Tenement Trail 2025 - review

I took a moment on Saturday to reflect on the regeneration of the area around the world famous Barrowland Ballroom. So many amazing places have cropped up in the last decade - Saint Luke's, BAaD, The Gate, The Winged Ox, Van Winkle and 226 Gallowgate ... not to mention the way the old market now contains funky food outlets and super cool coffee bars. 

It never used to be like this! All the above venues came together to host Tenement Trail 2025, joined by McChuills, which is just a few minutes away from the venues across the road, behind, or to the side of the Barrowland.

Take 50+ new and breaking bands and artists and plant them in the middle of this and you have a super cool festival.

My friend Joe and I headed towards the Barrowland for 1.30pm. Here is how our day panned out;

2.45pm - Vanderlye at The Winged Ox

After lunch we headed straight to The Winged Ox (the bar at Saint Luke's) to catch our first band of the day. Vanderlye have released 7 singles/EP's over the last few years, building their sound and momentum. They might have wondered if they had pulled the short straw as they began their set with 20-30 people in the room. But before their first song had ended, it was absolutely rammed. Those that got down early were rewarded with an atmospheric and anthemic set. Guitars swirled Becky Clarke's voice soared with ease, gelling with singer and guitarist Sean McGarvey. Their second guitarist was creating some cool psychedelic sounds that reminded me of early Verve. 

3.30pm - Katie Nicoll at The Gate (secret acoustic set)

En route to our next gig, we decided we had time to stop into The Gate for a quick pint and were rewarded by chancing upon a secret acoustic set by singer Katie Nicoll that was about to start. While we could only stay for a few songs, there was time for Nicoll to showcase a song called Jodie Said that we both enjoyed. The chorus flowed superbly. 

4pm - Fatale at 226 Gallowgate

We headed across the road to 226 Gallowgate and wondered if we were late for Fatale as we could hear them as we entered. Thankfully it was just a quick line check. The bar quickly packed out and we were grateful to be near the front to get a view from the side, as those at the back wouldn't have seen much. Fatale were only playing their 4th gig, but they have generated a buzz with their shows from their debut at the Vicar Street Social night in McChuills back in May, to King Tuts in July and Bannermans in Edinburgh in September.

Fatale played a furiously fantastic fuzzy guitar pop set. A choice cover of The Vaselines Molly's Lips (more like the Nirvana cover) second song in highlighted their influences. Another Sunrise followed and the hook of wanting to go out is one that I can imagine being popular when they get round to recording and releasing. Own Embrace was introduced as a new one and it sounds like the band are developing all the time. After seeing Fatale at Tuts I described their song Jesus Christ as the catchiest guitar song I've heard in a long time. I stand by that as I found myself singing along and I've only heard it once. 

Ending with the two songs they released as demos, a sublime cover of the Velvets Femme Fatale and a glorious romp through Moves You, their forthcoming debut single, Fatale will most certainly have won some new fans. Next up for them is a show at McChuills on Halloween. TICKETS.

5pm - Madra Salach at Van Winkle

Joe had checked out Madra Salach from Dublin online and was keen to see them, so we headed straight over to Van Winkle and got a couple of pints just before the venue was packed out. The six piece outfit blew us away! Singer Paul Banks and his band opened proceedings with recent debut single Blue & Gold. Banks stretched his vocal chords to sing from the bottom of his soul and with all his heart. 

I found it hard to take my eyes off Banks. His captivating presence through his voice, eyes and expressions - think a bit Lydon and MacGowan (not to mention the cracking sheepskin coat he wore for the first song and then quickly discarded) wowed the crowd. His band mates created atmospheric soundscapes for him to sing over. Their Celtic folk soul sound was both familiar, yet unique, they definitely have their own take on traditional music.

Closing song The Man Who Seeks Pleasure (Is the Man Who Seeks Pain) was a genuine spine tingling moment. It will be interesting to see if they can capture this kind of intensity on record. This was beautifully raw, heartfelt and soulful. Banks gave it his all and his band played as if their lives depended on it. 

5.45pm - Youth for Sale at The Winged Ox

Resisting the urge to stop for a burger at the outdoor BBQ and Guinness Bar that was set up outside Saint Luke's, we headed back to The Winged Ox for Youth for Sale, a 6-piece band from Cambuslang that a few friends had recommended. I could immediately hear why - their dreamy indie sound was pretty sweet and they had the talent to swap instruments and take tuns on lead vocals. A choice cover of Alanis Morrisette's Hand In My Pocket was sublime. I'd definitely go and see them again.

6.15pm - Etta Marcus at Saint Luke's

After an afternoon of gigs and beer/Guinness, the need for food was calling loudly. We resisted again to head though to the beautiful auditorium of Saint Luke's for Etta Marcus.

Although, the vibe was in contrast to the energy, intensity and fun in the smaller venues that we had experienced to date, we weren't really feeling it. Maybe it was a case of the wrong timing.

