Creative Distortion

Indie radio presenter Alasdair McDougall blog

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MORRISSEY – MILLENNIUM SQUARE, LEEDS 12th JULY 2023

I travelled down to Leeds to see Morrissey alone but had planned to meet up with my pals from down south. I took the train and stayed with one of my pals who had moved to Leeds from Glasgow. This was my 3rd gig of the week and having turned 50 the day before realised I was getting too old for this.

The venue was Millennium Square in Leeds City Centre. It was a beautiful night, and I spent the support bands (The Lottery Winners and The Slow Readers Club) running around meeting pals from Manchester, Sheffield, London, and Norwich.

Morrissey fans are a friendly bunch, and I knew going on my own would be fine and I met the group I would be watching the gig with and we stood far enough away to escape the madness that would ensue when Moz hit the stage.

He came on and immediately went into How Soon is Now, a Smiths classic and even so soon into the gig we sang our hearts out. There was no let up with Suedehead then Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before. It was unrelenting and apart from 2 songs from the unreleased Bonfire of the Teenagers album, the set was hit after hit.

Our Frank, then Everyday is Like Sunday, to Knockabout World, The Loop and it just kept coming. The finale was the incredible Jack the Ripper as the sun went down with the stage bathed in smoke and blood red lighting then the absolute madness of Sweet and Tender Hooligan to close a fierce and wonderful set.

Morrissey seems to get better with age, more confident in his back catalogue and as a performer. The crowd had danced and sang with their usual enthusiasm and love. Another great gig.

4 stars

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REVEREND AND THE MAKERS – THE POETRY CLUB 10th JULY 2023

I was interested in the marketing for the new Reverend and the Makers album as Reverend (Jon McClure) was doing almost constant social media posts on its release. He announced an acoustic tour of tiny venues and I managed to get a ticket for The Poetry Club at SWG3. A tiny venue holding around 125.

The new album came out in between buying my ticket and the gig and I absolutely hated it. The production was strange and very different to the previous indie style and seemed to be auto tuned. Despite this, given it was an acoustic tour I decided to go along. I’m a huge fan of Jon McClure, he’s a cool guy and told funny stories in between songs and the acoustic versions of the new songs were infinitely better than the album version.  

The audience seemed to love it and as I didn’t know too many of the songs after about 40 minutes I’d had enough and left. I’m glad I went and will keep checking on future Reverend releases and hope he goes back to the indie style.

2.5 stars

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BELLE & SEBASTIAN – THE USHER HALL, EDINBURGH 9th JULY 2023

Belle & Sebastian are my favourite band. Tonight was going to be special as it was my 40th B&S gig (yes fortieth), it was 2 days before my 50th birthday and we had travelled to Edinburgh to meet a couple of my pals who were relatively new to B&S.

We arrived early and headed as close to the front as we could, we were all buzzing and looking forward to another B&S gig. There had been 2 new albums released since the last time I had seen them, and it wasn’t clear what the set list would reveal.

I have no idea what it is about B&S that makes me love them so much. They are from Glasgow, have 12 studio albums, I have seen them in almost every venue in Glasgow and have met most of the band just wandering about the west end. They have a devoted fan base but couldn’t be described as commercially successful, but I just love them. The inclusion of keyboards, strings, percussion, and occasional brass, leads to some of the most wonderful twee indie pop.

The opened with Nobody’s Empire from their 2015 Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance album the straight into I’m A Cuckoo from probably B&S’s most successful album Dear Catastrophe Waitress that was produced by Trevor Horn.

I sometimes think I should apologise to those around me at a B&S gig for my enthusiastic singing of every word of every song, that’s then point though, isn’t it? The set progressed and was covering most of the albums, including a couple of older less played songs, which was nice.

Suddenly, the keyboards kicked in for The Boy with The Arab Strap, and I ran forward and for the first time in 40 B&S gigs I got onstage and danced for 2 songs along with around 20 other devoted fans. This is a normal event at a B&S gig but the first time I’ve felt the necessity to take part. It was scary when facing over 2000 B&S fans from the stage, but I loved every second but hadn’t realised how many people I knew in the crowd from the messaged I got after the gig.

