Scottish Music Highlights: 21-27 Nov

Django Django head up a packed evening in Edinburgh, while Algiers, And So I Watch You From Afar and The Burning Hell head to Glasgow

Preview by The Skinny | 20 Nov 2017

Gigs in Edinburgh this week

Serendipity @ Voodoo Rooms, 22 Nov
The interdisciplinary Serendipity night returns to Voodoo Rooms with a line-up headed by Dunfermline alt-rockers Foreignfox. Also on the bill are alt-country four-piece The Nickajack Men and Edinburgh songwriter Stephen McLaren alongside an exhibition of photography by Emanuele Centi.

David Thomas Broughton @ The Happiness Hotel, 26 Nov
David Thomas Broughton is one of those unique singer-songwriters who has the ability to instantly silence a room when he starts singing. Touring 2016’s Crippling Lack record this winter will see DTB enlist the help of different collaborators every night, making each show different, so if you’re willing and able, it might also be worth your while catching him at James Yorkston’s Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer night at the Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy on 25 Nov and through at the Hug & Pint in Glasgow on 27 Nov.


Gig of the Week


[Django Django by Kat Gollock]

The Alternative Peers' Ball @ Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, 25 Nov
It's late November, and that means that George Street is festooned with wild levels of Christmas decoration. But while others are off trying to avoid serious injury at the ice rink, the Assembly Rooms will be packed with some of Scotland's best musical talent for an all-night bash to celebrate the venue's 230th anniversary. Django Django headline the show, while an impressive supporting cast includes Meursault, Pictish Trail, Siobhan Wilson, Man of Moon, Monoganon and SKJØR. On top of all that, there's a DJ set from LuckyMe and art from Too Much Fun Club among others. 


Gigs in Glasgow this week

Pussy Riot @ The Art School, 21 Nov
Feminist punk protesters Pussy Riot are badder than you. Some of them were even incarcerated for their dedication to protecting human rights. Still unsatisfied, members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina created an organisation to protect the rights of prisoners – the latter going on to win peace prizes and grants for her work. Oh, they're also fierce as fuck musicians, too. Go and witness their historic Riot Days tour. Seriously.

The Burning Hell @ Hug & Pint, 21 Nov
"In general the music is lyric-driven, so whatever that means on a given day. The sound also changes from year to year which makes it extra confusing, so the last couple of records we’ve done have been more like rock albums, and then the one before that might have been more like a klezmer-soul album." That's *part* of the answer we received when we asked The Burning Hell's Mathias Kom to sum up the outfit's sound, and it sums up what to expect – an ever-changing sound, helmed by a frontman with a drawer full of verbose lyrics, interesting ideas and flashes of surreal humour. 

Leif Vollebekk @ The Garage (Attic), 24 Nov
The Canadian multi-instrumentalist impressed when last in town in support of Margaret Glaspy – his intriguing multi-instrumental style is hugely effective, and his extended asides on philosophy and Scottish geography certainly did the job of winning over a crowd. Expect an outrageously strong voice and equally strong low-fi stage patter as Vollebekk plays a headline set in support of new album Twin Solitude.

Seamus Fogarty @ Hug & Pint, 24 Nov 
Irish songwriter Seamus Fogarty brings his beguiling, laid-back sound to the Hug & Pint as part of a short UK tour in support of new album The Curious Hand.

Brix and the Extricated @ Stereo, 24 Nov
Brix Smith-Start's new outfit – made up of a host of former members of The Fall – hit Stereo in the first of a pair of Scottish gigs this week. You can also catch the band at Beat Generator, Dundee on 25 Nov.

Algiers @ Fred Paton Day Care Centre, 24 Nov
On their new album The Underside of Power, Algiers explode in a squall of energy and ferocity with a soul-meets-post-punk sound that brings to mind the likes of TV on the Radio, Sheer Mag or Young Fathers. True innovators, expect to be surprised when Algiers hit the somewhat unexpected venue of the Fred Paton adult care centre at the top of Great Western Road.

And So I Watch You From Afar @ Òran Mór, 25 Nov
Belfast post-rock mostly-instrumentalists And So I Watch You From Afar recently released their fifth studio album, The Endless Shimmering. The record exemplifies the phenomenal talent of ASIWYFA as it’s filled with precise, punishing breakdowns and rapid-fire, disorienting changes in tempo and mood. Live, they create a wall of sound, so earplugs at the ready! Get down early to catch a support slot from Wrexham's own instrumental leviathians Gallops. 

Alasdair Roberts @ Hug & Pint, 25 Nov
Folk troubadour Roberts proved on his latest LP that, twenty years into his musical career, he's no closer to settling on a trademark sound. His willingness to fly the flag for centuries of tradition has made him a unique bridge between the old and the new; find out what's next for Roberts at the Hug & Pint.

Sweet Baboo @ The Garage (Attic), 26 Nov
North Wales-based musician Stephen Black – otherwise known as Sweet Baboo – impressed with the cosmic pop of new album Cosmic Imagination earlier this year. Find out how the ethereal sound translates live in the Garage's Attic space this weekend.

KLLO @ Broadcast, 27 Nov
KLLO are cousins Chloe Kaul and Simon Lam, an electronic pop duo from Melbourne, Australia. The pair have just released their debut album, Backwater, via Different Recordings and are on the road this month in Europe to celebrate. A fusion of 90s electro and R’n’B, it also gives a firm nod towards the likes of James Blake and The xx. You can also catch them at Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh on 28 Nov. 

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