Kings of Leon are playing the Hydro this month. Or, in the spirit of the recent Independent Venue Week, you can skip the stadium rock and support one of your smaller venues instead. Use them or lose them! Here’s a taste of what’s on this month…
Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart
Recently to be heard in interviews celebrating the life of his friend and collaborator, the recently departed Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, post-punk pioneer Wobble also plays a rescheduled date at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree this month.
@ Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, 10 Feb
Dundee teenager Charlotte Brimner throws all the right shapes for 2017, combining beat-heavy pop chops with spoken-word savvy. Managed by Louie from the recently defunct Hector Bizerk, she’s similarly and rightly unabashed about rapping in her native accent. Heaps of crossover potential. Catch her on a short Scottish tour.
Fair play to any band who, having brushed the big time, are still knuckling down and getting their hands dirty on the indie circuit twenty years later. The Summer of Britpop that Dodgy were staying out for may be long gone, but new album What Are We Fighting For?, out on Cherry Red at the end of last year, shows their flair for hooky, bittersweet guitar pop remains undiminished.
@ Bannerman’s, Edinburgh, 16 Feb ; @ The Record Factory, Glasgow, 17 Feb
Merrily ploughing his own musical, druidical furrow for over three decades now, Copey has never been everyone’s cup of tea. So much the better for those who are aficionados. There’s enough of them about, mind you – Oran Mor have added a matinee date due to extra demand.
@ La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, 18 Feb ; @ Oran Mor, Glasgow, 19 Feb
After relocating from the heady humidity of LA to the humdrum hipsterism of London, Jessarae will be playing to the confines of Electric Circus in the Scottish capital for one night this month. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter balances shower-belting vocals and simple but spiky guitar rhythms with a passing resemblance to a young Jared Leto – he’s currently on a UK tour in promotion of his second EP.
@ Electric Circus, Edinburgh, 19th Feb
Another renovated church plays host to New Mexico’s husband-and-wife duo The Handsome Family, best known for penning the irresistible opening theme tune to the HBO sensation True Detective. However, there’s a lot more in their locker than gimmicky TV songs, with their witty back-and-forths and darkly humorous lyrics every bit as appealing as the music itself.
@ St Luke’s, Glasgow, 23rd Feb
Mr McFall’s Chamber and guests
The innovative ensemble, well received in these pages, renew acquaintances that stretch back to the days of the old Bongo Club as part of an intriguing looking bill. Dominic Waxing Lyrical, who performed with McFall’s at the Bongo, will launch new album, Rural Tonic, and they’ll also be joined by Aberfeldy, who recorded their debut in the building. Duo The Jellyman’s Daughter open.