Ooft! What an excellent week to be a live music fan in Glasgow. It’s one of those weeks that makes my heart sing, but which also make my job as an amateur music journalist a bit of a nightmare. There’s simply so much good music going on in the city this week that picking a mere 2 or 3 highlights seems silly. Instead, I present to you a digest of some of the more notable acts hitting Glasgow this week. Enjoy.
First up, all you fellow metal fans out there need look no further than gothic doom titans Paradise Lost, descending on the ABC on Thursday to celebrate 25 years together. A rarity in the metal world, they’ve managed to more of less keep the same line up over the years, even if their style has shifted rather drastically, including an unfortunate attempt at cashing in on the old synth pop zeitgeist. Thankfully they’re back to their crushing best. Latest album Tragic Idol is one of the best metal releases of recent years, displaying a prowess that puts all the young pretenders to shame. They are ably supported by Gothic Metal ensemble Lacuna Coil, and self proclaimed Paradise Lost fanboys Katatonia.
If that sounds a bit heavy for you then you might prefer to check out the legendary Bad Seeds, led by the ever incredible Nick Cave. Sadly it’s sold out, so if you managed to score a ticket then enjoy, you lucky bastards. If, like me, you didn’t manage to get tickets, then you might want to try out Parquet Courts at Mono on Thursday. Bringing the old retro sound, their appearance is apparently long overdue, at least according to the venue. Fun enough, and definitely a band to keep an eye on.
Saturday night sees a special showcase performance by Gary War and company, company being Purple Pilgrims, Muscles of Joy, Dick 50 and Confidential Waist Soundsystem. The whole shebang is to celebrate the release of a split between Gary and Purple Pilgrims. Gary War’s last release, Jared’s Lot, was one of the more notable releases on the already excellent Spectrum Spools label, so whatever he’s up to now is surely worth a listen. If you’re still looking for a heavier end to the week then look no further than Future of the Left at the ABC. Somehow managing to be both funny, politically aware, and catchy, they’re a rare beast indeed. Birthed from the remains of McLusky,their new album won the coveted prize of The Skinny’s album of the month. How can you resist?
Also worth checking out are some of the more experimental acts performing this week. In particular James Yorkston, Jon Thorne and Suhail Yusuf Khan present the results of their experimental project which saw Scottish and Indian artists collaborating together. They’re playing the Oran Mor. Similarly, the CCA presents a unique collaboration between music and physical exercise with Walk With Me, a project which will see audience members walking through Glasgow, triggering specially composed electronic pieces via the GPS facility on their iPhone. A unique way to experience the city, plus it’s free!
Full Listings
| Monday 28 October | |
| Reconnected | Classic Grand | £12.50 | 7pm |
| John Newman | The Arches | £10 | 7pm |
| Susheela Raman | The Arches | £12.50 | 7pm |
| Josh Ritter | Old Fruitmarket | £18.50 | 8pm |
| The Weeks | King Tut’s | £8 | 8.30pm |
| Tuesday 29 October | |
| Sub Focus | O2 ABC | £15.50 | 7pm |
| Bastille | O2 Academy | SOLD OUT | 7pm |
| Wednesday 30 October | |
| Bring me the Horizon | O2 Academy | £17.50 | 7pm |
| Steve Cradock | Oran Mor | £14 | 7pm |
| John Smith | Broadcast | £8 | 8pm |
| Francis Dunnery | King Tut’s | £22.50 | 8.30pm |
| Thursday 31 October | |
| Walk With Me: Sounds in Your Pocket | CCA | Free | 11am |
| Door | Tramway | Free | 6pm |
| Paradise Lost | O2 ABC | £22.50 | 6pm |
| Shotty Horroh | Audio | £7 | 7pm |
| Jake Bugg | O2 Academy | SOLD OUT | 7pm |
| Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds | Barrowlands | SOLD OUT | 7pm |
| Tyler Hilton | Oran Mor | £15 | 7pm |
| Lilygreen and Maguire | Classic Grand | £12.50 | 7.30pm |
| Voice | Tramway | £8 | 7.30pm |
| Parquet Courts | Mono | £10 | 7.30pm |
| St Johns Ambience | 13th Note | £5 | 8pm |
| Blaenavon | Broadcast | FREE | 8pm |
| Axis Of | Nice ’N’ Sleazy | £6.50 | 8pm |
| Friday 1 November | |
| Door | Tramway | FREE | 1pm |
| The Doors Alive | O2 ABC | £12.50 | 6pm |
| Arctic Monkeys | The Hydro | £25 | 6.30pm |
| Jake Bugg | O2 Academy | SOLD OUT | 7pm |
| Dressed to Kill | Classic Grand | £10 | 7pm |
| Pete Macleod | O2 ABC | £7 | 7pm |
| No More Idols | Pivo Pivo | £5 | 7pm |
| Ozric Tentacles | Oran Mor | £15 | 7pm |
| John Cooper Clarke | SWG3 | £20 | 7pm |
| Blood on the Dancefloor | Cathouse | £9 | 7pm |
| The Buffer Zone | Tramway | £12 | 7.30pm |
| Bill Orcutt | The Glad Cafe | £7.50 | 7.30pm |
| River Jumpers | Nice ’N’ Sleazy | £4 | 7.30pm |
| The Vex | 13th Note | £5 | 8pm |
| Saturday 2 November | |
| Aeon Zen | Classic Grand | £10 | 6.30pm |
| Chase and Status | The Hydro | £28 | 6.30pm |
| Gabrielle Alpin | O2 ABC | £14 | 7pm |
| One Last Secret | O2 ABC | £8 | 7pm |
| Mutineers | Pivo Pivo | £7 | 7pm |
| James Yorkston/Jon Thorne/Suhail Yusuf Khan | Oran Mor | £15 | 7pm |
| Gary War/Purple Pilgrims/Muscles of Joy/Dick 50/Confidential Waist Soundsytem | Nice ’N’ Sleazy | £5 | 7pm |
| Big Strauss | Stereo | FREE | 7.30pm |
| Future of The Left | Broadcast | £10 | 8pm |
| Luke Sital-Singh | King Tut’s | £7 | 8.30pm |
| Sunday 3 November | |
| The Boomtown Rats | O2 Academy | £24 | 7pm |
| The Toy Dolls | Cathouse | £17.50 | 7pm |
| We Came From Wolves | The Art School | £4 | 7.30pm |
| Gabby young and Other Animals | Broadcast | £8 | 8pm |
| Bear’s Den | King Tut’s | £8 | 8.30pm |
Or Stay In…
Hey! It’s the return of our irregular feature which recommends albums to listen to on these increasingly miserable winter days. First up we have…
Arcade Fire | Reflektor Thanks to the magic of YouTube and the generosity (and forward thinking) of Arcade Fire, this album has been on almost constant rotation around these parts since it was ‘leaked’. A very different album than expected, but one which might just be the band’s best yet. At an hour and a half it’s a bit of a beast, but well worth the investment. On a related note, everyone should go watch Black Orpheus right now.
Los Campesinos! | No Blues Continuing along the sonic road they set for themselves with 2011’s Hello Sadness, No Blues is a far popper album than previous LC! releases. That in and of itself is no bad thing. The album presents a largely excellent collection of songs, complete with front man Gareth’s usual soul bearing. The international twee-core underground days are long behind them, though a bit more of the abrasive textures of Romance is Boring would be welcome.
Inquisition | Obscure Verses for the Multiverse Inquisition are simply one of the best metal bands around these days. Applying a distinctly metaphysical approach to satanism, they are masters of both the riff and the song title. Tunes such as Master of the Cosmological Black Cauldron and Darkness Flows Towards Unseen Horizons double down on the distinctive driving sound that made their last album Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual Mystical Macrocosm such an instant classic. Frontman Dagon’s voice is admittedly a bit of an acquired taste (it’s been compared to a frog, though I prefer to compare it to Immortal’s Abbath) but then again which metal vocalist isn’t?
Remember to connect with us on Twitter or Facebook if you’re getting out to anything this week, or be sure to let us know about any absolute must-sees which we happen to have missed.
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