So, after a few songs, the call of a BBQ'd burger and Guinness won us over and we headed outside. A few of Madra Sach were sat at the table behind us and I had a quick word with the drummer who seemed a lovely guy. They were delighted to be in Glasgow and hope to be back before too long.

McChuills with DJ Vinny

Post burger and Guinness (top marks to the team at Saint Luke's for this combo!), we were a little unsure of how long we'd stay out for. 

Deciding to be sensible in our old age (partly due to Joe having to be back to let the babysitter away!), we decamped to McChuills for one (or was it two?) final Guinness and some top tunes in the bar courtesy of DJ Vinny who played The War On Drugs, Stone Roses and all kinds of stuff that I can no longer remember. But enough to keep us entertained until we headed for our 9.20pm train, so we were home and in our beds long before headliners and secret sets! We'll need to catch Chloe Slater another time.

Tenement Trail 2026

We'd had a brilliant day and we didn't even make it to the Barrowland and BAaD! But then Tenement Trail has something for everyone. Whether it's the thrill of seeking out new bands, or going to see the more established bands further up the bill later in the day. 

I think we'll book a hotel next time and make a real day (and night) of it!

Early Bird tickets for Tenement Trail 2026 are on sale now.

Kerr Mercer at the Garage

 

There were a few moments last night at The Garage where Kerr Mercer tilted his head back, or slightly to the side, and just let rip, taking his already exceptionally rich, emotional, soulful and powerful voice to new levels.

It's quite the sight. Quite the sonic experience. 

Whenever this happened, my wife and I would exchange a little nod or glance in appreciation. However, there was one particular moment, during Kerr's song Soldier, when even his guitarist Adam Frame looked up in awe as his friend's voice soared beautifully. It was so nice to catch this.

Only 18-years old, Kerr Mercer has been building a head of steam for over a year, picking up some excellent support/opening slots for established artists to build his fanbase and hitting the road on his own mini tours. 

There was a real sense of occasion around last nights sold out show at The Garage. The venue looked incredible! Has it had a makeover? Or do I just always think back to when I was attending club nights as a teenager before getting a late (and very long) bus home to Carluke?

Perhaps there was a greater anticipation around the show after a fantastic feature was published on the BBC Scotland news page on Sunday morning. Journalist Jonathan Geddes brought out Kerr's humour, family values and humility in the interview. 

This is something Kerr naturally brings out on stage - whether forgetting to put his guitar on for a song, mentioning how his Mum brought him down to earth when he was hoping for a Glasgow aftershow (as any 18-year old would after a big hometown show) but had to get up at 5am for a flight to Europe to begin a tour supporting Only The Poets, or consistently thanking the audience and expressing his amazement that people showed up to see him - 'my knees are knocking backstage before every show as I don't think anyone will turn up.'

People turned up last night. I overheard a Dad talking to his daughter behind us. She had caught Kerr supporting someone and had brought her Dad along to The Garage. Dad approved - 'Aye, he's got something. What a voice!' I like to think that Dad and daughter will be having more bonding trips over Kerr Mercer gigs in the future. I hope to take our eldest to the next one after she turns 14 in June.

Anyway, on to the songs. Kerr Mercer showcased an exceptional talent for music (playing electric piano or acoustic/electric guitar), songwriting and singing. 

Setlist

1. Hurts
2. Love to Lose
3. Her
4. Best of Me
5. One in a Million
6. Never Be You
7. Jealous
8. Soldier
9. Waves
10. Handbags & Gladrags (Rod Stewart cover version)
11. Alcohol

The sense of occasion was heightened by the fact that Kerr was playing with a full band for the first time. Previous shows have seen Kerr performing solo (guitar/keyboard), or with Adam on guitar. Adam let rip on a couple of songs, relishing the opportunity to play electric guitar.

Mercer's and his band wasted no time in showing what they could do with an opening number entitled Hurts that reminded me a little of Michael Kiwanuka. With the addition of drums, Mercer said that he wanted the crowd to have the opportunity to dance, as well as enjoy his slow piano ballads. The backbeat was cool, as was the song.

Love to Lose slowed things back down, Her had one of those choruses that take off, aching with love, angst, heartache and heartbreak.

One in a Million was a stunner. Pre-show someone had handed out pieces of heart-shaped cards displaying the song title. People started holding them up after Kerr introduced the song and his band played the intro. It took Kerr a verse to realise what everyone was doing and he laughed to say he was wondering what they were and knew who probably brought them. One in a Million is a beautiful song, I fully expect it to be playing on the radio before too long.

I think it was during Never Be You that Kerr displayed some outstanding piano skills and then there was a fantastic run of 3 songs that I've got to know over the last year of catching him live.

