With the count coming in at 44 it was a poor showing on the gig front for 2025 for me, it was a clusterfuck of a year with a mixture of poor physical & mental health curtailing, with a certain irony given the dopamine boost live music brings, my gig going somewhat and also curtailing my writing. I probably missed just as many gigs I’d planned to attend as I actually attended, and among these missed events I’m sure would have been some guaranteed to be amongst the best of the year.
As it was, every gig played it’s part in making it a successful year of gig going despite the high number of missed dates…
The Second House Guest Festival in April alongside Tenement Trail in October were two obvious highlights of the gig going year giving the opportunity to see a whole host of bands who are all part of the reason the live music scene in Scotland is in such rude health, and they also sewed the seeds of an idea in my head that should be coming to fruition imminently despite a delay in the planned announcement…
Several bands had me return to see them time and again, each time proving their worth and playing cracking sets (equally there were bands I had tickets to see several times and didn’t make any of their gigs…).
Some gigs were a celebration of everything that is good, not just about the live music itself, but of gigs as a celebration of friendship and being with like-minded people – Three n Eights album launch gig and Klingonz definitely ticking the box on those categories.
Others were packed with emotion, stand up Sister John whose album release gig in the Old Hairdressers had me through the wringer in a rollercoaster of emotions.
Picking a gig of the year is nigh on impossible, a huge thanks to every band who put themselves out there night after night, year after year, for the love of the music and the thrill of performing, often at a cost to them as individuals.
From young bands who fly the flag and are killing it with their live performances like Alcatraz, Tanzana, Sister Madds, Martha May & the Mondays, Son of the Right Hand and literally dozens of others through to bands who have been thrilling live audiences for decades and are still giving youngsters a run for their money, like Michael Monroe and the exceptional My Bloody Valentine.
Every single one of these bands mentioned, and all the one’s I haven’t, have a host of reasons as to why they should be my gigs of the year, and in the end I’d have to say it was down to Slime City, Water Machine, Panic Shack, The Courettes and f.o. machete with f.o.machete just shaving a victory for me being one of the outstanding band’s of the year.
A special mention also must be made of Junk Pups who called it a day in 2025 after giving me many occasions packed with joy watching them play live over the years. Thanks for the memories.
Full list of gigs below, with link to reviews where relevant.
January
- 9th – Tanzana with Aldous, Naked Actress & Save Face – Review
- 15th – Martha May & the Mondays with Human Renegade, Count the Days and Marf – Review
February
- 8th – Sultans of Ping FC with Meryl Streek – Review
- 12th – Jenny Don’t & the Spurs with Wild Devils – Review
March
- 1st – Mariachi Death Squad & Anna Secret Poet
- 15th – The Wildhearts – Review
- 16th – Water Machine with comfort and Count Florida – Review
- 22nd – Three n Eights with In the Plughole, Corrupt Intentions and Rudebeard – Review
- 23rd – f.o. machete with Superhuman – Review
April
- 5th – Keeley & Reverse Cowgirls with The Phlegm – Review
- 12th – House Guest Fest 2025 – Review
- 17th – Klingonz with Three n Eights, Thrown Away and Numbskulls – Review
- 26th – Scotland Calling – Review
May
- 5th – Agnostic Front with Go Down Fighting & Righteous Mob
- 13th – Panic Shack with The Pill
- 15th – Tanzana with Isabella Strange & Vacant Pavements
- 23rd – Michael Monroe with CJ Wildheart
- 30th – Sister John with Pearl Charles & Tulsaqueen
June
- 7th – The Tenementals with King Slipper
- 20th – Water Machine with Dancer
- 21st – The Sex Pistols with The Stranglers, Undertones, Buzzcocks, The Skids and The Rezillos
- 22nd – f.o. machete with Lead Sister & Michael M
July
- 7th – The Darts with Lost Angels
- 11th – The Bleeders with Cavegirl and the Neandergals & Vibrator
- 17th – Alcatraz with Oedipus & the Mama’s Boys
- 27th – Night Caller with m.e.d.b., Fuzzy & Dot Pixis
August
- 8th – Martha May & the Mondays
- 16th – The Courettes with Nanobots
September
- 25th The Pill
October
- 3rd – Junk Pups with Tina Sandwich, The Froobz and Oh Romance
- 11th – Tenement Trail – Review
- 14th – Panic Shack with Punchbag – Review
- 18th – Sentiment with The Alleged
- 19th – Lungleg with Unmarry Me
- 24th – pedalo with Fairways & Sick Pay – Review
- 29th – The Wytches – Review
November
- 6th – Bob Vylan with Cowboy Hunters
- 14th – Son of the Right Hand with Yama Rama & Unspeakable Mondays – Review
- 20th – The Courettes – Review
- 27th – My Bloody Valentine with J Mascis – Review
- 29th – Slime City with Head Noise & Normal Service
December