After my brief time on stage the band played some of my favourite songs, immediately after was The State I’m In, which was the first B&S song I ever heard and immediately started a 23-year love affair. Three classic songs made up the encore and the night ended. The gig had flown in, and we drove back to Glasgow via Dunfermline on a high. What a band, what a gig.

5 stars

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KIMYA DAWSON – MONO 13th JUNE 2023

Kimya Dawson founded The Moldy Peaches with Adam Green in the early 90’s. I had been a fan of their unique music and initially missed the announcement that she was coming to the UK and would be playing a tiny gig in Mono. Inevitably, I missed out on tickets and then missed the announcement that a matinee gig on the same day would take place, and again inevitably missed out.

Mono is just round from my work so I decided to wander round to Mono on the day and stand outside to see if I could get a ticket from someone or maybe sweet talk the promoter. It was a roasting hot day and I sat outside the venue at 4pm but after the crowd were in, it was clear there were no spare tickets. In a final attempt, I asked the ticket desk if there were any returns, could I pay, any chance? She shouted over the promoter, and he said that someone had come in with 2 tickets but their friend hadn’t so I could just come in. I could not believe my luck!

I had made it in just in time and stood near the back near the bar as I was so thirsty after a couple of hours sunbathing outside Mono. Even from the bar the stage isn’t far away. Mono is a very intimate venue and we had been asked, if possible, to wear a mask as Kimya had medical conditions that would not welcome covid.

Kimya’s set up is a simple one, just a microphone, an acoustic guitar, and a chair. She ran through 20 songs, many of which the audience joined in with and it felt like a very special gig. The goodwill towards Kimya was obvious and there was such a happy and joyous atmosphere.

I was so glad to have persisted and had been able to witness the joy that one singer can bring to a room of adoring fans. Mono is such a wonderful venue and never seems to disappoint.

4 stars

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ROGER WATERS – THE HYDRO 3rd JUNE 2023

Full disclosure, I really don’t like The Hydro. I’ve been a few times but it’s too big, the sound is usually poor and there is generally a terrible atmosphere. But there are some reasons I will make acceptations and a Roger Water’s farewell tour is one of those occasions where I was willing to hold my nose and buy tickets.

The former co-founder of Pink Floyd has become a controversial figure recently due to his political views, but I love a public figure using their voice to support those less fortunate.

This was the first proper big show I have ever been to. The set up in the middle of the room with a huge stage with a wall that rose into the cavernous ceiling revealing the band strategically placed around to face different parts of the crowd. Our seats were amazing, and we couldn’t have been much closer to the mammoth stage.

The first half was in 3 parts and opened with a strange arrangement of Comfortably Numb from The Wall. We then got back on the rails with a few more from The Wall, which were more conventional. A few solo tunes (The Powers That Be, The Bravery of Being out of Range and The Bar) then onto some older Floyd. This was an incredible and emotional part of the gig as I had been listening to these songs for over 30 years and finally hear them live was wonderful. Have A Cigar was followed by Wish You Were Here, then Shine on You Crazy Diamond and the first half concluded with a spectacular version of Sheep from the 1977 album Animals.

I’m not used to an interval at a gig, but this was more like a show than a gig and allowed us to reflect and talk about what we had just witnessed.

The second half started with a began with In The Flesh and Run Like Hell from The Wall. They were accompanied with the theatre and drama that these song demand and it’s obvious that Roger Waters revels in this and the controversy this brings.

A couple of solo tunes before a run to the end of Floyd classics with Money being the highlight before it all ended with Outside The Wall with the band following Roger out of the venue in a defiant and celebratory procession. What a show.

4 stars.

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SPARKS – SEC THE ARMADILLO 26th MAY 2023

It’s not often that an American band will play in Glasgow the day their new album comes out but tonight we were treating to a celebratory atmosphere as Sparks 26th album ‘The Girl is Crying in Her Latte’ had been released that day!

