Live Music Highlights – October 2011

Taking place over the weekend of 30 Sep/1 Oct, the Eastern Promise two-day festival returns to Glasgow's Platform this year. Arty electronic two-piece Tarwater top the bill on Friday before their drummer Ronald Lippok returns to his mothership in time for a headline performance from motorik experimentalists To Rococo Rot on the Saturday. Appearances from free-jazz heavyweights The Thing, plus local notables The Pastels, Withered Hand and Conquering Animal Sound (amongst many others) add to the festival's eclectic feel. There's also an independent record fair on the Saturday and tickets are a snip at £15 for the weekend. Snap them up at Monorail, Tickets Scotland or See Tickets.

Energetic alt-pop four-piece Mazes stop by Edinburgh Sneaky Pete's on 5 Oct and Glasgow Captain's Rest on 6 Oct as part of their first headline tour. Anyone pining for the days of breezy, ruffle-haired mid-nineties indie would do well to check out these talented youngsters. Support comes courtesy of intense Manc labelmates Milk Maid, with unstoppable local boys PAWS joining the bill at Pete's.

The creative coupling of Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat produced one of this year's most affecting Scottish records in the form of Everything's Getting Older, and we recommend you jump at the rare chance to see them perform live at Paisley Arts Centre on 7 Oct, Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire on 14 Oct or Aberdeen Lemon Tree on 15 Oct. Both of these gents have great form and given the grit and glory of the material they're working with, these dates promise to be something a bit special.

Super Furry Animals honcho Gruff Rhys stops by Edinburgh's Bongo Club on 8 Oct for an evening of pleasantly psychedelic folk-rock, sugar-sweet melodies and wistful lyricism. Bisto, motherfuckers.

Space-rock warlocks Spiritualized head to Edinburgh's Queen's Hall on 9 Oct for what should be one of the gigs of the month. With a knack for imbuing even their most psychedelic indulgences with potent emotional clout, it's rare that Jason Pierce and co. turn out anything less than a stellar performance. Expect fireworks, people.

A lot has happened in the world of The Icarus Line since they first staggered into our consciousness a decade ago, and we'd be lying if we said we knew exactly what kind of line-up is going to appear at Glasgow King Tut's on 12 Oct, but as long as the cartoonish rock n' roll swashbuckler that is Joey Cardamone lives and breathes it's bound to be an engaging show.

Quirky steamfolk experimentalist Thomas Truax stops by Aberdeen Tunnels on 12 Oct for an evening of concentrated discombobulation. Using hacked and homemade instrumentation (who wants an 808 when you can have a solenoid-powered bicycle wheel?) Truax's blend of off-kilter loops, shambolic improvisation and fantastical storytelling may be fanciful, but he's got enough charm and ingenuity to pull it off.

Stonehaven four-piece Copy Haho play lovingly-crafted indie rock that vibrates with colour and energy. Paragons of originality they may not be, but their enthusiasm and youthful bluster should make for a fine evening at Aberdeen Cafe Drummonds on 14 Oct, Edinburgh Sneaky Pete's on 18 Oct and Glasgow Captain's Rest on 19 Oct.

Under-appreciated synth-pop pioneer John Foxx (together with present-day collaborators The Maths) heads to Glasgow Arches on 23 Oct for an evening of retro-futuristic decadence. Punters can expect numerous cuts from his acclaimed 2011 opus, Interplay, together with choice solo joints and even a few Ultravox gems.

The unstoppable juggernaut of positivity that is Michael Franti and Spearhead is set to hit Glasgow Òran Mór on 24 Oct. Tackling issues ranging from criminal justice to the benefits of good Mary Jane, Franti's boundless confidence (together with the jaw-dropping technical skills of Spearhead) allows him to juggle hip-hop, punk, soul and reggae influences with ease, and his ability to command an audience's attention is second to none. Don't miss it.

Glasgow's Sons and Daughters made a triumphant return to form earlier this year with their Mirror Mirror LP, but they've always shone in the live arena, making the most of their group dynamic to deploy a sound that's both visceral and dripping with atmosphere. See them at Aberdeen Tunnels on 19 Oct, Dundee Fat Sam's on 20 Oct, and Glasgow ABC on 28 Oct.

It's been almost a decade since they recorded House of Jealous Lovers, and whilst The Rapture are unlikely to ever again steal the spotlight in such an explosive way, new album In the Grace of Your Love proves they've got the songs to back up their hooks, making their gig at Glasgow's SWG3 on 30 Oct a solid recommendation for anyone with even a passing interest in taut, danceable art rock.