Gigs in Glasgow this August
With Greg Kane
Arse
Friday 7th August 7.30pm
The Hug & Pint
thehugandpint.com
I was reliving the days of punk with an old friend recently. What fun times. Our DIY, don’t really know what we’re doing ethos made for some hilarious scenarios. But in the era of knowledge abundance we live in, it’s confusing to come across a punk band making DIY, high energy, trashy music. Arse are a trio from Sydney, Australia. They play raw, traditional, minimalist punk that contrasts with deeply intelligent, socially conscious lyrics. They are also very close friends who grew up together and see Arse as the perfect excuse to hang out and have fun.
I’m no luddite, but maybe simplifying your life and spending quality time with the ones you love helps ease the confusion. I think they’re onto something.
Choice Track: ‘Power Tripper’
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Monday 17th August 6.30pm
OVO Hydro
ovohydro.com
The Jesus and Mary Chain are Scots brothers Jim (singer) and William (Guitarist) Reid. They formed in 1983 in the first Scottish new town of East Kilbride. Over their 43-year career they have notched up 12 UK top 40 singles and nine UK top 40 albums, with most recent ‘Glasgow Eyes’ charting at number seven in April 2024. Impressive numbers considering the music style.
Post Punk Noise Pop? That’s the best I can come up with. But their unconventional style of music also achieved global reach with similar successes. Relentless touring took its toll with the brothers’ relationship crumbling in the middle of a US tour in 1999. ‘We work together, then we tour together… we want to kill each other and then we try to kill each other’ is how Jim explained the fall out. It took eight years for the wounds to heal with them reuniting to perform at the Coachella festival in 2007. They are in demand at Alt Rock festivals so expect to see them in a noisy field somewhere every summer.
Choice Track: ‘Jamcod’
Andrea Von Kampen
Tuesday 18th August 7.30pm
The Hug & Pint
thehugandpint.com
Andrea von Kampen is an American folk singer-songwriter from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She started getting some traction after she sent a song into NPR’s Tiny Desk contest in 2016 with it ending up in the top 10. What followed was six years of self-financing EP releases, touring and promoting, with her eventually signing to a management agency and then to Fantasy Records in 2022. She has such a beautiful soft voice, is a lovely guitar picker and her songs are skilfully observant. In her live shows she’s been known to cover songs by Fionn Regan and Jackson Brown which pretty much describes the way she delivers. I’ve been listening all afternoon… I’m so chilled out.
Choice Track: ‘Take Back Thy Gift’
