Scottish Live Music Highlights: May 2025

At the top of the month, in Edinburgh, Wide Days host two New From Scotland showcase nights at La Belle Angele and Sneaky Pete’s on 1 and 2 May, with her picture, Indoor Foxes, Gurry Wurry, Theo Bleak and loads more set to play. Then, from 2 to 12 May, check out the jam-packed Edinburgh Tradfest programme; our top picks include For the Love of Trees and Fiona Soe Paing (5 May), Beth Malcolm’s Folkmosis (7 May) and Seckou Keita (8 May), all at the Traverse Theatre. 

In Glasgow, check out the latest instalment of multi-venue festival Stag & Dagger (3 May) featuring Big Special, Grayling, Saint Sappho, Water Machine and more. As part of the Creatives of Colour Festival (9 May), The Glad Cafe host live music from Kapil Seshasayee and Intibint, with a DJ set from Arusa Qureshi. Over at King Tut’s, The Road to The Great Escape (9 & 10 May) looks forward to the Brighton showcase festival with performances from Citizen Papes, Indoor Foxes and Bottle Rockets amongst others.

Leaving the Central Belt briefly to head for Dumfries and Galloway, this month also brings with it the first big outdoor camping and family friendly festival of the season in the form of Knockengorroch (22-25 May), with music from Dub Pistols, Elephant Sessions, Kinnaris Quintet, Gasper Nali, Dara Dubh amongst others. Back in Glasgow at the end of the month, Clyde Chorus (29-31 May) celebrates 850 years of Glasgow with music from Lucia & The Best Boys, Nina Nesbitt, PAQUE and more, while across the same days in Dundee, SUBSTANCE vol. 2 invites you to discover your new favourite band across its three-night run, with Red Vanilla, National Playboys and more set to play.

Now, let's talk locals celebrating new music. In Edinburgh, Buffet Lunch host their Perfect Hit! album launch at Settlement Projects (3 May), while waverley. launch Flail at Cabaret Voltaire (9 May). At Sneaky Pete’s, Rebecca Vasmant brings her ensemble to the capital to celebrate the release of Who We Are Becoming (14 May), while a couple of nights later Maranta celebrate their debut album Day Long Dream with what will be their final ever show (Assembly Roxy, 16 May), a fact we're feeling very sad about.

In Glasgow, Malin Lewis celebrates the one year anniversary of their beautiful small pipes-led debut album Halocline (The Rum Shack, 7 May), while Maz & The Phantasms launch their latest single Factory Hell with Phantasmagasm III at Stereo featuring live music from themselves, Dragged Up and Lemon Drink, plus DJ sets from Miss Cabbage and Mairi ‘B’ Pots (10 May). A brief detour to Galashiels will treat your ears to Day Sleeper’s This House Won’t Fold EP launch at MacArts (16 May), while back in Glasgow, Mogwai play two nights at the Barrowlands (17 & 18 May). At the end of the month, seek out Quinie’s Forefowk, Mind Me album launch at Mono (29 May), for a night of experimental music.

Also this month, catch more local talent in the form of Cowboy Hunters (Leith Depot, 1 May), Tamzene (The Poetry Club, 16 May) and Humour (Sneaky Pete’s, 27 May), or head to Malin Lewis presents Frigg, Marvara and Me Lost Me as part of an ongoing series at The Queen’s Hall (31 May). For touring artists, catch Alabaster DePlume (Mono, 2 May), Baths (The Poetry Club, 6 May), Panic Shack (King Tut’s, 13 May), Soccer Mommy (SWG3, 13 May), Still House Plants (Tolbooth, Stirling, 15 May), Mannequin Pussy (QMU, 19 May), jasmine.4.t (King Tut’s, 21 May), Gaelynn Lea (Wee Red Bar, 24 May; The Glad Cafe, 25 May) or Wet Leg (Usher Hall, 27 May).