Scottish Music Highlights: 29 Aug - 4 Sep

Gigs in Edinburgh

Mac DeMarco @ Usher Hall, 30 Aug 
A+ songwriter and loveable goofball, Mac DeMarco pitches up at the Usher Hall tonight to put a full stop on festival season in the capital. Expect plenty of tracks from new album This Old Dog, and a whole load of top-notch stage patter.

Tigercats @ Sneaky Pete's, 31 Aug
The melodic indie five-piece – who've drawn comparisons with the likes of Orange Juice and The Violent Femmes – hit Sneaky Pete's with support coming from Glasgow dream-poppers Life Model and the off-kilter indie of Fuzzystar.

Outblinker @ Henry's Cellar Bar, 2 Sep
The Glasgow psych outfit hit Henry's for an evening of very, very, very loud noises. When we asked the band's Luigi Pasquini to describe their sound back in 2015, he deadpanned: “It’s pretty much psychedelic music played with lots of synthesisers.” We'd pack the earplugs for this one. 

American Football @ Summerhall, 3 Sep
The 90s emo luminaries are back, touring in support of their second self-titled album which dropped last year. In a slightly unexpected turn of events, AF frontman Mike Kinsella is on support duties with his Owen solo project; two slices of intricately-woven emo for the price of one.

Jeffrey Lewis / The Burning Hell @ Hibernian Supporter's Club, 4 Sep
The New York comic book writer, artist and musician hits the road for an extensive Scottish tour this month, kicking off in Leith on Monday. Lewis put together a playlist of his favourite on-the-road tunes for us – check it out here. There's also an acoustic set from The Burning Hell thrown in to sweeten the deal.

Gigs in Glasgow

Deap Vally @ King Tut's, 29 Aug
Energetic California duo Deap Vally hit King Tut's – if it's anything like their show in Liverpool a year ago, expect plenty of passion, versatility, and a mild amount of crowd-surfing.

The xx + Perfume Genius + Kelly Lee Owens @ SWG3 Galvanizer's Yard, 29 & 30 Aug
The much-loved ambient indie trio play a pair of huge shows at SWG3's new Galvanizer's Yard venue, with support coming from electronic songwriter Kelly Lee Owens and the irrepressible Perfume Genius.

Mdou Moctar @ Mono, 30 Aug 
Mdou Moctar is a Tuareg songwriter and musician based in Agadez, Niger. In a somewhat crowded scene, guitarist Moctar stands apart from his peers as one of the few original Tuareg songwriters willing to experiment. Pushing the boundaries of the style, he’s also one of the few musicians to perform modern electronic adaptations of Tuareg guitar music. This is a night of West African music not to be missed.

The Pastels + Ela Orleans @ The Glad Cafe, 31 Aug & 1 Sep
80s indie stalwarts The Pastels play a pair of intimate shows at The Glad Cafe, with support from Scottish Album of the Year nominee Ela Orleans.

BooHooHoo @ Nice N Sleazy, 1 Sep
Glasgow indie-pop trio BooHooHoo are bags of fun, so a show in the intimate confines of Sleazy's comes highly recommended. Support comes from Aberdeen indie outfit The Little Kicks.

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Event of the Week

Electric Fields @ Drumlanrig Castle, 1-2 Sep
We may be at the end of a long summer, but Electric Fields may have saved one of the best festival line-ups for last. The Borders-based festival is packed with Skinny favourites from top to bottom – Frightened Rabbit and Dizzee Rascal headline, but it's further down the bill where many of the gems lie. 

Kate Tempest, Car Seat Headrest, Anna Meredith, Sacred Paws, Pins, Real Estate... and that's before we get into the Sneaky Pete's-curated dance tent, or Neu! Reekie!'s spoken word line-up. Here's a guide to ten of the acts we're most looking forward to, now cancel your weekend plans and hit the road. You. Will. Not. Regret. It.

[Sacred Paws by Kate Johnston]

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Clubs of the Week

Sounds of the African Diaspora @ Stereo, Glasgow, 31 Aug
Featuring a collaboration between South African avant-garde musicians Sibusile Xaba and Thabang Tabane as well as a trio of Afrobeat DJ sets, Sounds... is brought to you by experimental Johannesburg record label Mushroom Hour Half Hour and artists Julia Scott and Mele Broomes, with the goal to foster more collaboration between Scotland and South African-based artists.

Impossible Island #01 with Werkha / Babe / MR TC @ Stereo, Glasgow, 1 Sep
Is This All There Is? are aiming to, in their words, "explore the border between live music and dance music" with new night Impossible Island, and they've taken a pretty good swing at it for their debut. Live sets from genre-hopping Mancunian producer Werkha, electro-pop/R'n'B hybrid Babe and Optimo Music signee Mr TC all await for an all-night party at Stereo.  

Numbers present... Detroit in Effect, Jackmaster & Martin Mckay @ Sub Club, Glasgow, 1 Sep
Elusive Detroit techno DJ Maaco from Detroit in Effect makes a very rare appearance at the Subbie this weekend, joined by Jackmaster (aka Hillhead in Effect) and Rubadub’s Martin McKay (Barrhead in Effect).

haptic presents... Lord of The Isles @ The Mash House, Edinburgh, 1 Sep
Neil McDonald, aka Lord of the Isles, brings a combination of a DJ set and an hour-long live set of his own compositions to The Mash House tonight. Get the lowdown on some of McDonald's favourite tracks in his Guest Selector DJ chart.

H+Px10: Salon des Amateurs x Lena Willikens x Vladimir Ivkovic @ Sub Club, Glasgow, 3 Sep
Huntleys and Palmers celebrate their tenth anniversary this year, bringing a showcase of the influential Dusseldorf venue Salon des Amateurs to the Sub Club for a Sunday night party.