Scottish Live Music Highlights: September 2024

The big music festival to look out for this month is the biennial Sonica. This month it returns for its eighth outing – a ten-day stretch of audiovisual delights taking place in arts venues, cinemas and swimming pools across Glasgow (19-29 Sep). Ela Orleans’ La Nuit Dorée gets its world premiere at Tramway (19 Sep), while the UK premiere of SHHE’s immersive vocal work The Moving Tides happens in the same spot the following night. On the 28th, choose between a double-bill of Egyptian artist Shadwa Ali and Supermann on da Beat at The Glad Cafe, or Dutch queer pop duo No Plexus at Tramway.

The Old Hairdresser’s hosts two festivals this month. Freakender’s three-day party (6-8 Sep) features over 20 bands playing a mix of leftfield indie, electronica, synth pop, post-punk, doom-wop and more. Highlights include Bikini Body, Kaputt, Nightshift and Saint Sappho. Later in the month check out 1.5 Months All-Dayer (21 Sep), which celebrates underground, experimental and outsider music from the Glasgow scene. Performances will come from artists like The Suits, Mhenwhar Huws Newyyd and the excellently named Rutger Hauser.

Outwith Glasgow, check out Dunfermline's Outwith Festival (7 Sep), featuring live music from Das Koolies, Kathryn Joseph and Lomond Campbell, Grayling, Rosie H. Sullivan and Kohla. Or head to Dumfries for Trax, a super-cool fest taking place in a repurposed space next to Dumfries Railway Station with Psweatpants, The Big Day, Alice Faye and Sweaty Palms all set to play.

Loads of local artists are releasing new singles, EPs and albums this month. In Edinburgh, on 14 September celebrate new music from Mahuki at The Mash House and Josephine Sillars at Summerhall, while in Glasgow there are launches from Jewel Scheme (The Glad Cafe, 15 Sep), Zerrin (The Rum Shack, 17 Sep), Glasgow African Balafon Orchestra (Stereo, 20 Sep) and Morven and the McArdles (The Hug & Pint, 22 Sep).

Also on the circuit this month, Grayling and Rhona Macfarlane play together at Stirling's Tolbooth (6 Sep), Frabbit’s Billy Kennedy fronts Haiver at The Mash House (7 Sep), Doss plays Other Other Music at Leith Depot (13 Sep), and Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman celebrate last month's Ash Grey and the Gull Glides On with dates in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh (5-20 Sep). Arab Strap play shows in St Andrews, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dumfries, Galashiels and Glasgow (16-21 Sep), Jacob Alon plays dates in Glasgow and Edinburgh (23 & 24 Sep), Tamzene rolls through Inverness and Glasgow (26 & 27 Sep), and DARA DUBH plays her debut headline show at Sneaky Pete’s (27 Sep).

Elsewhere, there are fundraisers for Refuweegee (NO A MEAN CITY, The Rum Shack, 7 Sep), and Medical Aid for Palestine (Sing for Gaza, Leith Depot, 19 Sep), while touring artists come from far and wide throughout the month. Don't miss Gossip (SWG3, 3 Sep), Melt-Banana (The Mash House, 11 Sep; Stereo, 12 Sep), American Football (Barrowlands, 12 Sep), Chappell Roan (O2 Academy Glasgow, 15 Sep), Lauran Hibberd (King Tut’s, 17 Sep), Los Campesinos! (QMU, 21 Sep), The The (Usher Hall, 25 Sep), or Crack Cloud (Stereo, 27 Sep).