Live Reviews

Concert: The Bluebells Venue: Glasgow BarrowlandDates: 1 February 2025 Athens may have the Pantheon, Rome the Colosseum and Mexico City has the Estadio Azteca but to me, none can beat nor compete with the Glasgow Barrowland. It is our Mecca, our place of worship for all things music, that sacred place where we commune with our sonic saviours. They […]

Artist: Lloyd Cole Venue: Glasgow Royal Concert HallDates: 21 January 2025 One of the best festivals in Scotland is the annual Celtic Connections which showcases the best in folk, roots, world music and a whole lot more. This year was no different and heralded a homecoming of sorts for Lloyd Cole, known for his music with The Commotions and

Festival: Rockaway Beach Venue: Bognor Regis, ButlinsDates: 5 January 2025 Day 3: First out of the blocks on the final day, Sunday, was Jaws The Shark. Not only were they the solo project of artist Olly Bailey, they had my favourite band name of the weekend. Indie rock with attitude, explosive guitar riffs, the occasional fuzz feedback and a sound

Festival: Rockaway Beach Venue: Bognor Regis, ButlinsDate: 4 January 2025 Day Two: As is often the case at Rockaway Beach, gig goers will venture into the town of Bognor Regis, exploring the local area and our bracing walk along the seafront in search of an early morning breakfast certainly blew away any cobwebs from the previous night. Back at the

Festival: Rockaway Beach Venue: Bognor Regis, ButlinsDate: 3 January 2025 Rockaway Beach turned ten years old, a special anniversary and the festival has certainly grown (up) during the past decade. It is now bigger, better and bolder. There was much chatter on various fan forums in the lead up to the weekend with people questioning whether the new purpose built

Artists: The Rezillos/ The Countess of Fife/ Kirsten Adamson/ The Filthy Tongues/ Scorpio Leisure Venue: Edinburgh Voodoo RoomsDates: 30 December 2024 In an ideal world, benefit gigs would be few and far between. But we don’t live in an ideal world. All profits from this show were going to UNICEF’s Gaza Appeal for Children in Crisis. Very commendable but

Artist: Paul Heaton Venue: Glasgow OVO HydroDates: 1 December 2024 Paul Heaton requires little introduction. From fronting The Housemartins to The Beautiful South and latterly a solo career, his back catalogue of work is filled with gems, songs that have and will stand the test of time. Throw in the fact that he genuinely cares about the fans, capping

Artist: Fontaines D.C. Venue: Glasgow Ovo HydroDates: 4 December 2024 I always knew it would take something remarkable to drag my slovenly ass out of its gig-reviewing retirement. That, and the acknowledgement that John Welsh does it so much better than anyone else. But despite both powerful forces – my laziness, John’s exceptionality – I’m compelled to tell you

Artist: Peter Capaldi Venue: Glasgow StereoDates: 25 November 2024 Most people will know Peter Capaldi as the twelfth Doctor Who and as Malcolm Tucker from the political satire, The Thick Of It. But there is a whole lot more in his arsenal. A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, Capaldi first came to prominence as the singer/guitarist in

Artist: The Golden Tree Venue: Glasgow MonoDates: 21 November 2024 There is no doubt that twenty (or so) minute gigs can leave an indelible mark on the memory. Indeed, Monorail Music who are right next to Mono are putting on a Q&A (at Glasgow Film Theatre) with Jim and William Reid of The Jesus & Mary Chain on December