Live Music Roundup - December

Edinburgh

What is Dan Deacon? A performance artist? A classically trained musician gone haywire? The first and last hero of geektronica? A mutant combination of all three would be closer to the mark, so prepare for ridiculous noise, headache inducing postmodernism and impromptu dance-offs when the none-more-hatstand one starts pushing his aural LSD at Cabaret Voltaire on 3 Dec.

Skinny favourite James Yorkston rocks up to The Ark on 17 Dec with support from Adrian Crowley and HMS Ginafore. One of Fife's very finest, few folk can touch Yorkston when it comes to setting beautiful, touching narratives to such gorgeous, finger-picked guitar. Put it in your diary.

Ex-Delgado Emma Pollock continues touring in support of her smashing new album, Watch the Fireworks, with a gig at Cabaret Voltaire on 18 Dec. OK, so Pollock is never going to rival Kiss in terms of spectacular live shows, but the intimate confines of the Cab will be the ideal setting for her atmospheric and often exceptional songs.

Local heroes Aberfeldy set up camp for a special Christmas two-nighter at the newly opened Voodoo Rooms (the former Cafe Royal) on 19 and 20 Dec. Few can put a crowd in a good mood as effectively as this band, and coupled with the seasonal cheer, the grin factor for these gigs could approach critical levels. Oh, and there's the tunes as well: upbeat, poppy, but fiercely intelligent with it. Sorted.

Glasgow

Veteran industrial pioneers The Young Gods will bring the goods to The Barfly on 4 Dec. After 20 years of experimenting with sound, they're still creatively fresh and making one hell of a racket. They've influenced more bands than you realise, and will continue to do so. Pay your respects.

We've got a lot of love for Liars round these parts, and a lot of that love stems from their reliability in putting on intense live shows that genuinely fuck with our expectations. With an amazing and varied back-catalogue under their belts, and word from the blogosphere suggesting they're firing on all cylinders just now, we're banking on their appearance at Stereo on 6 Dec being another powerfully weird experience.

Gogol Bordello: they give good crazy. This much we know, having witnessed them tear it up in Glasgow a year or so back – much to the adulation of the baying crowds, few of whom were ever likely to have seen a killer drum solo being played on a bucket before. Lest we forget, they're not half bad at writing tunes too. But let's be honest, it's the crazy you'll go for and it's the crazy you'll get. ABC 13 Dec.

The Cinematics round things out in Glasgow with a set at King Tuts on 20 Dec. At the time of writing, we're fresh from witnessing a slick Cab Vol performance in the 'burgh full of epic melodies, driving bass and an impressive stage presence. They might put Dingwall on the map yet.