This was the third time I had seen the wonderful Sparks. The last two occasions were at The Academy and Barrowlands, whereas tonight was at the SEC Armadillo, where I recently seen Morrissey. I’ll say at this point that whilst I’m a fan of the armadillo, the atmosphere and experience is so much better from the stalls. A lesson learned.

Sparks had always been fantastic, but on this occasion the gig started really slowly, and I was a bit worried that they were having an off night. There was nothing to be worried about as after a few tunes in they got into their usually magnificent stride. ‘Angst In Mt Pants’ from the 1982 album of the same name seemed to be the turning point and from there the set list jumped back and froward from their 1973 album ‘A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing’ right up to the new album.

Russell has a real gift of being a warm and entertaining host, regaling the audience with stories from their lifetime of entertaining audiences, whereas Ron just sits behind his piano as cool as a cucumber leaving his brother to the limelight.

Highlights from the set for me were the smash hit ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us’ and the wonderfully repetitive ‘My Baby’s Taking Me Home’.

But regardless of the slow start, the audience left with another incredible gig. Sparks are a superb band and even in their mid 70s seem to have no plans to retire and I for one am very glad as I will be genuinely sad when I have seen Sparks for the last time.

4 stars.

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SLIME CITY – ST LUKES 19th MAY 2023

Tonight was the launch Slime City's debut album at the wonderful St Luke’s. I was surprised that Slime City didn’t already have an album out as they seem to have been around for a very long time and I was sure they had an album out. I think I was confused as front man Michael M was previously in ‘We Are The Physics’ who did release a couple of long players.

The debut album, ‘Death Club’, was released on local Glasgwegian label ‘Last Night From Glasgow’ on the day of the gig and the St Luke’s gigs was to be the band’s biggest and most magnificent since they fired their debut single at the masses in 2018.

The set started with the 3 Michaels storming the stage with previously released single ‘IDST’. I cannot remember the running order, however set highlights were ‘NASA T-shirt’ and the massively uplifting ‘You And Everybody That You Love Will One Day Die’ and ‘Glasgow Is A Shitehole’.

Michael M’s in between song chat is just wonderful and hugely entertaining. It was clear the band were having a great time and revelling playing a bigger venue than usual and the crowd were completely loving it.   

Slime City don’t follow the rules and are almost entirely unique. It occurred to me during the gig that they are like bastard sons of Devo and Sparks and believe me, that is meant as a massive compliment. Their songs are thoughtful and brilliantly written with a level of pathos and intelligence rarely seen in music and they deserve all the success that I hope is coming their way.

4 stars.

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KINGMARKER – ST LUKES  11TH MAY 2023

Kingmaker are a band that have wonderful memories for me. In the very early 90’s, I saw them about 10 times in a year, we got to know the band, a three piece from Hull, and their music was a vital part of the soundtrack to our late teenage years.

I had read that the band had got back together but disappointingly guitarist and front man, Lawrence Hardy, didn’t want to be involved. They had only played a handful of reunion gigs and never in Scotland but tonight they were supporting Pop Will Eat Itself at St Lukes. Despite not being a fan of PWEI I jumped at the chance to finally see Kingmaker after almost 30 years.

They opened with the haunting ‘Playground Brutality’, which has a similar feel to The Smiths ‘The Headmasters Ritual’, which is entirely meant as a compliment and shows the quality of their short-lived career. Then straight into ‘Armchair Anarchist’ followed by ‘Everything’s Changed Since You Moved to London’. A blistering start and it showed that original members John Andrew and Myles Howell have still got it and are a wonderfully tight rhythm section. It also showed that talent of new guitarist, Matt Edible.

Other highlights of the set were ‘When Lucy’s Down’ and 'High As A Kite’ from the debut album ‘Eat Yourself Whole’ from 1991. The set sprinted its way through 10 songs without anyone taking a breath and it was wonderful.

