reviews
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The LaFontaines
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… In this post we review THE LAFONTAINES, with support from SLIX and KERR MERCER How do you describe the music of The LaFontaines? Indie guitar sounds married to hip hop vocals with singalong choruses? If that’s the case then that’s precisely what the…
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Ride
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… In this post we review RIDE, with support from Junodream What seems a long, long time ago, Ride recorded one of best records to grace the shelves of this writer’s collection, when the album Nowhere burst into record stores in 1990. The tracks…
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bis – 30th birthday
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… In this post we review bis, with support from Art Brut, Yummy Fur and Lung Leg What defines a good night out? For people who go to gigs, I suspect it’s to see and hear musical acts they may or may not be…
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Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… In this post we review Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve at The Theatre Royal, Glasgow. I headed into Glasgow city centre with two firsts to tick off on my own personal history of gigs attended. Seeing Elvis Costello live in The Theatre Royal,…
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BMX Bandits
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… In this post we review BMX Bandits, with wojtek the bear providing support at the Strathaven Hotel, part of the Frets Concerts series there. The sun was shining, for a pleasant change, as we headed to the Strathaven Hotel for the latest in…
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Yo La Tengo
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… In this post we review Yo La Tengo, with a couple of very special guests making a late appearance, at SWG3. The band ticked off the letter Y in our A to Z Musical Tour. At the beginning of the evening I thought…
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Louis Berry
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… In this post we review Louis Berry and two, as yet un-named, support acts who kept us entertained before curfew at Stereo last night. Saturday nights in Glasgow. The streets and pubs are heaving with the usual mix of weekend revellers. Yet, beneath…
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Echo & The Bunnymen
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Why do we listen to music? To hear songs that we know and love? To listen to what’s new, what’s been recommended or what we’ve previously missed? To blank out the rest of what’s going on around us at the time? Why do…
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The Glasgow Weekender
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Two local ‘institutions’ came together during Friday and Saturday to deliver The Glasgow Weekender, with musical luminaries Belle & Sebastian curating a collection of eclectic acts to perform with them at SWG3, one of the city’s most flexible venues for hosting such events.…
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The Teskey Brothers
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Summer Nights at The Kelvingrove Bandstand have become a staple diet for many gig-goers over the past 10 years, with an eclectic mix of acts performing on stage to sold out audiences of 2,500. Last night it was the turn of Australia’s The…
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Johnny Marr
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Johnny Marr strode on to the stage and looked to the heavens. Where 20 minutes earlier, the grey skyline across Glasgow had tipped rainwaters onto the expectant audience, the clouds had now dispersed to be replaced by a hoped-for, blue-sky summer’s night. He…
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Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Undefeated is the name of the 10th solo album by Frank Turner. Undefeated is the strapline for the current tour. And, after last night, Frank Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls remain the Undefeated champions of Folk Punk. 700 fans descended on…
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Garbage
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… A hometown gig for the hometown girl. You can take the girl out of Edinburgh, but you just can’t take Edinburgh out of the girl. The iconic Usher Hall in Edinburgh was once again the venue for hometown girl Shirley Manson and her…
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LCD Soundsystem
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… How do you describe adequately the LCD Soundsystem show at The Barrowland on 2 July. To start with, I looked up some common synonyms of ‘Energetic‘ and came up with the following: active, dynamic, enterprising, industrious, lively, powerful, spirited, sprightly, spry, strong, tireless,…
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The Charlatans
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Looking back 30 plus years, it would seem The Charlatans continue to live up to the name of their debut album Some Friendly. In the intervening decades, they have continued to release a string of indie albums and singles that have maintained strong…
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Big City 2024
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Well not so much a gig as a one day festival curated by Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite. And what a wonderful job he did in bringing together a group of acts who all showed the breadth and depth there is in music today. Mogwai…
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From an album to the stage
I would consider myself one of the lucky ones. First album was a way back in 1973 with Billion Dollar Babies, while not long after that, relatively speaking, I could be seen jogging up the Apollo stairs to watch Roxy Music in their prime. Running up was likely to be met by a strongly disapproving…
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Bernard Butler
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Mackintosh Queen’s Cross is one of Glasgow’s hidden architectural gems. The only church in the world designed by the great Scottish architect, designer and artist, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Commissioned in 1896 by the Free Church, the simplicity of the design is inspiring. The…
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The Bathers
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… The Glasgow University Union Debating Hall has no doubt held many a cantankerous discussion, with opposing views vying to make their mark on those in attendance. It’s a lovely space for debates. Last night, there was no rancour as it proved to be…
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Unharm
The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was …… Over the years I’ve bought an album or three based purely on the ‘look’ of the cover. Taking a punt on what’s been recorded on the album being along the lines of expectations raised by the visual display. Last night at The Glad…
