We’re closing in on music festival season, and for a lot of folk in and around the capital, Hidden Door will be their first one of the year. The multi-arts festival kicks off on 25 May with a music line-up that includes the likes of Gwenno, Emma Pollock and Leith’s own Young Fathers. But if you can’t make it down to Leith or you want something to whet your appetite, here’s what else is in store around Scotland…
Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Sexagenarian soul man Whitfield returned last month with an album of brass-heavy, hard-rocking stompers, Soul Flowers of Titan. Expect your spirit to be stirred and your eardrums to get a good clear-out as he brings it to Glasgow and Edinburgh for a couple of dates.
@ Audio, Glasgow on Tue 8 May;
@ Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh on Wed 9 May
The Paisley art-pop four-piece have managed to build a big reputation for themselves (check the crowd reaction on their Facebook header) while still not generating much in the way of recording output. While waiting for that first album, you can check what all the fuss is about at their upcoming live dates.
@ Stag & Dagger, CCA, Glasgow, on Sun 6 May;
@ Drummond’s, Aberdeen on Sun 13 May;
@ Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh on Mon 14 May
For a while in the mid-noughties, the Black Country singer was all the Radio 2 rage, with vaguely Jeff Buckley-esque tracks like Elusive. He’s settling into a lower profile mid-career with understated albums like new one, The Great Untold, which means you can still find him at intimate venues like these:
@ Broadcast, Glasgow on Wed 9 May;
@ Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh on Thu 10 May
Named after the famous military bear that was demobbed to Edinburgh Zoo after the war, the Glasgow band are about to drop their first LP, A Talent For Being Unreasonable, from the same vein of Scottish indie as The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit. They’re celebrating with three gigs around release date and two more the week after.
@ Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh on Thu 24 May;
@ King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Edinburgh on Fri 25 May;
@ Drummond’s, Aberdeen on Sat 26 May;
@ Drouthy Cobbler, Elgin on Fri 1 Jun;
@ Mad Hatter’s, Inverness on Sat 2 Jun
It’s bizarre to think that The Gossip formed last millennium. After seventeen years, their iconic frontwoman Ditto confirmed their dissolution in 2016, so she could concentrate on her clothing line and this, her solo musical career. A short UK tour in support of last year’s album, Fake Sugar, kicks off in Glasgow.
@ ABC, Glasgow on Fri 25 May