It was a stroll down memory lane and great to see John and Myles play songs that meant so much to us and still do. I’m not convinced the new singer is the right man to be fronting Kingmaker but tonight isn’t about criticism.

It’s not often I pay £20 to see a support band but the gig was great and I really hope to see Kingmaker playing a full headline set soon.  

3 stars.

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MOZ ARMY WEEKENDER – STAR & GARTER, MANCHESTER 29 APRIL 2023

Since 2011, Morrissey fans from around the world have been traveling to Manchester’s Star & Garter to dance, drink and celebrate all that is Morrissey.

The Moz Army community started on Twitter when a small band of Morrissey devotees started sharing tweets and stories. This led to the MozArmy hashtag, and a monster was born! This was the 10the event and always promised to be special with appearances from ex-Morrissey producer Stephen Street, drummer Andrew Paresi, bass-player Johnny Bridgwood as well as John Robb, The Roberts Family Band and The Salford Lads from NYC featuring Mexican Morrisey Jose Maldonado!

We drove down to Manchester on Friday night in time to arrive early Saturday morning for the annual bus tour with the wonderful Manchester Music Tours. The MozBus drives around important locations including Strangeways Prison, the Iron Bridge, and 384 Kings Road where Morrissey and Marr first met. It was a fantastic few hours, spent taking too many photos and having a laugh with our pals. I especially love visiting Salford Lads Club that featured inside the cover of The Smith’s album ‘The Queen is Dead’, an important pilgrimage for any Smiths fam.

Special mention to the Gill family who run Manchester Music Tours. The company was initially founded by Craig Gill, drummer of Inspiral Carpets but the tours are now led by Craig’s wife Rose following Craig’s untimely death in 2016. Craig and the Gill family will always be an important part of the MozArmy community.

The main event takes place in the Star & Garter pub that hosts the longest running Smiths Disco. On Saturday night we had the pleasure of Jonny Bridgwood playing bass with The Salford Lads, a fantastic Smiths/Morrissey tribute band from New York. Johnny wrote and played bass on 3 Morrissey albums including his rock-a-billy days and he also worked with Siouxsie Sioux and Adam Ant. It was amazing to hear him talk about some of the bass lines that I’ve been listening to for almost 30 years and seeing the joy in being on stage. I tried to stay cool when I was talking to him but the fan boy in me had other ideas.  

There was also an impromptu interview with Jaime Harding, lead singer of Marion. Jaime has had addiction problems and it’s great to see him doing well. He sang ‘Let’s All Go Together’ on his own and I had goose-bumps. Jaime is an incredibly talented singer and it’s amazing to see him do well. John Robb also made an appearance to talk about his new book ‘The Art of Darkness – A History of Goth’.

To warm the crowd up for The Salford Lads were The Roberts Family Band who entertained the audience with Smiths and Morrissey classics. They are the loveliest people and amazing that Jeff and Tess’s girls are only 13 and 15. Such a talented family and the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.

It was an amazing night, and it would be wrong to write this without mentioning Julie Hamill. Julie is a author, radio DJ and all-round lovely lady. She is the fuel that drives the MozArmy community, and the work that she puts into organising and publicising these weekends is incredible. She organises the best weekend of the year, and this year was no different and we’re so pleased to call Julie a friend. There is always so much love and joy in the room and as the hangovers disappear, we’re already thinking about next year.

5 stars, always 5 stars.

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STILL MARILLION – ORN MOR 7 APRIL 2023

Marillion were the first band that genuinely got me excited about music. They were my first music obsession when I was 14 and regardless of the direction my musical taste has gone since, they are always there and always will be. Just to be clear, it is Fish era Marillion we are talking about, the version that ended in 1988, not long after I had turned 15 and yes, I never saw them live.

Jump forward 30ish years and I become aware of a band called StillMarillion who were getting rave reviews as a Fish-era Marillion tribute band. I was very dismissive of tribute bands at first but glad to have found them as they are fantastic.

