Sounds In the City March No. 2

Sounds in the City

Glasgow has established an international reputation for its pulsating live music scene, but with up to 100 bands playing across the city most nights of the year, the choice can be overwhelming and the quality can vary wildly. In her regular listings column, Shannon Travers, host of a new independent internet TV show that highlights emerging Scottish music talent, suggests some choice upcoming shows to suit a range of budgets and tastes. This week:

Guillemots

Mystery Glasgow venue | Thu 21 Apr| £15.00 (ticketmaster.co.uk)

Guillemots are a strange lot. Their music might bear some resemblance to Coldplay’s, but a typical live show features such eccentricities as the prominent use of a typewriter and almost unrecognisable freeform jazz or R’n’B versions of their best-known songs. 

In April, the band will play four ‘secret’ gigs in Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London. The venues will not be made known to those with tickets until the day of the show, for which the band are also apparently planning ‘unique and exciting’ surprises. Intriguing stuff…

Emerge NME Radar Tour

King Tut’s, St Vincent St | Mon 9 May | £9.00 (ticketmaster.co.uk) 

The NME’s ‘Radar’ brand is dedicated to highlighting little-known local bands and musicians to a national UK audience through their magazine, website and TV/radio channels. The most successful Radar artists are invited on an annual tour, which often proves prescient in predicting the next big thing – just ask La Roux, Hurts or Maximo Park. The class of 2011 includes blues-guitar-playing singer Anna Calvi and LA rock band Grouplove.

Obvious Outcome

Nice N’Sleazy, Sauchiehall St | Sat 26 Mar | £5.00 (pay on door)

An unsigned teenage electro-rock band with members from across Scotland, Obvious Outcome bring back memories of Idlewild and are well worth checking out in Sleazy’s. Support bands at this eclectic show include Scragfight, who describe themselves as ‘retired female ninjas’, and gentler, folk-influenced Glaswegian band Natalie Pryce.

Sounds In the City March No. 1

Sounds in the City

Glasgow has established an international reputation for its pulsating live music scene, but with up to 100 bands playing across the city most nights of the year, the choice can be overwhelming and the quality can vary wildly. In her regular listings column, Shannon Travers, host of a new independent internet TV show that highlights emerging Scottish music talent, suggests some choice upcoming shows to suit a range of budgets and tastes. This week:

Stiff Little Fingers

Glasgow Barrowlands | Thu 17 Mar | £16.85 (ticketmaster.co.uk)

Veteran Belfast punks Stiff Little Fingers were a strong favourite of John Peel, who featured the band on his playlists consistently since they formed in the late 1970s amidst the Troubles. This is a timely opportunity to see the influential group – as  immortalised in the film ‘High Fidelity’, when a customer mistakes them for Green Day – ahead of the release of a tenth album.  

The Phantom Band

The Classic Grand, Jamaica St | Sat 19 Mar | £12.00 (ticketmaster.co.uk) 

If you have heard of Glasgow’s The Phantom Band, it is likely to be because of the huge critical acclaim the exploratory band have scored in the UK and US with the release of their first two albums in 2009 and 2010. If you haven’t, it’s time to find out what the fuss is about. They are currently on a major European tour, and luckily for us the final leg is a homecoming show at the Classic Grand. 

 Reveille

13^th Note, King St | Tue 15 Mar | £5.00 (entry on door)

Also as part of a European tour, Reveille visit the 13^th Note to promote debut album ‘Time and Death’. The band, led by Lyon multi-instrumentalist Francois Virot, fuse joyful gallic pop with offbeat jazz-flavoured rhythms. Support comes from two Glasgow bands, arty experimentalists Tokamak and psychedelic duo Mr Peppermint.

Check out Up Next Music TV at:   www.upnexttv.co.uk

Want your gig listed here? Email details to  info@upnexttv.co.uk