Scottish Live Music Highlights: June 2025
Family-friendly festivals, all-dayers, launch parties and whistle-stop tours – for Scotland's music lovers, June has it all
June marks the official start of summer festival season, and two family friendly affairs – Eden Festival (Moffat, 12-15 Jun) and Solas Festival (Perthshire, 20-22 Jun) – should be high up the priority list if you want a lovely camping weekend away with friends and/or family with an awesome soundtrack to boot. If being able to crash in your own bed is of higher importance, Hidden Door (11-15 Jun) takes over an old industrial site – The Paper Factory – in west Edinburgh with all manner of installations, performance art and live music set to take place across its five-day run, with Snapped Ankles, Mermaid Chunky, Erland Cooper, Katy J Pearson and Moor Mother heading up the bill.
In Glasgow, a collaboration between Scottish and Ukrainian artists brings Time Based: Sonic Interventions to various venues in the city (11-15 Jun), while the weekend before sees the inaugural Wastelands Festival (6-8 Jun) take over BAaD, Room 2, Slay and Stereo, featuring kitti, Doss, Pippa Blundell, Gaïa, Coffin Mulch and more. Later in the month, The Rum Shack host their second Hand of God All Dayer (21 Jun) with excellent South Londoners Blood Wizard topping the bill, plus local lovelies like Town Centre, Hound and Craig John Angus also set to play. Glasgow Jazz Festival also returns this month (18-22 Jun); as part of it catch Fat-Suit at Òran Mór and Matt Carmichael at Saint Luke’s (both 19 Jun) and Theon Cross ft. Graham Costello at Òran Mór (21 Jun).
Festivals aside, at the top of the month Glasgow singer-songwriter Pippa Blundell celebrates her debut album common thread with a listening party at The Glad Cafe (4 Jun), while on the same night Tom McGuire and the Brassholes launch their third album, A Name For Everything I’ll Ever Be, at The Rum Shack. The following night, our April cover star Jacob Alon brings their debut album In Limerace to The Art School, while the next week Kathryn Joseph celebrates WE WERE MADE PREY. at Saint Luke’s (11 Jun). On 20 June, wonky art-punks Water Machine launch their debut album God Park with a show at The Old Hairdresser’s, supported by Dancer, giving you an early taste of what to expect on our stage at Kelburn in July, while at the end of the month her picture launch their gorgeous debut EP Feed Me Hope at Stereo (27 Jun). Also, this month, Happy 10th Birthday to The Hug and Pint, who have a packed programme. Highlights include Moor Mother (16 Jun), Raz & Afla (19 Jun) and F.O. Machete (22 Jun).
Faith Eliot. Image: Flannery O'Kafka.
In Edinburgh this month, AMPLIFI returns to The Queen’s Hall with another stellar lineup of rising Scottish talent – expect Afrobeat from Pillz the Energizer, rap from A.K.A. Prince and soulful jazz from Aiysha, while on 13 June Faith Eliott launches their latest album, the absolutely stunning dryas, with a show at the Leith FAB Cricket Club. Over in Dundee, singer-songwriter Theo Bleak brings their latest EP, Bad Luck Is Two Yellow Flowers, home for a show at brand new venue, Canvas.
When it comes to tours, there’s a lot going on in Glasgow this month. Factory Floor play a gig slot at Sub Club (3 Jun), caroline bring caroline 2 to Saint Luke’s (7 Jun), Pulp celebrate More, their first album in almost 24 years, at OVO Hydro (7 Jun), Horsegirl bring Phonetics On and On to Mono (22 Jun), and catch Lana Del Rey at Hampden Park (26 Jun). At the Barrowlands, choose between Waxahatchee (8 Jun), Bright Eyes (22 Jun) and Japanese Breakfast (30 Jun), while in Edinburgh catch Osees at The Liquid Room (19 Jun) the night after their SWG3 show, or Lucy Dacus at Usher Hall (30 Jun).