Scottish Live Music Highlights: November 2023

Following on from the 2023 SAY Award ceremony at the end of October, start your November right by checking out some of the artists up for this year’s award. Young Fathers play Usher Hall on 1 November, while in Glasgow, Cloth play Stereo on the same night. On 2 November, Pippa Blundell, one of five artists up for this year’s Sound of Young Scotland, plays The Rum Shack, while back in Edinburgh, Becky Sikasa brings her neo-soul to Summerhall (3 Nov). On 25 November you’ll find more SAY talent at Summerhall as Hamish Hawk drops in for Push The Boat Out, while in Glasgow, Brooke Combe headlines SWG3’s TV Studio space.

November is another busy month of launch shows for local talent too. In Glasgow, EYVE releases Um, Indecisive at Transmission Gallery (4 Nov) and Teenage Fanclub bring Nothing Lasts Forever to Tramway (5 Nov). Glasgow cassette label GLARC launch their latest tape for Nottingham outfit Food People at The Old Burnt Barns (9 Nov), before MALKA brings Anatomy of Sight to The Hug & Pint (11 Nov) and Josef Akin celebrates a double EP launch at The Rum Shack (12 Nov). Also at The Rum Shack, Jacob Yates and the Pearly Gate Lockpickers launch Murder 24/7 (16 Nov) via Errol’s Hot Wax, a new label running out of Errol’s Hot Pizza in Govanhill. Headcleaner Clown Society bring a night of noise to The Hug & Pint to launch their EP (18 Nov), Glasgow's Lawsuit (featuring the cover artist of this very issue) launch their debut single in The Old Hairdresser's (19 Nov) while on the 23rd and 24th respectively, Lucia & The Best Boys and Barry Can’t Swim celebrate their debut LPs with shows at SWG3.

Edinburgh similarly has a bunch of release parties taking place, with Rosie H Sullivan at Voodoo Rooms (5 Nov), Carla J. Easton at Summerhall (11 Nov) and Katie Gregson-MacLeod at The Mash House (25 Nov), while in Dundee King Creosote launches I DES at Assai (6 Nov), NATI. celebrates Older at Beat Generator Live! (18 Nov) and Theo Bleak parties through the Pain at Chamber East (18 Nov).

There are a handful of festivals/festival-like events taking place this month too, ofc. In Glasgow, The Great Western features Warmduscher, Wu-Lu, LYNKS, Former Champ, Ruby Gaines and more (4 Nov); London’s Decolonise Fest bring the show on the road to Mono (11 Nov) with Kapil Seshasayee, R.AGGS and Trishaaa; BBC 6 Music bring New Music Fix Live to Pacific Quay and SWG3 (13-16 Nov); DIY all-dayer Hybrid Fest comes to Drygate Brewery (17 Nov), while music industry conference and live showcase Resonate comes to Platform (23 Nov). Meanwhile in Edinburgh, Deep Time, a festival of new music featuring radical, experimental composers and improvisers comes to Fruitmarket (16-19 Nov).