Tonight’s gig was to celebrate the last album release by Marillion with Fish on lead vocals - ‘Clutching At Straws and StillMarillion’s 15th anniversary. This is a favourite album of mine largely as it was the only one of their 4 studio albums that was released when I was a fan and following their every move in Kerrang magazine. I can still remember cycling to Woolworths in Coatbridge Main Street to buy it on tape the day it came out.

The band are hugely talented, led by the wonderful Martin Jakubski on lead vocals and what a voice. It takes a special person to fill ‘Fish’ sized shoes and Martin does a fantastic job in his tartan trousers. The rest of the band are great musicians and it’s obvious that they love playing these wonderful songs.

As well as playing all of ‘Clutching at Straws’, they also played the hits, including ‘Kayleigh’, ‘Lavender’ and ‘Heart of Lothian’ from ‘Misplaced Childhood’. My favourite song of the night was their version of ‘Incubus’ from second album ‘Fugazi’, it was amazing. Even controversially playing ‘Easter’, a Steve Hogarth era song, didn’t dampen the night, even though it was the only song I didn’t know the words to.

A StillMarillion gig is like the best karaoke night where everyone sings every song and has a wonderful time. The traditional closing duo of ‘Garden Party’ and ‘Market Square Heroes’ brought a superb night to an end and left everyone smiling and looking forward to their next tour.

I’m glad that I got over my initial dislike of tribute bands and StillMarillion will always have a special place in my heart as they keep these fantastic songs alive. Long may they continue to tour and I have no doubt the fans will continue to follow and eventually they will give in and play Grendal.   

4 stars.

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INSPIRAL CARPETS – ALBERT HALLS, MANCHESTER 1 APRIL 2023

Despite coming to Glasgow, something told me that a road trip to Manchester was required when Inspiral Carpet’s UK tour was announced in October last year. The Albert Halls is one of my favourite venues and I just had the feeling that it would be a special night and I was right.

We queued up early so we could get a seat upstairs in the Albert Halls and the atmosphere built quickly with Manchester DJ Dave Sweetmore playing classic 90s indie to the expectant crowd. A short set by Wigan new boys Stanleys was great then another half hour set from Sweetmore led to an amazing sing-along that warmed the crowd up better than most support bands ever could.

The band last played live in 2015 but following the untimely death of drummer Craig Gill, they had been on an understandable hiatus. Craig was a hugely popular part of the Manchester music scene and his sudden death had sent a shockwave through the band and Manchester.

The crowd exploded as they opened with ‘Joe’, a single from 1989 and quickly rattled through a set with too many highs to mention, however ‘She Comes in The Fall’, ‘Directing Traffik’, and ‘Caravan’ were some highlights but the closing tune ‘Dragging Me Down’ was a particularly special moment. The sound of Boon’s keyboards is the thing that set the Inspirals apart from other bands in the 90s and it was great to hear live.

After the main set, the unmistakable face of Gilly was projection at the back of the stage and Clint announced that Craig’s son Levon would take the drum kit for the next song, there was not a dry eye on the crowd. Levon is about 18 and a quiet lad but did his dad proud and it was a special moment for everyone.

They ended their triumphant set with ‘Saturn 5’ and it was clear that we had just experienced a very special night that we’d remember for a very long time.

5 stars.

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BADLY DRAWN BOY – ST LUKES 29 MARCH 2023

Ok, full disclosure. Badly Drawn Boy (or Damon Gough as he was christened) has been one of my favourite musicians for a very long time. I’ve travelled the 3 hours to Manchester to see Damon more times that I care to remember so it’s always a treat when he plays in Glasgow, even on a Wednesday night.

He’s been releasing records and entertaining the masses for 25 years and this tour was to celebrate this impressive milestone. He has a back catalogue of 9 studio albums, which includes a couple of soundtracks and his set tonight saw a great mix of tunes from the debut Twisted Nerve eps to the latest album, ‘Banana Skin Shoes’, which was released just as the world went into lock down in 2020.

