Scottish Live Music Highlights: December 2021
Our pick of December's gig highlights, and a look ahead to a bumper crop of Christmas gigs across Scotland
Like the past few months, there’s more than enough gigs worth getting excited about across Scotland this December. Firstly, following the release of her gorgeous new single Catkins last month, Motherwell singer-songwriter Kim Grant, who performs under the moniker Raveloe, plays her debut headline show at The Glad Cafe this month (2 Dec). There's also singer-songwriter talent to be found early in the month at Edinburgh's Summerhall (3 Dec) and Aberdeen's Lemon Tree (4 Dec) as Rachel Sermanni plays consecutive dates.
On 9 December new promoters Showout Events bring a night of hip-hop, rap, drill and grime to Glasgow’s Room 2, with Mic Righteous and Chef both playing, while the same day finally sees psych rockers Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs bring their massive 2020 album Viscerals to Scotland with the first of three dates at Edinburgh’s Summerhall before they play Glasgow’s St Luke’s (10 Dec) and Aberdeen’s The Lemon Tree (11 Dec). That weekend is a busy one across the rest of the central belt too with the Scottish Jazz Weekend at Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy (10-12 Dec); Swim School play The Mash House (11 Dec) and Modern Studies play Sneaky Pete’s (12 Dec), or catch them the night before at Glasgow’s The Glad Cafe. That weekend in Glasgow be sure to also catch the soulful Russell Stewart at The Poetry Club (10 Dec), post-punk skronkers Kaputt at Stereo (10 Dec) and indie-rock trio We Were Promised Jetpacks at QMU (11 Dec), before things come to a pre-Christmas head with VLURE at Glasgow’s King Tut’s (19 Dec) and Retro Video Club at Edinburgh’s The Caves (22 Dec).
Christmas gigs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen
Which leads us neatly onto Christmas gigs. Starting with a double whammy, Lost Map Records bring their Christmas HUMBUG! shows to both Edinburgh and Glasgow with Callum Easter playing Summerhall (3 Dec) and Herbert Powell playing Mono (4 Dec). On the same day in Aberdeen, it's the return of the AGP Christmas Gig at The Tunnels featuring The Vegan Leather, Declan Welsh and The Decadent West, Dead Pony and more. Born out of lockdown, on 15 December Fresh Tracks are hosting a festive Songwriter Circle at Glasgow’s Cottiers Theatre with performances from the likes of David Scott, Becci Wallace, Rosie Bans and Colonel John McMustard.
The following night, Edinburgh will welcome a Christmas Concert to Stockbridge’s St Vincent Chapel with music from Gaze is Ghost, Rue Marie and Navali, while Fistymuffs’ Festimuffs II will take place in The Banshee Labyrinth. Neu! Reekie! go all out for their Snowballer at Leith St Andrews Church on 17 December where you can expect performances from Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Clarissa Woods and Kathryn Williams, who by that point will even have a Christmas record out (Midnight Chorus arrives on 3 Dec). And capping off the festive gigs this year, in Glasgow Tommy Reilly hosts his seventh All Star Christmas gig at The Blue Arrow (23 Dec), raising money for Tiny Changes and Macmillan Cancer Support.