed with bis goodness and accompanied by an engrossing CGI video packed with clones of the bis threesome. The upbeat electropop anthem bemoaning dodgy nightclub chat up lines “a boy walked up to me…” It’s bis, what’s not to love?

bis

The Nightingales – Bloody Breath

From their new album The Last Laugh is this slice of Nightingales brilliance, layering addictive driving rhythms starting with an incessant piano riff before adding throbbing bass and adding instrument after instrument to create an insanely hypnotic melee, all topped off with Robert Lloyd’s distinctive low, almost menacing brogue and you have sheer perfection.… Read the rest

Walt Disco – live in St. Lukes

March 30, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

On a driech snowy Wednesday, of course it was snowing, after all Spring had sprung a couple of days ago which obviously is the signal for winter to appear in full force.

Not to worry though, it may already have been a long week, and the weather miserable but inside St.Lukes things were altogether different.

It’s Wednesday, so it must be time to party! The word was obviously out, and the discerning Glasgow music fans were out in force, bedecked in their gladrags.

Unfortunately, I missed openers Fauna, but was fortunate to catch Priestgate’s set. This was a performance and a half.… Read the rest