September
Ms Ray
Saturday 12th September, 7.30pm
The Hug & Pint
thehugandpint.com
Mable Holland (aka Ms Ray) is an English singer/songwriter whose songs mainly deal with connections and the universalities of us all. She uses her music to try and bring people together. It’s not preachy but lush and seductive.
Although born in the 90s, she strongly believes in the timelessness of 80s music and her sound could easily be mistaken for being produced 40 years ago. For the geeks out there, it’s all DX7 synth and Linn drum machine, but her beautiful voice is very reserved and measured in its delivery, not shouty synth pop.
Think somewhere between a sparse Tears For Fears and Bonnie Raitt’s 80s stuff. But she seems to make it all not sound retro, it sounds fresh and contemporary… a very clever feat.
Oh, did I mention that she’s Jools Holland’s daughter?
Choice Track: ‘Signs’
Frank Hurricane
Monday 14th September, 7.30pm
Doublet Bar
wegottickets.com
‘I am Frank Hurricane. I’m a musician, a storyteller, a hiker and I live on the holy Appalachian mountains of North Carolina…’ is how he introduces himself.
An American guitarist singer/songwriter who somehow manages to mash up Jack Black, Richard Ashcroft and Jack White into one performer. His songs are all very spiritual and outdoorsy, about travelling, being self-sufficient and finding yourself having unexplainable mystical experiences.
Be warned though, he’s not that fussed about the confines of clothing, so expect partial nudity at some point during his show.
The Doublet Bar where he is performing has just topped Time Out’s list of Scotland’s best pubs of 2026, ranking third in the UK overall.
Choice Track: ‘Creekside Cooler’
Beth Malcolm
Friday 25th September, 7pm
Glasgow University Union Debating Chamber
gla.ac.uk/events
Beth Malcolm is a young traditional Scots singer from Perth. She quit her job as a history teacher in 2021 and, in her own words, ‘took the leap of faith into the big bad world of self-employment and entertainment’.
She’s not the most traditional trad singer though, being comfortable dipping her toe into modern, neo-soul and jazz. You can really hear it in the inflections in her voice, which makes her quite unique, but somehow she manages to make it all sound so natural.
In fact, there are parts of her 2024 album Folkmosis that are not what you would describe as trad music but definitely jazz/soul. I guess award-winning Scots pianist Fergus McCreadie has helped blur the boundaries too, and Beth just adds more fuel to those flames.
Choice Track: ‘Leavin’ Loch Leven’