Damon is a complex character. Rarely will you see a more talented musician and songwriter, but he’s a perfectionist and seems to doubt himself and lacks confidence. He’s almost an accidental rock star but I’m glad we have him and we’re not letting him go anytime soon. He is one of the most honest musicians and bears his soul every time he plays live and it was no surprise when he confessed that his original plan was to be a bedroom musician and never play live but I’m glad he was duped into playing that first gig all those years ago.

I’d seen him twice in the last 6 months before tonight and both gigs had been fantastic, and tonight was no different. He has a hard-core fan base that adore him and there was plenty of love in the room tonight. Glasgow gigs are always great but there was talk in the car on the way home of a road trip down south in September and on this form, I hope that won’t be the last.  

4 stars.

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FATHER JOHN MISTY – GLASGOW BARROWLANDS 15 MARCH 2023

Sometimes a gig takes you by surprise. I’ve seen Father John Misty twice before, but the first of two nights at the Barrowlands was something else.

I must be getting old as I was very happy when I saw there was no support and a relatively early start.  A seat would have been good, but you can’t have everything, so my old bones had to stand and as it turned out was not the chore it can often be.

Father John Misty - or Josh Tillman as he was baptised – has an impressive stage presence and as he arrived on stage to the adulation of the crowd, he motioned for quiet as the opening number, the understated ‘The Next 20th Century’, required calm. By the end of the near 7-minute opener he had the audience in the palm of his hand and raised the roof with ‘Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings’ then straight into ‘Mr Tillman’. 3 songs from 3 albums and an incredible start.

He has a way of delivering his lyrics live that draws the audience in and delivers the emotion that he obviously feels when he writes. It’s a rare talent and best shown during ‘Total Comedy’ when someone shouted out ‘fuck them’, which caused Tillman to stop the song to explain that the song is not anti-religion and that the fan had misunderstood. This was well received by the audience, but he was clearly embarrassed by the incident and apologised later.

The remainder of the set flew through all 5 studio albums and didn’t disappoint with highlights being ‘Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Virgins)’, ‘Total Entertainment Forever’ and the epic ‘Things That Would Have been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution’. He also dedicated ‘Goodbye Mr Blue’ to an audience member’s dog Misha, a Huskey who is suffering with dementia, which made the song even more poignant.

A four-song encore, which included a wonderfully shambolic ‘I’m Writing a Novel’ due to Tillman forgetting most of the lyrics, closed what was a truly memorable night. Tillman and his band are incredible musicians and know how to put on a show. I’m seriously tempted to try and get a ticket for the second night. What a gig.

5 stars.

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SUEDE – 02 ACADEMY 14 MARCH 2023

I first saw Suede at The Plaza in Glasgow (may she rest in peace) on 1 April 1993, just under 30 years ago. This was a defining gig for me. Suede’s debut had just come out and they were exciting, had rock star cool and everything musically that I ever wanted. I loved them. Then guitarist Bernard Butler left after recording the second album a little over a year late and my world was shattered.

My relationship with Suede has been complicated since. I’ve never got over the split and have become less and less enamoured with their direction since Butler quit. I have resisted going to see them live other than once at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh in September 2002 but decided to go to the 02 Academy tonight. The new album is great so managed to get a ticket at the last minute.

They opened with a trio from Dog Man Star, including ‘My Dark Star’, a side B of the single ‘Stay Together’, followed by “The Wild Ones’ and ‘New Generation’. ‘Metal Mikey’ and ‘Animal Nitrate’ from the debut followed but by then I realised our complicated relationship was over. When ‘So Young’ couldn’t raise my spirits, I went to the bar and watched the rest of the gig from the back.

I have no idea what happened when Bernard left, but for me, they changed into something completely different. Musically they were one of the most exciting bands in the world but became more mainstream and pop, they seemed to lose the edge that for me defined them as a band. I get that they are all much older now, but Brett just seems so over excited like an uncle doing karaoke after too many ciders, he’s a shadow of the front man he once was.

This feels overly harsh, and it was obvious that I was on my own as the rest of the sold out 2500 crowd clearly love them. I know I’m being unfair but even after 29 years Bernard leaving Suede feels like having been dumped by my first love and still yearning to get them back. If nothing else, tonight taught me that isn't going to happen and the Suede I loved have gone, gone away to someone else’s bed and I just need to get over it.   

