Scottish Live Music Highlights: March 2025

March brings an early taste of festival season to Scotland with the Aberdeen Jazz Festival (13-23 Mar) featuring the likes of Georgia Cécile (Lemon Tree, 14 Mar), the Matt Carmichael Quintet (The Blue Lamp, 22 Mar) and Chun Wei-King, India Blue, Laura Oghagbon and Dara Dubh (The Blue Lamp, 23 Mar). In Glasgow, the latest installment of Govan Music Festival (26-29 Mar) returns to Govanhill featuring Becci Wallace, Steg G and Ant Thomaz, who’ll be launching his new album GAIA at the festival.

Speaking of launches, in Edinburgh, HENS BENS bring their computer-aided pop-rock chaos to Sneaky Pete’s (6 Mar) to celebrate World’s Strongest Band, while rapper Tzusan launches Ponzu at the Leith Cricket Club on the 7th (or catch him at The Poetry Club, Glasgow, 14 Mar). Later in the month, join East Lothian instrumental prog-rock outfit Idiogram as they launch Reunion of Broken Parts at The Caves (22 Mar). Over in Glasgow, Majesty Palm celebrate their stunning debut pop EP Learning to Swim with an intimate show at The Alchemy Experiment (8 Mar), while the Glasgow Slowcore Compilation Launch is happening at The Rum Shack (14 Mar) with Sulka, Loup Havenith and more. At The Hug & Pint on 16 March, Glasgow art-rock outfit Water Machine launch their new single Tiffany, with comfort and Count Florida on support. Later in the month, F.O. Machete's rescheduled Mother of a Thousand album launch is on at Nice N Sleazy (23 Mar), while Sacred Paws celebrate Jump Into Life at Mono (30 Mar).

Snapped Ankles. Credit: Louise Mason.

Outwith launches, Bikini Body and Conscious Pilot round off their UK tour with dates in Glasgow (The Rum Shack, 7 Mar), Edinburgh (Leith Cricket Club, 8 Mar) and Aberdeen (Tunnels, 9 Mar). At the Tolbooth in Stirling, in partnership with The SAY Award, Kathryn Joseph performs Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I Have Spilled (8 Mar) and Admiral Fallow perform Tree Bursts In Snow (15 Mar). In Glasgow, Radiophrenia host Light At the End of the Dial at The Glad Cafe (15 Mar) featuring two new works by David Grubbs, Luke Fowler and Brunhild Ferrari. While in Edinburgh, celebrating International Women’s Day, supergroup Machine Orchid – Aurora Engine, Caro Bridges and Emma Lloyd – host a gig and singing workshop at Leith Arches (9 Mar) with all profits going to Women’s Aid Edinburgh. AMPLIFI returns to The Queen’s Hall with Gaïa, Liz Pretty Sweet and Segun Aniyi (19 Mar), and Works In Progress III takes over Leith Depot featuring Cici, Siân and Jebel Musa (20 Mar).

If you’re still looking for local acts to check out, catch neverfine at Sneaky Pete’s (8 Mar), Vukovi at SWG3 (9 Mar), or Haiver at King Tut’s (15 Mar). Lucia and the Best Boys play SWG3 (20 Mar), Lauren Mayberry plays shows at the Barrowlands (20 Mar) and La Belle Angele (21 Mar), and Cloth play MacArts (22 Mar) and Tunnels (29 Mar). When it comes to touring talent, head out for bdrmm (QMU, 9 Mar), Michael Kiwanuka (Usher Hall (12 Mar), Snapped Ankles (Room 2, 14 Mar), Juanita Stein (Nice N Sleazy, 18 Mar; Sneaky Pete’s, 19 Mar), The Dare (QMU, 21 Mar), Moonchild Sanelly (King Tut’s, 23 Mar), Ditz (The Hug & Pint, 25 Mar) or Geordie Greep (The Liquid Room, 30 Mar).