Water Machine - The Ginger Quiff

Water Machine – Raw Liquid Power – EP review

September 17, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Water Machine are working their way into your psyche slowly but surely. So far they have completed various small steps on their journey to world domination, gigging their little hearts out and in doing so building a roots up solid base of fans in their home city of Glasgow. Then releasing the now sold out (too slow losers) S/T Demo Tape, featuring live favourites Water Machine, I Quit, Flowers and the song which drew me in to the music of the band in the first place, Hot Real Estate, to great acclaim, and following this up with the superb vinyl EP, Raw Liquid Power (more of which shortly).… Read the rest

Water Machine & Brenda – FREE live gigs in Glasgow

August 11, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

How often does it happen, Water Machine & Brenda, two of the best new bands in ~~Glasgow~~, ~~Scotland~~, ~~the UK~~, ~~Europe~~, nay, strike all that, make that two of the best new bands in the WORLD both playing celebratory sets on the same day, in the same city, both FREE and at separate locations – and what’s more, I could get to them both! Mind you it would be difficult for them to play simultaneously due to one common denominator… more of that later.

Brenda

Hot off the heels of their triumphant album launch in The Glad Café, and a spot at the Lost Map Howlin’ Fling on Eigg (I didn’t make it, but my tent did…), Brenda continued their celebrations of the release of a truly remarkable album at a packed-out George Square.… Read the rest

Water Machine, Bikini Body & I Wanna Be a Truck Driver – live in The Rum Shack

July 23, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Similar to the previous week in The Hug and Pint, there was most definitely a palpable air of anticipation buzzing around the excellent south side venue ahead of Water Machine’s biggest Glasgow date.

I think I can safely say all three bands on the bill played a blinder, more than exceeding expectations, more like smashing it out of the park for a home run. The job of warming up the Rum Shack fell to I Wanna Be a Truck Driver, a band I’d never seen live before but was introduced to by Stuart, aka photographer Blackmagicplastic, at a previous Water Machine gig.… Read the rest

Singles Round Up 2023 – Part 6 – June

July 1, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

June singles round up featuring some of the best new music around including joint “Singles of the Month” by the mighty Water Machine, Brenda, Bin Juice and KEELEY

I’m afraid time is not currently my friend, so like the May round up…. only just published in July…. There are no write ups of the songs featured.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t listened to all of them. After all, none of them would be here if I didn’t love them all …

Hopefully my time management will improve and normal service will be resumed in July

Water Machine – Water Machine Pt.

… Read the rest

Brenda – Band Interview

February 26, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

2023 is Brenda’s year for the taking. With a debut album coming later this year and before that singles in the shape of Cease and Desist and Microscopic Babe with its LA recorded video. I had a chance to shoot the breeze with Flore, Apsi and Litty, and with an attitude as refreshing as their music, there is nothing in the way that can stop this unique trio.

It was a dreich Saturday afternoon when I met the band, but the atmosphere in The Bell Jar was warm and inviting as was the welcome from the three members of Brenda, and the now famous Pat (Flore’s dog, who is also the subject of a song by her other band Water Machine).… Read the rest

Water Machine again… with The Cool Greenhouse and Former Champ

January 22, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

Witnessing Water Machine again came at the end of a week that began with Westminster making an attempt to block the Gender Recognition Reform Bill recently passed by the Scottish Parliament, resulting in loads of Karen’s coming out of the woodwork to express their outrage, literally. I heard a debate on the radio where an atypical Daily Mail reader, called Karen, I shit you not, was having apoplexy live on air, but could not back up the reason for her anger with anything remotely resembling coherent thoughts. The week ended in a show of support for the trans community with a protest at the Concert Hall steps on Buchanan Street against using trans rights as a political football.… Read the rest

Bikini Body/Water Machine/Jock Fox/Sacred Noise – First Footing – live in The Hug and Pint

January 8, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

This gig was brought to you by 432 presents. And COWBELLS!

In my world you can never have too many cowbells so this gig felt like cowbell utopia.

All joking aside, the abundance of cowbells that ran throughout most of the bands sets tonight was only a small contributing part of what made this the perfect gig to start my music year off with a bang.

Tonight was the perfect tonic for the January blues. Despite being known as Mr Christmas in some quarters, I didn’t really “feel” Christmas last year, so there wasn’t the usual post Christmas comedown, just a general feeling of malaise and relief that the shitshow of 2022 is now in the past.… Read the rest

Introducing Water Machine – Band Interview

January 7, 2023 By neilho27@sky.com

On the eve of their first gig of 2023 and following a series of much talked about gigs towards the end of last year, I caught up with Water Machine to talk about the band, their music, gigs and their upcoming plans. The band were in high spirits when I met them, after a rehearsal prior to their gig with Bikini Body in the Hug and Pint, their good humour and infectious sunny disposition entirely contagious and a much needed tonic, so I was keen to find out more about the band members and how the band came together.

Introducing the Band

Jimmy: I did this solo thing for years called Passion Pusher, we done an album, I wasn’t happy with it, we did a tour and only played one song from the album, I took a long break from music and now I do this and I’ve just started a band called Goodbody with Rachel and we’re going into La Chunky at the end of the month with Paul Thomson to do tape loops and stuff.… Read the rest

23 for ‘23

December 28, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

I may have made it difficult for myself by starting this last year. I’ll need to come up with one more band, album or gig I’m looking forward to next year. Mind you, judging by the sheer volume of amazing new music that is out there, it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. So here is my list of music related stuff I’m looking forward to next year so far…

In no particular order, but I’ve got quite an easy place to start.

1. Sacred Noise

One of the bands I’d listed in my 22 for ‘22 are back in for my list of great hopes for 2023.… Read the rest

Water Machine – S/T Demo Tape

December 21, 2022 By neilho27@sky.com

Water Machine have recently been making waves in the Glasgow music scene, currently bubbling under and fresh from what I gather was a superb support slot at Monorail’s birthday bash supporting Gerry Love, if there is any justice, 2023 will see the band reach boiling point and explode like a geyser.

Enough of the shite water puns. The band’s music deserves better than my lame attempts at humour.

I’ve recently been conversing online with Jimmy from the band, who are a bit of a Glasgow music scene supergroup, and was half joking about creating a family tree to trace all the connections.… Read the rest