Scottish Gig Highlights – February 2016

Our mini-month starts off promisingly as Durham country-twang favourites Kitty, Daisy & Lewis appear at Electric Circus in support of last year’s rather perfunctorily titled third album The Third, which sees the sibling group foray into blues and disco with their impressive multi-instrumentalist approach (2 Feb). A few days later, there’s a similarly upbeat vibe in store as Glasgow-dwelling duo Tuff Love launch their well-crafted fuzz-pop debut Resort. Replete with winsome harmonies and fuzzy, addictive guitar hooks, it’s the perfect antidote to any remnant seasonal malaise (Stereo, 5 Feb; also at Summerhall, Edinburgh, 22 Feb).

February also plays host to a swathe of righteous guitar rock, not least from ladies of the moment HINDS. The Spanish indie rockers erupted onto the international scene last year, and not without good reason – their debut record Leave Me Alone is a near-perfectly assembled work of charisma, insouciance and crackling riffs. See them while you can in Stereo’s intimate surrounds, as these girls are surely destined for much more (21 Feb).

Another to keep 'em peeled for are Michigan natives Heaters. Setting themselves apart from the current slew of psych revivalist acts saturating the circuit, these guys have got hazy mind-benders nailed with their own self-described ‘psychotropic buttermilk’ – taste it for yourself at Sneaky Pete’s on 16 Feb. And if you’re hankering for something a little heavier, punk rock veteran, pro wrestling aficionado (fact: he was a one-time writer for WCW) and ex-Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould plays The Liquid Room on 8 Feb. The man hits our shores to showcase his upcoming solo release Patch The Sky, and amid swirling rumours we’ll quietly keep our fingers crossed for a Hüsker Dü reunion.

Speaking of reunions, resurrected Britpop darlings Suede venture down memory lane at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 8 Feb. After an acrimonious split in 2003 and a subsequent reconciliation seven years later, the group (still minus original guitarist Bernard Butler) are firmly a current concern. Indeed, don’t just expect a greatest hits show – new album number seven, Night Thoughts, is being hailed as the finest of their two return records thus far. Another artist receiving their fair share of press is American wunderkind Halsey. The outspoken 21 year old songstress of dark, topical alt r'n'b headlines O2 Academy on 19 Feb – not a bad effort for a singer with just one LP to her name. Support comes from the equally lauded BØRNS. Hipsters, enjoy yersels.

Elsewhere, February offers up a delightful mix of local and international mavericks. For the former, take your pick from on-the-up Glasgow art rockers WHITE, who are yet to disappoint with their tongue-in-cheek new wave revivalist shtick (QMU, 20 Feb); the prolific Hector Bizerk, filling the experimental homegrown hip-hop quota at Summerhall on 25 Feb; native post-pop champions Monogram, supporting the similarly electro-pop inclined, Brighton-based Fickle Friends at Electric Circus on 29 Feb; and from across the border, The Wave Pictures, who have been hovering on the periphery of the scene for near-on a decade. They pop over to Sneaky Pete’s to show off their promising lo-fi release A Season In Hull.

Meanwhile, the intercontinental contingent features Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio as his electronic alter ego Baio at King Tut’s on 23 Feb). Meanwhile, Afghan Whigs frontman and solo raconteur Greg Dulli swans into King Tut's for an unmissable 'Evening With' (10 Feb), and the much-adored Julia Holter returns to the country in a stroke of luck for those who haven’t yet heard her stunning, sparkling Have You In My Wilderness (voted #5 album of 2015 in these very pages) in the flesh (20 Feb, Summerhall).

We might as well finish by addressing that most nauseating of Hallmark holidays – yep, St Valentine rears his saccharine head on 14 Feb. For those who prefer not to confine their amorous intentions to one overhyped and consistently disappointing day each year, escape can be found in the loopy dance punk of !!! (Chk Chk Chk), as the Sacramento indie stalwarts transform the occasion into a riotous diversion, on the back of their boisterous sixth album As If (CCA Glasgow, 14 Feb). Or you could take it one step further and drown your sorrows the night before, to the modern day riot grrrl grunt of Manchester outfit PINS. Influenced by the likes of Hole and My Bloody Valentine, and fresh from a support stint for Sleater-Kinney last year, we doubt this fearsome quartet care much for romance, either (The Hug and Pint, 13 Feb).

DO NOT MISS: SAVAGES, GLASGOW ART SCHOOL, 21 FEB

Even if you know nothing about Savages, the strength of their sophomore album alone makes the London-based four piece a must-see act. Adore Life is a majestic gem of a record; scoring a full house in these pages last month, it's a unique, assured and striking work that insists on repeat listens. It’s perfectly paced, balancing the caustic, frenetic punk that made tracks like Husbands (from their 2013 debut Silence Yourself) so arresting, with a couple of slow-burning, heart-rending ballads.

They’re billed as post-punk revivalists but it’s an insufficient label for a group of songwriters so creatively and philosophically motivated. Frontwoman Jehnny Beth’s vocals recall a young Patti Smith, and Savages' lyrics similarly reflect Smith’s endearingly romantic yet cynical outlook. This is an excellent opportunity to see a group who may be staking an early, but wholly legitimate, claim to one of the essential records of 2016.