Well, the light nights are almost upon us which means it won’t be too long before the festival season kicks in (yay) though pleasingly there are a stream of bands hitting the cities, towns and villages across the U.K. to ensure the live scene remains vibrant. Into Creative have been keeping our beady one out to identify the bands and artists that should be on the must-see lists for our discerning readers. So with that, check these gigs out.  

Concert: The Gulps
Venue: Glasgow, The Hug & Pint
Date:  02 June 2022

Ordinary, average bands don’t tend to be signed by Alan McGee, the mastermind behind Creation Records and his current label, It’s Creation Baby. A mix of f#ck you attitude, top tunes and an ability to be a red hot live act help and that’s what you get when you package up The Gulps.

The five piece band have members hailing from Spain, Italy, France and the Lebanon and produce a heady mix of indie rock and roll while their new single King of the Disco (released on It’s Creation Baby on 27 May) has a real infectious 70’s beat which shows the band have plenty in their locker.

The gig in Glasgow is the tour opener with a number of acts supporting across the U.K. including McGee who will be on hand to provide select cuts from his renowned DJ set. 

Lead singer Javier Sola said about the new single:

King of the Disco is about instigating partying, hedonism and chaos and losing control. Everyone was sporadically locked up over the last two years, so this track is about celebrating the moment you were allowed onto the dancefloor again; dictating craziness, and spitting euphoria and absolute mania.

Previous single Stuck in the City received strong airplay from the likes of Radio X and BBC 6 Music and The Gulps are clearly a band on the rise. For further details visit their website here. 

………………………………………………………………..

Concert: Bryan Adams
Venue: Aberdeen P&J Live Arena/Glasgow Hydro
Dates:  22 & 23 May 2022

With listings on a CV that extend to singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, record producer and photographer, it seems that whatever Bryan Adams turns his hand to, he can do. And with worldwide records sales off the scale it is no surprise that Adams is doing it for you, hitting two of Scotland’s biggest indoor venues for shows in a couple of weeks time. 

The Ottowa raised superstar has released a plethora of music since his first single came out in 1978 including crowd favourites like Run To You, Summer of ’69 and of course (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, but that only tells part of the story.  The early tour set lists indicate Adams has been pulling out some rarely played gems from his back catalogue which keeps the band on their toes and provides refreshing surprises for the fans. Add in a new track from his forthcoming new album So Happy It Hurts and it adds up to a heady brew and a sure fire winner of a gig. 

For full details on the tour dates and album release, head over to the Canadian rocker’s website here. 

………………………………………………………………..

Concert: The Charlatans
Venue: Aberdeen Music Hall/Glasgow O2 Academy/Edinburgh O2 Academy
Dates:  17, 18 & 19 May 2022

Gigging in support of their 30th anniversary tour (which was interrupted by Covid) The Charlatans have a trio of Scottish dates and will be playing some choice cuts from the recent A Head Full Of Ideas album which covers some of the best tracks from their career to date. Having seen the band play the Barrowland in 1990 on the Some Friendly tour and also the last time they played the O2 Academy, I know first hand what an imperious live act the indie rockers are. 

A solid back catalogue comprising 13 albums and nearly 50 singles shows the pedigree of the band and the fact they are still going strong, selling out gigs the length and breadth of the country while other contemporaries have fallen by the wayside just shows the calibre of Tim Burgess and co. The enigmatic front man has also been busy during lockdown with Tim’s Twitter Listening Party and playing solo (see the Into Creative review of Tim’s FRETS show in Strathaven here).  

The ubiquitous Hammond organ, a solid rhythm section, jangling guitars, infectious tracks and that hankering vocal will now doubt set the shows ablaze. For further details on the tour and the new best of album including an assortment of release options and extras, head over to The Charlatans website here. 

………………………………………………………………..

Round Up:
Elsewhere Fatherson will play Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Sunday 22 May, Aberdeen Lemon Tree on Friday 27 May and Glasgow Barrowland on Saturday 28 May in support of their new album Normal Fears. A further date at Edinburgh Princes Street Gardens is pencilled in for Sunday 14 August. 

Aoife Nessa Frances has also just announced a European tour for later in the year, November to be precise, and has just released new single Emptiness Follows which will pre date a new album this year. Frances will play Glasgow Nice n Sleazy on Thursday 03 November and tickets are on sale now. Visit the artist’s Bandcamp page for further detail here. 

One of the most innovative bands on the scene are without doubt The Avalanches from Melbourne. Mixing electronics, disco, dance and more samples than you can shake a stick at, the Aussie band hit Glasgow’s Queen Margaret Union on Monday 20 June. Of course, the band are known for Frontier Psychiatrist but there is so much more and we can expect some tracks from their most recent album We Will Always Love You which saw the band collaborate with the likes of Johnny Marr, Mick Jones, Tricky and Kurt Vile. Visit The Avalanches website here for ticket details. 

 John Welsh
@welshjb

Links:

@TGulps

@bryanadams

@SonicPRMusic

@thecharlatans

@fathersonband

@Aoife_N_Frances

@TheAvalanches

@meltbooking