3 stars and 1 broken heart.

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BERNARD BUTLER, JAMES GRANT & NORMAN BLAKE – FRETS STRATHAVEN HOTEL 17 February 2023

FRETS has a reputation for putting on fantastic events and tonight was no different. It takes a bit of effort to get to Strathaven as it’s in the arse end of nowhere but after The White Stripes incident of 2015, I don’t drink at gigs and am now the designated driver so getting there was no problem apart from the magical mystery tour and several 3 point turns after taking wrong turns thanks to a rubbish sat nav.

This isn’t the first time that James Grant (Love & Money), Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) and Bernard Butler (Suede) have played live together. I love TFC and Suede but wasn’t aware of James Grant other than a fleeting awareness of Love & Money and wondered how he would fit in, but I shouldn’t have worried - he fitted in just fine.

All 3 have a great onstage relationship and complement each other perfectly. James is the wise elder statesman, well he is 1 year older than Normal, who is the cheeky chappie and Bernard is the young whipper snapper cooler than anyone else in the room. Their combined musical talent filled the hall with breath-taking harmonies and some astonishing guitar playing that left even my extremely talented guitar playing friend in awe.

The set included L&M and TFC favourites including a wonderful version of TFC’s first single ‘Everything Flows’, which hit me in the feels, and ‘The Concept’ from my favourite TFC album ‘Bandwagonesque’. They also threw in several covers including ‘Me and Magdalena’, which is a largely unknown song by The Monkees, and closed the show with a wonderful rendition of ‘Cinnamon Girl’ by Neil Young.

The only slight disappointment (disappointment is too strong a word) was that Bernard didn’t choose anything from the first two incredible Suede albums but more than made up with a version of ‘Yes’, which was a rare treat.

I expected this to be a great gig but didn’t quite realise how fantastic it would be. They are a hugely talented trio and combined hit ever higher heights and I hope someone convinces them to release a record.

It was clear from the smiles on the faces of the crowd at the end that our collective Pringle socks had been knocked off. Thanks to FRETS for a wonderful night and we’ll certainly be making the journey to Strathaven again.

4.5 stars.

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The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Glasgow Barrowlands Sunday 5th February 2023

I’ve last count of the number of gigs I’ve been to since my first in 1987 when I was 14. I can hardly remember anything of T’Pau at the SECC, but have a feeling that I’ll remember The Brian Jonestown Massacre gig at the Barras for a very long time. 

The Barras is the perfect venue for the 60′s psychedelic sounds created by Anton Newcombe and his incredibly talented band. From the start, it was clear that this was going to be a special night when the opening drums of ‘#1 Lucky Kitty’ from their 2022 album ‘Fire Doesn’t Grow On Trees’ reverberated round the famous Barras.

We were then treated to a set spanning 8 BMJ albums with highlights being fan favourites ‘Pish’, ‘Anemone’ and a few tunes from the new album that has since been released ‘The Future is Your Past’, the band’s 20th album and second in under a year. 

Anton commands the stage like a classical conductor and he guides the band through the maze of songs to get the most out of every chord and beat. On two occasions he stopped proceedings midway through a song as the sound wasn't right or a tambourine not being played in time. Too often the sound at gigs is at best questionable, but it’s obvious that Anton only accept the best sound and for this we should be eternally grateful. 

BJM gigs are well known for their shenanigans and this gig was no exceptions but it’s because Anton cares so much about the songs that he has written and playing them to their full potential. The sound created by the band was wonderful and rare, even for a truly superb venue like the Barrowlands. 

During the penultimate song ‘A Word’, there were 6 guitars being played in perfect harmony. It was an incredible sound being produced by an incredible band at the top of their game. It was one of the best gigs I have experienced in the 35 years since T’Pau. I applaud Anton and wish more musicians cared as much and has as high standards as he does. 

5 stars.