Into Music: Upcoming Gigs
I’ve said it before and I make no apologies for repeating it, but there is little to rival going to see a live show. Gigs come in many guises, from the smallest back room in a pub to the vastness of a custom built arena, the artist playing for pennies outside the shopping centre or a multi-media event showcasing creativity through acting, music and art. All different, all great. There are too many to mention but please read on for a few we think you might like. And remember, it beats staying in the house watching mind-numbing TV, support live music and artists, it really is a win-win.
Show/Artist/Actor/Musicians: The Revelations of Rab McVie/Maria Rud/Tam Dean Burn/The Filthy Tongues
Venue: Dundee Rep Theatre
Dates: 20th & 21st March 2025
I mentioned in the introduction, of multi-media events. This is an absolute case in point. I first saw this show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 and to say I was mesmerized, stunned, blown away would be a total understatement. This is a performance that encompasses music, theatre and visual art that captures the imagination from the first second to the last.
Tam Dean Burn is without a shadow of a doubt, one of Scotland’s finest method actors. Immersing himself in character, beholden to his craft and no stranger to a one man show, he contorts, writhes and twists his body, inhabiting/becoming Rab McVie. The great thing about live theatre is you will see every sinew strained, the spit spraying, the flush of cheek and the genuine angst which pushes every boundary that Burn can muster to convey the imagination, bravado and doubt McVie encounters.
In the shadows, The Filthy Tongues lurk with menace, ominously dressed in black, tunes permeating the air as the music adds layer on layer of intrigue, like the heaviest fog dragging, pulling you in to the ethereal spell of madness, mayhem and magik that unravels before you. This is enough to be getting on with but hold on, Maria Rud is there, stage right, making artistic strokes in a blur on a glass canvas, the paint catapulted onto the screen behind the action, bringing the story of the music and acting to life in a series of ever evolving flashing art. One second we see a dog, a fish, a skeleton, a cast of folk and within a blink or two, we have a river, a hill, a pagan ritual, intoxicated in colour and drama that is constantly changing.
Quite simply, this is a show you MUST go and see. Make the effort, I guarantee you will love it. For tickets, head to the Dundee Rep website here.
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Artist: Alex McEwan
Venue: Bishopbriggs, Nova Scotia Folk Club
Dates: 12th March 2025
It’s been a road well travelled for Glaswegian musician Alex McEwan, from his home city to London to Kent to Nashville and LA including working with Lou Natkin, acclaimed guitarist for Joan Jett and collaborator with Brian Wilson. McEwan has a new single out on Blower Hill Recordings, the calming serenity that is Bee In A Honeypot, gentle piano and acoustic guitar are the perfect backdrop for a vocal rich in harmony.
The track precedes a new album, In A World We Don’t Know. Speaking of the single, McEwan said “It’s a song about time and how limited our time on earth is. About feeling free and about the person you love. And given what we’ve all been through in the last few years, it speaks to a desire to feel free again, like we were as kids. But it’s also a love song to my wife“.
With clear influences of Americana, folk and a nod to local bands such as Del Amitri, McEwan is on the crest of a wave. A U.K. mini tour takes place this month, catch him at the Nova Scotia Folk Club in Bishopbriggs on Wednesday 12th March. For more on Alex McEwan, head to his website here.
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Artist: The Pale White
Venue: Glasgow King Tuts
Date: 07th March 2025
Hailing from Newcastle, the three-piece alt-rock outfit that are The Pale White certainly have the tunes. Debut album Infinite Pleasure was lauded upon release in 2021 and the thirteen track follow up, The Big Sad is due to drop on 18th April 2025. Current single Lost In The Moment is getting some serious airplay on radio stations up and down the country and this bodes well ahead of the album release.
Speaking about the single, vocalist Adam Hope said “It’s about the feeling, or lack thereof, which suddenly washes over you when you least expect it. A certain type of numbness, not necessarily tied to anything good or bad. Perhaps it’s a captivation of something beautiful, or maybe it could be the type of melancholy in the pit of your stomach when reminiscing and romanticising the past. Whatever it may be, time freezes and you’re neither here nor there….just for a moment“.
Known for their red-hot live act, The Pale White embark on a U.K. tour to promote the new album including a date at King Tuts in Glasgow. For tickets and more on the band, head to their website here.
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Artist: Blondshell
Venue: Glasgow QMU
Date: 06th September 2025
One listen to Two Times, the new single by Blondshell and I was hooked. The acoustic guitar and piano background give way to a great vocal that reminded me a little of the late Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries. Blondshell is the brainchild of Sabrina Teitelbaum a Los Angeles-based musician who released her self-titled debut album in 2023 and since then has toured extensively with Liz Phair and played major festivals such as Glastonbury and Lollapalooza.
Indeed, it is the touring aspect that has influenced her own relationships, saying “When you travel a lot, you see different possibilities for who you can be. So there was a lot more questions coming up. What do I want my life to look like? Maybe it’s just the nature of being two years older, but I’m more comfortable with nuance now, and I’m more comfortable with gray areas“.
Blondshell have a new album due out on Partisan Records on 02nd May 2025 entitled If You Asked For A Picture, the artist promising epic ballads, sonic grooves and guitar led feedback. There is an extensive world tour kicking off in USA in May 2025 before a hop over the ocean for European dates including one at Glasgow’s QMU, an excellent venue on 06th September.
For more on Blondshell, the album and tour, head to the website here.
Artist: Alabama 3
Venue: Edinburgh Queens Hall
Dates: 22nd March 2025
A firm favourite over here at Into Creative towers, there is no such thing as a poor Alabama 3 show. Incredibly, they’ve been on the go now for thirty years, first forming in Brixton in 1995. Mixing house, country and blues they were/are pioneers of a sound that exudes beats and hip shaking tuneage.
The Ireland and U.K. tour sees the band hit the road in celebration of their first two albums, Exile On Coldharbour Lane and the follow up, Le Peste. Iconic tracks such as Woke Up This Morning and Too Sick To Pray will no doubt be well received and the band will top off each performance with further choice selections form their extensive back catalogue.
Speaking ahead of the tour, Larry Love commented “Our Exile On Coldharbour Lane tour plans were rudely interrupted by La Peste (The Plague) itself – aka the recent Covid pandemic. We are giving the brothers and sisters space to congregate and celebrate both albums, especially now Devlin Love is back to make them even more of an event“.
Alabama 3 play Edinburgh’s Queens Hall on Saturday 22nd March with support from Million. Tickets via the band website here.
John Welsh
@welshjb
