Live Music Highlights – November 2010

The outrageously talented Meursault take November by the scruff of the neck with a trio of dates at Dundee Dexters on 4 Nov, Aberdeen Beach Ballroom on 5 Nov and Glasgow Stereo on 6 Nov. You know the drill by now: stirring future-folk atmospheres, impeccable songcraft, gut-wrenching emotionality and much more. These guys put us through the wringer every time.

So far this year there are few Scottish artists who have released a better LP than Edwyn Collins' Losing Sleep and on 7 Nov the man himself will hit Glasgow Òran Mór to demonstrate that he can still generate just as much energy, soul and wry humour in a live setting. Dude is a legend – no way this will be anything other than fantastic.

Ash may not be as popular as they once were but b'christ they've been keeping themselves busy. Having made good on their promise to record and release 26 singles in the past year in order to underline 'the death of the album' (don't worry irony fans, the tracks have indeed been compiled onto two new cds) the band will emerge bleary-eared from their studio/prison to play Edinburgh Liquid Room on 11 Nov and Dundee Fat Sams on 12 Nov. They can still light it up – should be a good 'un.

It's been a while since Deftones played round these parts; their sporadic Scottish sojourns being all the more reason to waste no time in securing a ticket for their upcoming date at Glasgow Academy on 12 Nov. Those who've seen them previously know to expect an onslaught of sensation; a unique and ferocious majesty – those who haven't are in for a hell of a treat.

Despite their huge influence on the indie scene, art-punk veterans Les Savy Fav are one of those bands who never seem to get the recognition they deserve. Fuck knows why, given their consistently brilliant output and the joyfully unhinged onstage antics of frontman and international beard-magnate Tim Harrington. Don't think twice about dropping the notes to see them at Glasgow ABC 2 on 13 Nov.

Melissa Auf der Maur released one of the most accomplished rock albums of 2010 – not that many people noticed – and on 13 Nov she flies into Glasgow Garage to give Scotland a taste of its shadowy, romantic magic. Fey as hell, but she wears it well.

Born Ruffians are an odd lot. When they signed to Warp in 2006 their jerky, jangly freak-pop was as incongruous in the context of that label as it was to the milieu of their supposed indie peers – and they've got stranger since then. Playful, noisy and prone to flexing this way and that under the strain of their own nervous tension we'd put money on their gig at Electric Circus on 18 Nov being a hugely enjoyable affair.

Caribou are hands-down one of the finest bands on the circuit right now. The gorgeous, techno-inflected pop-psych of Swim was one of the revelations of 2010 and in the live setting Dan Snaith and friends are able to disassemble and rebuild its architecture in the most fascinating ways. Snaith may have a PhD in maths but he'll be droppin' pure science at Glasgow ABC on 21 Nov.

With a cracking second album on the shelves and positive reviews coming in from all quarters, it feels like the world is The Phantom Band's for the taking right now. They'll surely be in celebratory mood when they play Glasgow Òran Mór on 21 Nov and with such a buzz around them you'd better look lively if you want to secure a ticket for this show.

An opportunity arises for five young hopeful groups of various persuasions (read: cheery electro-pop, folk, danceable post-punk and self-proclaimed ‘gypsy death funk infused indie’) to play the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party when Hog the Stage descends on the HMV Picture House on 21 Nov. Having all paid their dues on the local circuit over the last few years, Kitty the Lion, Pooch, Come on Gang!, Jakil and The Stagger Rats have run the gauntlet of 150 other unsigned bands to stake their claim. Attendees will be given a vote to cast on the night, with BBC Scotland’s Vic Galloway, Ed Stack of Ten Tracks, our own Music Editor and one more special guest judge also in the ranks.

A lot of bands have a reputation for outrageous stage behaviour but few actually live up to their own hype. Into this placid sea of pulled-punches and un-grazed knees dive Pulled Apart by Horses – shark-bait in one hand, plugged-in toaster in the other. Now watch them pull a stripped-down acoustic set out of the bag just to spite me. Get loco at Hustlers Pool Bar in Dundee on 19 Nov, Inverness Ironworks on 20 Nov, Aberdeen's Cafe Drummond on 21 Nov and Glasgow Òran Mór on 23 Nov.

If there was a genre called stoner-punk (and thank fuck there isn't) then Florida-based veterans Torche would be its number one exponents. Thick, pacey fuzz riffs and a bruising rhythm section make them a favourite of those who live life heavy. Punish those neck muscles at Glasgow Stereo on 24 Nov.

Formed by Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) together with partner Johnathan Rice, the accurately named Jenny and Johnny serve up breezy, melodic pop and playful foot-tapping rock n' roll. Fans of old-fashioned songcraft and boy/girl harmonising can get their fix at Glasgow Òran Mór on 23 Nov, Dundee Fat Sams on 29 Nov and Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire on the 30th.