Jealous is a heart tugging gem with Kerr pouring his heart out (as he does on every song, but the lyrics go pretty deep here). It's so well written and arranged that you could be forgiven for thinking tht it is an old classic. Soldier is soulful with Kerr really going for it and Waves seems to have been adopted as a real fan favourite. 

Kerr likes to play a cover in his sets and he opted for an older song than usual, playing Rod Stewart's Handbags & Gladrags (I've only just found out this isn't a Rod original! It was written by Mike d'Abo of Manfred Mann and originally recorded by Chris Farlowe), although Kerr discovered the song through a later day version by The Stereophonics. Regardless of who wrote it or originally recorded it, Mercer delivered it with raw emotion, like messrs Stewart and Jones. The song suited him perfectly and allowed him to attack his piano as he sang. Stunning! 

Closing with Alcohol, Kerr teased that it might be his debut single, there was no encore. Not to worry, there is A LOT more to come from this young man. 

Kerr Mercer plays TRNSMT 2025 on Sunday 13th July. Keep an eye on his Instagram for regular story updates about his shows, songwriting and plans.

Stephen Solo at La Chunky

I wasn't intending to write a blog on Stephen Solo's album launch party at La Chunky Studio in the Hidden Lane. I had already waxed lyrically about Pii 2 in my previous blog. However, there was a special magic in the air of Finnieston last night and I wanted to try and capture in a blog.

The venue helped - turning off the West End of Argyle Street down a cobbled lane that leads to all kinds of independent and arty studios and offices, you go to the far left top corner and come across La Chunky Studio.

Owner Ronan Breslin has a long association with Stephen and has also worked with a number of other LNFG artists. Pii 2 is a rather unique album, so we wanted to launch it in a rather unique place, Ronan was the perfect host, La Chunky the perfect setting.

You enter through the studio control room, a huge vintage desk dominates the right hand side, a sofa, old equipment and memorabilia are on the other side. The walls are decorated with releases from all kinds of Scottish bands and artists that have worked there.

You then enter the live room, which doubled as the ticket office, cloakroom and bar (through a raffle system) and hang out area. But the coolest part of La Chunky is probably the huge back room over 2 levels. Ronan and his team had cleared amps and equipment to allow for a 50 capacity venue. So we had people sitting on stairs, watching from 2 'balconies' and people literally in front of Stephen. Old retro lamps were the stage lights, there was a nice homely and relaxed feel.

There was a mood for celebration - Stephen and LNFG had an album out - and Craig, a great friend and former band-mate of Stephen's had become a father earlier in the week.

The stage was set for a small band.....but Stephen Solo entered alone and proceeded to weave his magic over the crowd with his wonderful songs that he has recorded over the last few years.

Internet Song has been in my head all day, Freak sounded sublime, Secrets That You Keep is utterly gorgeous, Broken Record sounded insanely brilliant and made so much sense when played live. Crying Because melted hearts and Solo's between song banter ranged from In The Night Garden, to lack of sleep, to the break up of his aforementioned band and the death of David Bowie and Bruce Forsyth.

As yes Bowie, Solo played David Bowie Never Had To where he rhymes off a list of things that David Bowie Never Had To do - like take cat litter out, cancel his home entertainment package due to lack of money..... the chorus is just sublime.

It was a mesmerising solo performance with Stephen's voice rising and soaring with ease or dropping and falling - it won hearts. Impressive.

Solo then announced that his former band (Sonny Marvello) would be joining him for the second half of the show, so there was time to buy some more raffle tickets to win some more beer.

Sonny Marvello were Stephen, Mick (guitar), Craig (bass), Walker (keys) and Bryans (drums). You'll find their music on Spotify and iTunes and plenty about them in previous blogs down the years.

Last night they came together to help their friend create some of the magical songs he has created on his iPhone in a live environment. What a great job they did!

Think Strange was all lush and warm, LocoCoco was full of melodies and invention while No Pill For What I've Got was just jaw droopingly good. What a song, what a performance! It was great to hear the songs played by a band.

The band ended (at request) by rolling out an old Sonny Marvello song - unrehearsed - Fire Went Out is a real fave of mine and the closing section was truly spine tingling. It was great to see and hear the 5 friends playing together again - magical.

A special show in a special venue by a special talent.

Sonny Marvello and The Insomniac Project

The second Everything Shakes night at The Admiral was held last night. DJ's played vinyl only and two of the best bands around were invited to play live.

The Insomniac Project were on first; a 6-piece from the outskirts of Glasgow - they soon won some new fans with their electro/disco infused tunes. Vocals were shared between Andrew, Mikey and Deborah - with Deborah's vocals absolutely soaring and generating conversation amongst the crowd. The first song was a standout, another song that may or may not be called No Smoke Without Fire was also brilliant, flowing superbly and Mikey did his best with the small space he had on stage to dance and get the crowd going.

