Ollie Teeba, Loose Change, The Arches, Glasgow, Dec 15

Ollie Teeba rolls into town this time with a crew of cut-up, funky and soulful Ninja Tune types for a second Loose Change. Scrabble in your pockets, dig out the six quid (penniless students and advance bookings) and groove like a loony for five hours. The line-up isn't entirely confirmed yet, but half The Herbaliser is headlining, Mr. Thing's doing his thing, and Rob Red Alert brings his massive afro along for a laugh. Mr. Thing's just dropped an awesome single with Yungun and come on, this guy's got the pedigree of the Scratch Perverts for Christ's sake! The last time he played The Arches, some booking fool put Ollie in the opening slot and let Boom Monk Ben headline. Either that or he had the last bus to catch and had to leave early. Anyway, after DJ Vadim's class act in September, we're all aching for some more Ninja action; a pinch of reggae, a little twist of funk and some damn fine homegrown tunes. It's the recipe for a fine night. [Liam Arnold]