Scottish Gig Highlights – July 2015

It's festival fever this month as T In The Park, Kelburn Garden Party and Wickerman return, while Wild Beasts play Edinburgh and Cannibal Ox visit Glasgow.

Preview by Siobhan Smith | 30 Jun 2015

Whether you prefer to experience your live music in an open-air sea of MDMA-fuelled revellers, up to your chin in mud, or in the comfort of a sticky floored pub with a cold pint / G&T (delete as appropriate) in hand; there's a little something for the lot of you this July.

A gleaming jewel in the crown of the Scottish festival circuit, Kelburn Garden Party kicks off proceedings in enchanting fashion (3-5 Jul). Lose yourself in the interactive art, living theatre and colourful castle grounds, but don’t get so caught up in the magic that you miss out on the wonders that the eclectic line-up has to offer (we’ve all done it…). Highlights include synth-shoegazer Ulrich Schnauss, instrumental hip-hoppers Monosapiens, alt.folk chanteuse Rozi Plain, Warp veterans Nightmares on Wax and Optimo legends DJ Twitch and Jonnie Wilkes. Whether you want to rave or behave, Kelburn caters to it all.

Edinburgh band of brothers Ded Rabbit bring their straight up indie-rock to Broadcast on 3 Jul, where they'll no doubt be showcasing material from their upcoming EP Moving In Slow Motion (due for release this month). In an apparent animal themed night, support comes from Dunfermline four piece Foreign Fox.

Don’t fancy taking your chances with the Scottish summer? Want the plethoric benefits of a festival line-up, but have it on your doorstep? You’re in luck. On 4 Jul, Glasgow has got the answer. The Repeater lot host a live music all-dayer at veritable lo-fi institution The 13th Note, with sets from the likes of Great Cop, Lovers Turn To Monsters, Mauscripts, and Lenin Death Mask.

Taking it back outside (look, it’s July – the prevalence of outdoor festivals simply can’t be glossed over), 10-12 Jul means T In The Park, arguably the biggest event in the Scottish music calendar – and after a shaky start, Strathallan is happening (those bloody ospreys; who do they think they are?!). But don’t worry if you can’t face yet another year of Kasabian and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds; dig deep enough and there are plenty gems to be unearthed. Homegrown appearances include enigmatic duo Man of Moon, who will bring their maverick clatter to the monolithic festival's new stomping ground, Glasgow bright sparks Pinact and electronic duo Bdy_Prts. Further up the bill, don’t miss  The War on Drugs, St Vincent or ever-awesome festival steamrollers The Prodigy.

While everyone else endures baby-wipe baths and tries to figure out how the bloody hell you actually use a ‘she-we’ without pissing all over your hands, life continues in the real world…

In their first European tour in almost decade, Harlem duo Cannibal Ox will infiltrate Broadcast with their latest gritty hip-hop offerings on 11 Jul. Whether they manage to get round to playing even half of the 19 songs on their new, sprawling LP Blade of the Ronin remains to be seen, but it’s worth popping along to find out.

Edinburgh has been a bit quiet up until now hasn’t it? Kendal art-rockers Wild Beasts make up for it on 15 Jul when they play Summerhall, supported by Lone Wolf aka Paul Marshall in one of his last ever live performances. Recently nominated for an Ivor Novello award for fourth album Present Tense, the affable dream-poppers are on great form at the moment and play this as one of two warm-up shows before making an appearance at Latitude Festival on 17 Jul.

Glasgow’s love affair with electro and synthpop continues to flourish. Get yourself along to Stereo on 17 Jul to see our new favourite indie-disco stormers White in action. Leaving behind The Low Miffs and Kassidy, White have burst onto the scene with their fair share of hype. So far, they haven’t let us down. Not really an indie-disco kind of guy? Does moshing with Fat Goth sound more up your street (NB – Fat Goth = medium built indie rockers from Dundee)? Get back through to Edinburgh in that case, to see this power trio of self-deprecating underdogs play what they profess to be ‘metal in denial.’ Electric Circus, 18 Jul.

21 Jul is a big day in Glasgow. You’ve got the privileged choice between catching Fortuna POP!’s Evans the Death playing their 90s alt-rock/weirdo pop in the Glad Cafe, or electro quintet Amatrart (pronounced Amateur Art, obviously) getting you dancing in King Tut's, as part of the annual Summer Nights extravaganza: 50 bands playing during 16-31 July, giving you plenty of reasons to tear yourself away from Orange Is the New Black. Undecided? Playing alongside Amatrart are upbeat synth pop duo Apache Darling, and lo-fi electro comes in the form of Miracle Strip and Le Thug

One of Glasgow’s most unique and exciting artists, composer and musician C Duncan (it's Christopher, you nosey bastard) will be bringing his Royal Conservatoire repertoire to the CCA on 24 Jul. Debut album Architect is due for release on 17 July and delivers electro-tinged folk with haunting harmonies and choral compositions. He will also be making an appearance at Wickerman Festival the following day, if you’re really keen.

Celebrating the release of their intriguing new album The Sovereign Shelf, which transcends genres and channels eclectic sounds ranging from the Far East, the sixteenth century, traditional Scotland and almost most anything else that you wouldn’t particularly expect to see in this sentence; the quirky Trembling Bells are playing Sneaky Pete's on 25 Jul. As always, Lavinia Blackwall’s captivating vocals promise to steal the show.

26 Jul sees the battle of the Brisbanites commence: Glasgow's Stereo plays host to power-pop duo Love Like Hate, whose combination of electric guitar and free form piano melodies make for some intense listening. Temporarily escaping Brisbane, these gals are making a select few appearances in the UK with London blogger Fat Gay Vegan, as part of The Vegan Roadshow, in what is their second UK tour since forming in 2009. There'll be merchandise and information from activists Animal Equality – and lots of vegan food on offer. Interesting. If all that dark, emotive pop and activism is too much for your fragile, end-of-month psyche to handle, you may want to cross over to the capital for some cheering up in the form of some very loud music. And yes, it's official – listening to punk music makes you happy. A recent study found that punk music “regulated sadness and enhanced positive emotions.” So, what more could you ask than to see Australian punk-pioneers The Saints play 1976 single (I’m) Stranded – one of the first ever punk records made? At full pelt, hopefully. Electric Circus, 26 Jul.


DO NOT MISS: Wickerman, 24-25 July

If you’re feeling a bit Goldilocks about the whole festival thing this month; Kelburn Garden Party maybe a little too low key but T in the Park that bit too chaotic, then Wickerman may be just right…

Now something of a stalwart of the Scottish summer, Wickerman celebrates its 14th birthday this year. Since a humble debut in 2001, the festival has steadily built up its reputation, influence and size. Laid back vibes and the bonus of manageable walking distances between stages make this family friendly affair an unmissable event. And we’ve not even got to the line-up yet.

This year’s two-day offering sees the likes of resurrected garage rock kings The Sonics, Ela Orleans, Zyna Hel, rising post-rock experimentalists Outblinker and scuzz rock duo Tuff Love on the bill. Renaissance woman Neneh Cherry will be there as well, and while she's admittedly doing the festival rounds this summer, where better to catch her soulful vibes and strike a Buffalo Stance than prior to the burning of a huge straw man? 

Testament to its growing stature, this year welcomes the debut of the Phoenix Tent. Latest additions include NYC’s The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, candid singer-song writer Anna B Savage, SAY winners old and new Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells and Kathryn Joseph; plus a rare outing for C86 veterans BMX Bandits headlining on the Saturday night. A prize for the best Lord Summerisle.