The band played a full 40-minute set with their songs flowing well, saving debut single In And Out (Of My Head) to last - blogged about previously HERE - is an absolute belter. Euphoric electro disco pop.

This was only their fifth gig and they displayed enough in their 40th minute set to show that they have bags of potential and they are bound to generate some interest. They have clearly spent a good bit of time developing their sound - crisp and clean - with the ability to soar.

Sonny Marvello had brought a good crowd with them - this was their first show in Glasgow in a few years. The band had gone off the radar to record an album which they released under the guise of Flash Talk. It is a synth pop rock masterpiece, check my review HERE

The band have gone back to a more organic approach and decided to go back to the original name of Sonny Marvello. They opened with a quartet of new songs; Follow The Yellow King had echoes of The Flaming Lips while The Book Of Rays had echoes of Macca in his Wings days.

Mysteries in Motion was the song that generated the best response from the crowd. It is exceptional - full of hooks, a superb breakdown and a chorus you will be singing a-long to on first listen. I can't wait to hear this recorded.

The band then blasted out a couple of Flash Talk numbers; the powerful Tiny Little Sparks and the Bowie meets Kraftwerk Synthesise to the delight of their fans.

Then it was back to old school Sonny Marvello with the closing double header of Pull Me Up, 3 minutes of pure guitar pop and then Made of Magic with the false ending and again it is a song that has the ability to get people singing on first listen.

Sonny Marvello are made of magic; brilliant musicians led by a singer with songs pouring out of him, it is great to have them back.

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut - 25th anniversary

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month with a series of shows from established acts like The Cribs, legendary maverick Julian Cope and up and coming acts like Vigo Thieves.

I've spent an incredible amount of time in this venue over the years since I first visited as an 18-year old back in 1994, especially through my 20's and into my early 30's before I 'settled down'. I worked across the road for Abbey National at 301 St Vincent Street for 7-years so I would be a regular at the bar downstairs as well as attending a number of gigs a month up the stairs.

I have fond memories of running across the road at 5pm to get a table with my mates for happy hour. They had £1 a bottle of Stella for several years - dangerous stuff! If it was sunny and you were especially sharp from work, you could get a table outside in the sunshine - glorious.

 The jukebox was (and is) brilliant and I have met some incredible people through going to King Tut's for beers and gigs.

Confession - I once devised a scheme (that I honestly only used twice) for getting into sold out shows. Back in the 90's you had to keep your ticket stub for getting out to the toilets downstairs. So I would go upstairs with mates, get the ticket stubs off them, then go back downstairs to sort out mates that didn't have tickets. I'm probably not the only person to ever have done that as health and safety wasn't quite as strict as it is now!

There are many reasons I love King Tut's; the size, vibe, sound, crowd and the opportunity to see live music in a great setting just make it perfect, for me and many, many others. Tut's regularly wins awards for being the best small venue in the UK. No wonder.

I've been looking through old ticket stubs and I've attempted to reminisce about 25 gigs at Tut's to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

1. Beck
Beck dropped Loser in 1994 and everything and everyone went crazy for him. He played Top of the Pops with a bunch of old guys backing him and then I caught him at King Tut's. I still have very fond memories of this gig. This was pre health and safety. My memory is of Tut's being absolutely rammed and sweat dripping off the roof. I was right down the front, squeezing in and dancing and pogo-ing with the crowd to ensure I didn't lose my place. Beck was electric, a clear star; playing material from his debut major album Mellow Gold but also lofi acoustic gems from One Foot In The Grave (also released in 1994)  One of my all-time favourite gigs, if a little hazy 20+years down the line.

2. Arthur Lee and Love
I caught Arthur Lee and the modern day Love (Baby Lemonade) at Tut's 3-times. The first time was not long after he had been released from prison. People wondered if his voice would be shot from years of drug abuse...it didn't take long for Arthur to prove he still had it in abundance. Playing with equipment borrowed from Belle and Sebastian, Arthur and his band charged through a set that had people in genuine awe, you could have heard a pin drop during You Set The Scene.

You look so lovely

You with that same old smile

Stay for a while



They returned to play a secret set one time under the guise of Baby Lemonade and then played another secret show during the Forever Changes tour and Arthur responded to my shout for You Set The Scene. Well they were playing the album in order!

Arthur was a one-off, he looked cool, he sounded like a God and his backing band were sensational.

3. The White Stripes
This was an electric performance. Meg's kit was to one side and Jack leapt between a couple of mics playing a guitar that looked like it had seen better days. Pretty Good Looking For A Girl was a punk pop romp and the spine tingling version of Jolene lives with me to this day. As does the call from the crowd between songs; 'I love you Meg' to which Meg and Jack smiled, before the heckler added 'I want to f**k you'. Causing Meg to flip the bird and Jack to scowl and launch into another song.

