Into Music: Upcoming Gigs
Crikey, it’s June already and we have had three days of glorious weather – you really cannot beat a Scottish summer!! (I am writing this as the rain is bouncing down outside). Anyway, let’s hope for more sunshine, particularly for those outdoor gigs coming up soon. Regardless if your next concert is indoors or out, there are some absolute crackers coming soon, so do read on and hopefully there is something for you, dear reader………..
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There is plenty of choice over the coming months with Bubbles (including Davy Henderson and Malcom Ross) due to perform a nascent show of post-punk delirium, with more than able support form the magnetic disko-funk of Quad 90 at Edinburgh’s Wee Red Bar on Friday 3rd July. Elsewhere in July, Thrum have reformed off the back of the re-release of their iconic 1994 album Rifferama and are heading out for two shows, in Edinburgh (7th) and Glasgow (13th) which will see Johnny Smillie’s wondrous guitar work and Monica Queen’s incredible vocal mixing everything from indie-grunge to gospel-pop and Americana on songs like Purify and Here I Am for the first time in decades. Support comes from the Radhika who has just released her debut album Cine-Pop which has garnered (and rightly so) great reviews including a fantastic cover of Strawberry Switchblade’s Since Yesterday.
Frets Concerts spiritual home is the Strathaven Hotel and Horse will return there as a trio to play a selection of stripped back songs from their accomplished back catalogue plus some new tracks. Horse McDonald is often recognised as having one of the best and far-reaching voices in Scotland, is witty and natural on stage so this one will be special (14th August). Meanwhile and hot off the heels of a recent sold-out show, superstar DJ Bobby Bluebell will be spinning some seriously boogie-tastic tunes from the 1970s to the present day on Friday 4th September. There will be disco, dance, hip-swiveling moves, bopping, rocking and grooving all night long. A sure-fire belter of a night.
A favourite of John Peel, Mackenzies will bring their proto-funk vibe to Edinburgh’s Wee Red Bar on Saturday 19th September. Mixing sparse post-punk dub with art school experimentalist concepts, this is a band that made (and make) music on their own terms. The band also have their debut album, A Dog’s Breakfast out in September so the timing of this gig is bang on the money. Support on the night comes from The Great Leap Forward.
Finally, Sandfest makes a welcome return to Strathaven Hotel on Sunday 25th October and will feature The Bluebells and Choir 21, raising funds for Down’s Syndrome Scotland (DSS) in what will be a really special evening of music with a cause that is close to the hearts of Douglas MacIntyre and Katy Lironi who have been curating Sandfest since its inception in 2007.
For details of any and all of the Frest Concerts events and tickets, head to the website here.
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“The butcher’s apron waving in the fragrant London smog
Just makes me want to go beyond a-working in the bog
Their eyes get wide as I start to sing the songs of Fenian men
And they don’t know if they should clap or throw me out again”
The band have a festival date in the Isle of Lewis at the HebCelt festival before embarking on a run of twelve U.K. dates in October including a show at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange. Stopping for a breather, the band then return to Glasgow for their biggest show to date at the Hydro. There is also the added bonus of The Coral in support. With their mix of traditional Irish folk, punk attitude, great songs and a wild live show, this is likely to be up there with the best gigs of the year, don’t miss it.
For more on the album and tour, head to the band’s website here.
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