The best music gigs in Glasgow this February
By Greg Kane
Ezequiel Arias
Sunday 15th February 3pm
Radisson Red
Ezequiel Arias is a young electronic musician from Argentina. He has built his synth studio in the northern city of Córdoba and that’s where he finds his inspiration to make all his progressive house music. He studied his trade from an early age attending the ‘Side Trance’ festivals taking place in the mountainous region in the South of Argentina. He sent his early music to top Argentinian DJ Hernán Cattaneo who started to play Arias’ recordings on his influential progressive house podcast ‘Resident’. At the end of the pandemic Ezequiel set up his record company Melorama Música to champion the DJs and musicians of Argentina’s progressive house scene and it’s now a Global go to source for this genre of music. Expect a night of patient, emotional, melodic house music.
Choice track: ’SF to Córdoba’
Raye
Friday 20th February 6:30pm
OVO Hydro
Rachel Agatha Keen known professionally as Raye, is a British singer-songwriter and record producer. After various guest appearances on prominent dance singles throughout the late noughteens, she gained media attention in 2022 with her departure from her record label, Polydor Records which allegedly refused to release her debut album. She then went onto re-record her album ‘My 21st Century Blues’ and release it independently in 2023. It was the 3rd single from this album ‘Escapism’ that eventually broke through topping the charts in the UK and climbing high in the US Billboard singles chart. This album won 6 Brit awards, the most received in a single ceremony of the organisation and was also nominated for 3 Grammys. Her second album is scheduled for release in early 2026 when she’ll embark upon a world tour to promote it. A genre-blending night of R&B, pop and jazz.
Choice track: ‘Escapism’
Portugal. The Man
Tuesday 24th February 7pm
Galvanizers Yard, SWG3
Portugal. The Man is an American alt/rock band from Wasilla, Alaska, now based in Portland, Oregon. Formed in 2006 by John Gourley who was raised in rural isolated Alaska, off the grid… his parents were dog sled mushers. It was a miracle that he found anyone else to form a band with but he was a budding songwriter and sent off demo songs to other Alaskan musicians in the hope that they would like his songs enough to play them. And they did, with Gourley eventually joining these musicians to perform the songs live. Wind forward 20 years and Portugal. The Man are on their 10th studio album release. The music? I’m not sure how to best describe it. Odd… poppy… grungey… psychedelic… unpredictable. But strangely very listenable, a difficult balancing act, but all done in fetching, matching blue jump suits. Confusingly entertaining.
Choice track: ‘Feel It Still’
