As the man behind the Song, By Toad blog, podcast and record label Matthew Young has a reputation as one of Scottish music’s most passionate and committed cheerleaders. He is also – as regular listeners of said podcast in particular will know – completely bloody fucking minded. The Pale Imitation Festival, which Matthew has run […]
I have a bone to pick with the Pleasance. Two, actually. Firstly: did you know that, during the Festival, the Pleasance Dome is nowhere near the actual Edinburgh University Students Association (EUSA) building? Which wouldn’t be a problem, if one figured this out sooner than three minutes before the performance one had bought tickets for […]
For an early one of our Christmasses or birthdays together, Jay bought me a bells-and-whistles stereo system full of those bits that nobody uses anymore (3 CD autochanger, FM radio) and those bits that everybody does (dual audio input for plugging in the turntable). It even had a cassette deck on the top which both […]
You know, I’d heard rumours that Premier Inn had really upped their game in recent years, but I could never have guessed how much until they invited myself and Stringer through to spend 24 hours in our nation’s capital. Yes, the idea was always to cut out the unnecessary bits that cost money in favour […]
With second album Youth Culture Forever, released a couple of months ago, PAWS are no longer just a Glasgow band that I love but world-class purveyors of indie-punk. But as much as they now belong to the world, they’re still a band fronted by a man in an excellent jacket who is happy to take […]
Longtime readers of this blog will be aware that I do not consider myself a fan of the music of one of Glasgow’s most famous sons, but I figure there are a few more seasons to be keen to see God Help The Girl than the music of Belle and Sebastian. For one thing, indie […]
If the past week or so has proven anything, it’s that feminism in 2013 has lost none of its power to inspire, anger and enthrall. Given the nature of the abuse meted out to those who raise their voices above the chorus, Alan Bissett to turn his own feminist awakening into an hour-long show is […]