4. Ben Folds Five
This may well have been my drunkest moment in King Tut's and there have been a fair few! I met my mate Reddy after I finished work and he finished uni and we proceeded to drink non-stop. During the show we were jumping around, dancing and playing air piano along with Ben, causing the audience to form a bit of a circle around us!

A few years later we were in New York and Ben Folds was playing Central Park so we got tickets. We got exceedingly drunk again and I persuaded Reddy that we could get back stage by saying we were from King Tut's in Glasgow - we were hastily ejected from back stage after we climbed a fence - and promptly slept through most of the gig in a drunken stupor! Oh to be young again!

5. John Squire
I went to King Tut's a lot in my younger days! One Friday I was in after work for the £1 bottle of Stella happy hours (5-7pm) when the new Tut's flyers were being handed around. John Squire was playing!!! This was how it was being announced. I immediately went up to the bar and asked if tickets were available - they were so I got 4.

Squire was incredible, coming on to the stage to an almighty cheer looking effortlessly cool with a great jacket and mop top hair. He opened with the closing instrumental of I Am The Resurrection! The place went banana's and i ran down the front from my usual place by the sound desk to jump around like crazy. Squire followed that up with She Bangs The Drums and Waterfall! It was sensational to see one of my all-time hero's up close.

6. Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub decided to do a tour to promote their Mellow Doubt single - a tour of Glasgow venues! One of them was Tut's and I have fond memories of going with my brother who was maybe 16 at the time. The bouncer took one look at his fake ID and laughed and said 'on you go up son'. (bit stricter these days I am sure!)

The band were in great form, totally at ease with the intimate crowd and in typically brilliant Fanclub humour as they played songs from the exquisite Grand Prix album and earlier faves. The cheer for Norman's whistling solo during Mellow Doubt was fantastic and happens to this day when the song is played live.

7. Ash
I drove me, my brother and at least 3-mates to this gig in my Mum's tiny Fiat Panda. I think it was 900cc or something! I think someone may have tried to crowd surf from the back of the care into the front on the way home while I was driving!

Catching Ash as they were breaking was quite something as they were the same age as us, if not younger. They charged through a pop punk set and just looked like they were having the time of their lives. Jack Names The Planets was a big tune in Carluke back in the day.

Photographed from behind a my framed ticket collage -hence the blur

8. Arab Strap
There was one month where I was at King Tut's at least once a week to see some incredible bands just as they were breaking. Arab Strap were riding high on the success of First Big Weekend and watching them live in Tut's was quite the experience. There was an air of mystery about the band and also one of tension in the venue. A girl was invited on stage to duet with Aiden and she gave a shout out to the Uddingston Young Team! The chemistry between Aidan and Malcolm was incredible - they were unique and earned a place in the hearts of many Scottish music fans and all around the world for their honesty, humour and take on life.

9. Embrace
Embrace played All You Good Good People second song in and I remember turning to my friend and saying 'that is as good as The Beatles!' This was before their album had been released and I had discovered them through their Fireworks EP. They had a bit of northern swagger and some beautiful ballads. They have played Tut's a number of times through the years and some very memorable shows at the Barrowland.

10. Menswear
The hype around Menswear was ridiculous; signed when they had one song on the strength of them looking good, drinking in the right pubs and clubs and their guitarist dealing to journalists - those were the days.

This was an outrageous show that I went to with my brother. They absolutely smashed it. The crowd went nuts. They more than lived up to the hype with brilliant songs like Daydreamer. My brother and I stood on the seats at the back and took it all in - a crazy show.

11. Money Mark
One of the coolest shows I have been to at Tut's. Money Mark entered through the crowd whilst beatboxing and proceeded to take the crowd on an eclectic journey, showcasing his outrageous musical and songwriting talent in style. His Push The Button was a favourite of mine for a number of years.

12. Tanya Donnelly with support by The Walkmen
My mate Reddy was working through in Edinburgh and it was chucking it. Something was up with transport and I couldn't get anyone else to go so I went on my own. The Walkmen were supporting and to this day I regret not offering my flat up to the band when the singer said 'Hi we're The Walkmen from New York City, we don't have anywhere to stay tonight, does anyone have a floor we could crash on?'

I did speak to the guitarist at the bar afterwards and told him that The Rat was better than anything The Strokes have. He seemed pretty pleased. I hope they found a place to crash!

Being on my own, I ended up quite pissed drinking pints and watching the gorgeous Tanya Donnelly and being delighted when she played a couple of Belly songs.

13. Bluetones and Supergrass
Not a bad double bill! The melodic gorgeous tunes of Bluetones and the pop punk charm of Supergrass. Both bands made splashes with their debut singles and had a real buzz about them. Mark Morriss and Gaz Coombes looked and sounded fantastic.

