Scottish Live Music Highlights: August 2022

Starting in the capital, the Edinburgh International Festival is bringing some of the biggest names in music to Leith Theatre this month; our top picks include Shabaka Hutchings’ jazz outfit Sons of Kemet (14 Aug), New York rapper and songwriter Princess Nokia (17 Aug), France-based Cuban/Venezuelan twin sisters Ibeyi (18 Aug), Scottish indie-rock royalty Arab Strap (19 Aug), Pakistani singer, composer and producer Arooj Aftab (21 Aug) and queer Chicagoan singer-songwriter Ezra Furman (23 Aug).

In the Southside, Summerhall has got a packed music programme too featuring Glasgow’s premier purveyors of Afrobeat-infused indie-pop Sacred Paws, with the Carla J. Easton-fronted Poster Paints on support (6 Aug). Other Scots playing include Honeyblood (11 Aug), Withered Hand (12 Aug) and James Yorkston and the Second Hand Orchestra (19 Aug), with names from further afield including Cate Le Bon (17 Aug), Jenny Hval (18 Aug), Tune-Yards (24 Aug), Deerhoof (28 Aug) and The Weather Station (31 Aug).

Bee Asha

For something a little less conventional, head to the Pianodrome at the Old Royal High School on Calton Hill, recently brought back to life by Hidden Door. They have free lunchtime concerts every day from 1-2pm featuring the likes of Queen of Harps (5 Aug) and Bee Asha (11 Aug); Tinderbox Orchestra take over the space most nights between 5-21 August from 8pm, while a run of Pianodrome Live concerts can be found from 9pm with Hailey Beavis and Faith Eliott (12 Aug), Noushy 4tet (16 Aug) and Lizabett Russo (18 Aug) all playing.

Outwith the Edinburgh festivals, Sneaky Pete’s Central Belters shows continue with Swiss Portrait (11 Aug), Billy Got Waves (12 Aug) and The Wife Guys of Reddit (19 Aug) among others. You’ll also find big shows in every corner of the city as The Libertines (8 Aug) play the O2 Academy, Michael Kiwanuka plays Princes Street Gardens (8 Aug), Mdou Moctar (16 Aug) and Alex G (23 Aug) play The Liquid Room, while Rage Against the Machine, Run the Jewels and Nova Twins all play The Royal Highland Centre (24 Aug).

Billy Got Waves

Also taking place at The Royal Highland Centre, the almost mythical Connect festival (26-28 Aug) returns. Its gargantuan lineup features everyone from Jon Hopkins, The National, Self Esteem and John Grant to The Chemical Brothers, Mogwai, Little Simz and Caribou, while a 15 minute drive away Jupiter Rising returns to Jupiter Artland (26-27 Aug), this year programmed by guest curators Alloysious Massaquoi (Young Fathers), Tamara Schlesinger (Hen Hoose, MALKA), Auntie Flo and Shoot Your Shot.

Festivals in Glasgow this month are a little less in abundance, but The Hug & Pint’s Endless Summer and King Tut’s Summer Nights both continue with shows from the likes of Alex Rex (10 Aug) and NANI (21 Aug) at the former, and Scotland in Colour (11 Aug), Memes (19 Aug) and Pizza Crunch (27 Aug) all worth checking out at the latter. Summer Nights at the Bandstand (no relation to King Tut’s) continues into August at Kelvingrove Park, with highlights including Pixies (4 Aug), King Creosote (11 Aug) and Edwyn Collins (13 Aug). On the smaller end of the scale, the inaugural Glas-Goes-Pop, an “indie pop happening”, takes place from 5-6 August at the Glasgow University Union Debate Chambers, with live music from bands like Close Lobsters and The Orchids, DJ sets from Chris Geddes (Belle and Sebastian) and Gerry Love (formerly of Teenage Fanclub) and a screening of Paul Kelly’s Take Three Girls: The Dolly Mixture Story.

Elsewhere in Glasgow, Rex Orange County play two massive outdoor shows at SWG3’s Galvanizer’s Yard (2 & 3 Aug), followed shortly thereafter with an outdoor show from Hot Chip, Little Dragon and Pictish Trail (5 Aug) at the newly opened Junction 1 venue. Torres plays Mono (17 Aug), Perfume Genius plays St Luke’s (22 Aug), King Wine launch their debut album at The Hug & Pint (27 Aug), Kurt Vile & The Violators plays QMU (29 Aug), and on 31 August Fleet Foxes play O2 Academy and Laura Mvula plays Òran Mór. Also in music this month, Pitch (fka HANG), Scotland’s international, multi-venue conference of hip-hop and underground culture, sees live discussions, showcase performances and more take over four venues in the East End (27 Aug).