Scottish Music Highlights: 24-30 Apr

Gigs in Edinburgh this week

Broken Records @ Summerhall, 26 Apr 
As a band with a penchant for The Boss, Broken Records triumphantly released their Bruce Springsteen-indebted album What We Might Know at the end of last month. The Edinburgh band are celebrating tonight with a hometown show at Summerhall thanks to Nothing Ever Happens Here, and have enlisted Aberdeen indie pop four-piece The Little Kicks for support duty. Two reasons to leave your house tonight.

Dana Gavanski @ The Happiness Hotel, 26 Apr
Gavanski impressed us on Record Store Day with a set that was impressively moody and atmospheric for its pre-midday timeslot; enjoy her gothic folk at an appropriate time tonight on a bill that also features Fair Mothers and Good Good Blood.

A Hawk and a Hacksaw @ Summerhall, 27 Apr 
The new record Forest Bathing from AHaaH – the duo comprised of Heather Trost and Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes – is a typically globetrotting affair, inspired by the Japanese medical term Shinrin-Yoku and the Valle De Oro National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Catch them in the flesh at Summerhall tonight.

Slow Blood @ Henry's Cellar Bar, 27 Apr
Noisy, scuzzy Edinburgh trio Slow Blood hit Henry's this weekend, joined by grungy quartet Miss Lucid and theatrical post-punk outfit Regretta Garbo, featuring former members of Meursault.

Neu! Reekie! April Splash @ Old Dr Bell's Baths, 27 Apr
The exciting and always-inventive Hannah Peel heads up Neu! Reekie!'s first show at the Old Dr Bell's Baths in Leith. Also on the typically varied N!R! bill are Lomond Campbell and MC Empress, plus spoken word from William Letford and a showcase of the work of Glasgow publisher Speculative Books.

Quiet As a Mouse @ Leith Depot, 27 Apr
Quiet As a Mouse's debut album is packed with big riffs and shot through with a relaxed confidence; the band launch the record at Leith Depot tonight, and they also play The Hug & Pint in Glasgow on 26 Apr – details of that show here.

Avalanche Party @ Sneaky Pete's, 28 Apr
Garage-rockers Avalanche Party play a pair of Scottish shows this week – catch them at Broadcast through in Glasgow on 27 Apr, or in the riff-friendly sweatbox that is Sneaky Pete's tonight.

Josh Rouse @ The Mash House, 29 Apr
Rouse's latest album Love in the Modern Age is an exciting change of pace from the Nebraska-born, Spain-based songwriter, and sees him play down the guitar and play up the synths in a way that reminds us of The Blue Nile and Roxy Music. Find out how that new sound works out in a live setting tonight.

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Gig of the Week

[Breakfast Muff by Paul Burt]

Outskirts @ Platform, Glasgow, 28 Apr 
Cross-arts festival Outskirts takes over Platform today, with a typically diverse and intriguing mix of music, literature, art, theatre and dance. This year’s Easterhouse Conversations project brings together Barry Burns of Radiophrenia and Oliver Pitt of Golden Teacher for some exciting experimental sounds, while KOR! Records will collaborate with Breakfast Muff to encourage ways in which musicians can crossover with one another's work. There's also a whole host of Glasgow International art to check out, a performance of vinyl-inspired theatre piece Turntable and readings from Tom Leonard and James Kelman. Read our full preview of this year's festival here.

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Gigs in Glasgow this week

Cousin Kula @ Nice N Sleazy, 25 Apr
Bristol psych-pop band Cousin Kula play their first Scottish show at Sleazy's, alongside electronic producer DTTØ, brand-new shoegaze outfit things that aren't there, and glitchy Glasgow trio Machines in Heaven.

Fauves @ Stereo, 26 Apr
Jaunty Glasgow art-poppers Fauves celebrate the vinyl launch of their debut EP Les Fauves with a night at Stereo alongside Snack Villain and Nasari.

Mastersystem @ The Art School, 27 Apr
The new project from the Hutchisons (Scott and Grant of Frightened Rabbit) and Lockeys (Justin of Editors and James of Minor Victories) present the grungy, gnarly sound of their debut album Dance Music on their debut tour. Support comes in the form of Glasgow punk trio PAWS.

Halo Tora @ Stereo, 27 Apr
The Glasgow prog-rock five-piece play a hometown show at Stereo to mark the release of second album Man of Stone: First Chapter. They're joined by Madilan and Verse Metrics.

Yo La Tengo @ SWG3, 29 Apr
When a band have been around for more than three decades, it's quite a statement to say that their latest record is their most ambitious yet – but that's the case with Yo La Tengo and There's a Riot Going On. We caught up with bassist James McNew to discuss the album's unusually freeform conception, and the ways in which the fraught political climate in the US impacted on the record – we'd normally say 'expect to hear tracks from the new LP,' but if there's one thing YLT have taught us over the years it's to expect the unexpected.

Natalie Prass @ Mono, 29 Apr
Prass follows the chamber pop of her debut album with The Future and the Past (due 1 June), which promises to be a genre-hopping exploration of "the joy, frustration, fear and hope inherent in modern womanhood." Get a sneak preview at Mono tonight.

White Hills + GNOD @ Broadcast, 30 Apr
A full-power psych double bill to clear out the cobwebs on a Monday night, as New York's White Hills play a co-headline show with the mind-expanding and ever-experimenting Salford collective GNOD. And as if that wasn't enough, there's also a hefty wedge of electro fun to kick things off courtesy of Future Get Down, who play our Kelburn Garden Party stage this summer.

Metz @ Stereo, 30 Apr
The Toronto noise rock trio return to Glasgow on the heels of last year's Strange Peace album – be ready for some extremely spiky riffs from guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins; support comes from shoegaze-y post-punks (and Sub Pop labelmates) Moaning.

Also this week...

Love Sick @ Clarks on Lindsay Street, Dundee, 29 Apr
We recently came across Love Sick thanks to our pals at The Line of Best Fit who premiered their latest single Bullet, and to be honest we’re not quite sure how this Glasgow pop duo weren’t already on our radar. Anyways, all that aside, Love Sick are a band everyone should know about; the production on Bullet is big time radio ready and everyone and their dogs* should head to Clarks tonight to catch them.

*Best to leave your dogs at home.