14. Cast
Cast released some brilliant singles back in the day which caused me to go and see them at Tut's. It must have been well before their album came out as I remember the venue being pretty empty but John Power was in charming form, eyes twinkling as he exchanged banter with the crowd in one of the most scouse accents I have ever heard. Fine Time was, and is still, a brilliant guitar pop song.

I vividly remember this show as my sister had fallen and cracked her skull that afternoon and I wasn't sure if I would go to the gig or not. There used to be a phone box across the road from Tut's and i remember phoning my Mum to see how she was. Thankfully she was OK.

15. Har Mar Superstar
I can't remember who he was supporting, he was first on a bill of 3, but Har Mar Superstar played like ....well a superstar to a pretty small audience, most people were still in the bar downstairs. He stripped to his underwear and had a ridiculously long mic lead to walk into the audience to generate a reaction. He wandered right up the stairs and past the sound desk to the spot I tend to stand if possible, and then I almost tripped him down the stairs - accidentally of course! His set was incredible -Prince style pop funk. Despite enjoying him live, I don't recall buying any of his albums.

16. Futuristic Retro Champions
My sisters first band played Tut's in the summer of 2007 - just ten days before my girlfriend (now wife) and I were due to head off travelling around the world for a year. Good timing! This was a great drunken night of pop with loads of friends and family in one of my favourite places in the world. I was very proud of my wee sister.

 Me and my sister in 2007

17. Mylo
Mylo's Destroy Rock n Roll went mental in Glasgow and then all over the world. He spray painted the title all over Glasgow and released some ltd edition singles on local Breastfed Records. The album went massive. I remember running out the door after this gig to get down to the Subclub for the aftershow. The show (and aftershow) were a real celebration. Songs from that album would be played in pubs, clubs, pre-club parties and house parties after the clubs shut. An incredible album.

I will be blogging about the album later in the year as it celebrates it's 10th anniversary. Mylo hasn't released any new material since.

18. Vigo Thieves
I was managing Vigo Thieves when they became the first unsigned band to play 2-nights back-to-back at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. It was a very exciting time for the band as they went from playing to their mates to playing shows in their hometown (well pretty close to Wishaw) where they didn't know who was in the audience. They upped their game and slated Tut's both nights. Hearing songs like Heartbeats being sung back by the audience was a spine tingling

19. Tim Burgess
I am a huge fan of The Charlatans and when lead singer announced he was playing Tuts to tour his debut solo album I had to be there. It was a brilliant gig, Tim had a stunning backing band and he was in great form, playing to the audience as he romped through the pop soul of I Believe.

20. The Magic Numbers
Their eponymous debut album was utterly gorgeous. Melodic, stunning harmonies, catchy choruses, brilliant breakdowns and a beautiful mix of male and female vocals. I first caught them in the old Barfly down by the Clyde, by the time they played Tuts the word was out. That debut album was a beauty and the live shows surrounding it were full of love, the band developed a special relationship with Glasgow and I always remember this show and one they played at the Barrowland when they were just blown away by the crowd singing the album back to them.

21. Gomez
Looking back through ticket stubs, I caught Gomez, Money Mark and Arab Strap within 2-weeks of each other at King Tuts back in 1998. Three very different bands, three utterly incredible gigs. That is the beauty of the venue, they embrace every kind of music, try things out and many times the acts they put on will go on to play bigger venues and have long careers making music.

Gomez sounded sensational. They didn't look that good though! We saw them huddled together over beers in the downstairs bar and they seemed impressed by the DJ playing McLemore Avenue by Booker T and the MGs - a should instrumental version of Abbey Road by The Beatles. (strange I remember that so well!).

They were brilliant on stage, a real wild mix of styles and influences; soul, country, a bit of a dance vibe at times - just like nothing else and that is what made them so good. Ben Ottewell's voice was deep and soulful and it really caught me by surprise.

22. Astral
Astral were a local band that my mate Mark Falconer was in - playing bass. There was a real buzz about them, they sold out Sleazys and played a totally triumphant set - coming on late when everyone was drunk and whipped up by a great pre gig playlist/DJ. They got played on the Evening Session and seemed set to get signed; Steve Lamaq was a huge fan of debut single Come and Go and the instrumental b-side Caribou remains a favourite of mine.

They got a support slot at Tuts and word was that scouts were coming to see them. It all went wrong though, they didn't get a proper soundcheck, the lead guitar wasn't being heard through the speakers at all.

I remember being really worried for them and between songs I went up to the stage to tell Mark that we couldn't hear the lead guitar. He said they couldn't hear much on stage.

I don't remember much else, but it is a King Tuts memory that always stands out - things don't always go to plan. Astral gave it a good shot but broke up before an album was released. I can't remember if they recorded one or not.

23. Hot Chip
I went mad for Hot Chip. Lynn and I stumbled across them in a tent at Benicassim when we went over in 2005. Their album The Warning was coming out and they had loads of hit singles on it. Tuts was sold out but I went along to try and buy a ticket. This was one show I didn't want to miss out on.

As luck would have it, my friend Mark (mentioned above) was there with a writer from Clash Magazine. Their photographer hadn't shown up so they had a spare guest pass so I got in.

Hot Chip played a blinder and remain one of my favourite bands to this day. And I Was A Boy From School was absolutely class, Joe and Alexis' voices blended superbly, Colours was sublime and Over and Over a riot.

24. The Pastels
April 1994, pre-internet, pre-mobiles (unless you were a stockbroker). Rumours always happened at gigs and festivals but this one seemed to be sadly true by the way people were talking. Kurt Cobain had taken his own life. I had queued for ages one day at the old Virgin in Union Street to buy tickets for Nirvana at the SECC, I couldn't believe it.

It was true, The Pastels came on stage and dedicated the show to Kurt before playing a brilliant guitar pop punk set including one of my favourite songs of all time Thank You For Being You.

I had driven in with my friend Grant and we ran outside afterwards to turn on to the John Peel show. Only Peel wasn't on, it was just Nirvana Peel Session tracks and the odd announcement to say that the show was cancelled in memory of Kurt and they were playing his music.

18-years old - we were a little heartbroken. One of the strangest car journeys i have ever taken.

25. Rae and Christian
Rae and Christian were Mark Rae and Steve Christian, 2 producers from Manchester with impeccable taste, style and talent. Their Sleepwalking album from 2001 was a big favourite of mine - guests included the late great Bobby Womack and hip hop act The Pharcyde. The closing track Salvation is absolutely stunning

Their live show superb, a big bank of electric equipment and a sh*t hot band and vocalists. I also remember the support act Fingathing, also from Manchester and based around the talents of a guy called Peter Parker. It was one of those great nights at Tut's where the music sounded incredible and the talent on stage was unique and just totally on it.

BLOC

As a follow up to my blog on the re-opening of BLOC I wanted to delve a little deeper into the philosophy of the bar and their music policy in particular. I caught up with Chris Cusack who is the booker for the venue.


1. In terms of music- what does BLOC stand for?
BLOC stands for independent music of all forms. We are as inclusive as possible, hopefully without being inconsistent. We focus on the DIY touring circuit which usually involves live bands and that means a slight bias towards rock and indie, but there is plenty good electro, metal, classical, folk and even hip hop when we can get it.

In terms of general philosophy, we want to provide support for musicians looking to exist as sustainable entities outwith the machinations of mainstream music promotion where money not quality overwhelmingly dictates who and what succeeds to the exclusion of anyone unwilling to compromise their ethics.
Bit of a mouthful but that's the idea.


2. How important have your own experiences of playing in bands been to shaping that philosophy? Care to share any good/bad? 
My own experiences in touring bands (and as the founder of my own DIY record label) have been key to the way BLOC operates. I picked the best aspects of DIY promotion, from my experiences on the continent in particular, and tried to build a system that was realistic for a small business but extremely fair to the acts that perform for us. I wish we could pay double what we do. They deserve so much more. But it is a start and the details (food, drinks, free promo, funding zines etc) all contribute to the sense of investment in the acts and promoters we host.

As for my own experiences, I have had many, both good and bad. Some hilariously so. The most infamous of which - that actually saw me invited to write a chapter for a book published by Cambridge University on the pitfalls of independent music - found me and my bandmates trapped in Prague for 4 days with no transport and our written-off van and equipment in a lock-up surrounding by angry looking dogs and men in greasy vests.

On the flipside, driving across Spanish flatlands, through miles of sunflowers in France or up mountain roads watching a full moon reflect off frozen lakes have all been truly breathtaking. Unloading a van in the French countryside whilst a family of wolves howled in the field next to us was fun. Ach there are so many. This barely scratches the surface. Plus some of them are not entirely PG so probably best kept hush-hush.



3. You have regularly attracted big names for secret/not so secret shows. What is the attraction to them?
The attraction to BLOC for big names is the ability to actually engage with their audience in the most intimate way imagineable. Live music these days is so often entirely soulless. it focuses on light shows and live production and is closer to a circus than a gig. One big, gaudy, flickering distraction to sell beers and tshirts set to music designed for sync-deals in advertising. 


Amidst that mulch, there are genuine, organic outfits that managed to break through and a lot of those acts came from humble beginnings and in some ways miss the buzz of a crowd screaming in their face from less than a foot away.


In the same vein, we are lucky enough that many of the acts who pass through our doors and go on to become succesful keep us in mind and are only too happy to return our good faith. Frightened Rabbit, PAWS, Twin Atlantic and more are good examples of this. It takes a certain kind of mentality to want to do that though. An understanding of why music is so exciting the more directly you communicate. A realisation of how much truer the art is the fewer middlemen and production staff are inserted into the process. Certainly some bands just don't get that. We have found that out in the past. We asked if they were interested and they were very much of the opinion "We can play big places now. Why would we play a small one?" So yeah. It's a mentality thing.

4. Variety is the spice of life and BLOC offers an incredibly eclectic array of nights and music. Did this come about naturally or was it your goal from the start?
Yeah as I said at the beginning, we aim to be inclusive. Personally I get turned off by venues that only book in one narrow field of music. They become like gang-huts. The same faces. The same sounds. It all gets stale and introverted.

I am not going to pretend that I enjoy the music of every band we put on, but I have worked hard at developing an ear for the quality of the music. I might not listen to much in the way of, say, folk music, but I absolutely make an effort to tell when someone does a good job of it. It helps that we work with so many promoters who have more developed ears for specifc genres. That was on purpose. These people are experts in their style and having them on board keeps the quality high but the styles diverse.

5. Are old favourites like Slow Club, TYCI and Blochestra returning? Any new nights?
Yeah those will all still be in the calendar. We have nurtured every one of those from its inception. And yes there will be a number of newer nights like TariboWest and REPEATER. We also have a few fresh ideas lined up for 2015.

Blochestra

6. I believe the sound system has had a severe upgrade. Can you share the spec? What other improvements have been made?
The sound system has been upgraded but, without being too technical, it's more in the realms of the out-board and mics. To make it more user friendly, especally for bands that bring their own engineer. We had the PA system upgraded quite recently and in truth it is beyond the necessary rating required for the venue which means we can afford not to push anything or endanger the speakers by running too hot. The new outboard is just another stage in our ongoing determination to keep the facilities evolving. We have also improved the DJ set up and equipment. But that is far from "job done". When the chance arrives, we will look to replace these again with better or newer items. It's an ongoing project.

7. BLOC has been the scene of some mental nights; the recent We Are Scientists/Paws show looked incredible. How did that come about?
That came about for a lot of the reasons mentioned previously. Specifically the guys in PAWS, who have played for us many times, were touring with We Are Scientists and suggested it to them. They accepted and the rest is history. It was a pretty spectacular event and the guys in both bands were as down to Earth as we had hoped. Again, it takes that mentality to enjoy a tiny show like that when you are used to playing The Barras. A certain lack of pretention. It is refreshing to encounter that in succesful bands and WAS were as friendly and down-to-Earth as you will meet. it goes without saying that the guys from PAWS are not easily sucked in by that minor celebrity bullshit.

8. What’s your favourite choice off the new food menu?
I have to admit, the boys in the kitchen have really taken it to the next level with some of the new stuff. I pride myself on my spice tolerance (because I am an idiot probably) and thus the Balkan 176 burger was pretty exciting - and surprisingly challenging. It really is pretty bloody intense.

But for flavour, I would say that perhaps the Cuban bagel is hard to beat, though the burgers have been selling like crazy. I don't know man. That is easily the hardest question yet. I love food. Dammit.

Okay. The Cuban Bagel. No. Wait. The Cashew Crunch.

The Durty Burger - try it!

9. Bloc has also branched out into a label. What releases do you have coming up?
We have a couple of albums in the pipeline, including Felix Champion's debut near the end of the year. Those guys are a genuinely dedicated, hard-working group of young guys and seeing the effort they have put in to pursuing their band we were only too happy to be able to help them fund the release.

In the immediate future we have another compilation of Scottish acts. To be precise, it is a series of four compilations as part of a bigger whole and released every fortnight from September 18th. The various bands involved are pretty stellar. United Fruit, Adam Stafford, Felix Champion, So Many Animal Calls, The Cosmic Dead... some of the best underground acts in the country.

Oh and all of those compilations are completely free, just like our shows.

10. Any tips or advice for bands or artists looking to play BLOC?
If you want to play BLOC just drop us an email. Details are on the website, bloc.ru, and I reply to every (non-bulk) email I receive. Which can sometimes be a painful undertaking but, as someone who has written thousands of gig and tour emails and had about a 5% response rate, I made that promise to myself from the start and I am sticking to it.
If you want a gig in general - and assuming you have all the usual rehearsal/demo/professionalism stuff in hand - just make sure you don't sell yourself short. 

Music has become an easy way for non or ex-musicians to make cash by inserting their "expertise" into what should be a fairly simple process. Don't waste money on needless PR or management too soon. Don't pay to play. Don't agree to bring coachloads of your family down to Liverpool so you can say you played The Cavern. And probably most poignantly, think twice before agreeing to endless streams of gigs where you are asked to sell tickets. You invariably end up milking your relatives for pity-money, selling at cost price and ultimately it is a form of pay to play.

Don't get me wrong, there are times that a specific support slot or venue will be worth it but, if the promoter or venue shows you no evidence of ever developing that relationship, I would suggest you take your business - and audience - elsewhere. There are plenty of alternatives and plenty places only too happy to have you.