Now in their 13th year together The Primevals are back and still going strong. The Glasgow rock band formed in 1983 and described their music as “garage rock” is now back and their latest album has described the band as being “on top form”. The band who where once frowned upon for playing rock music at a time where it was not approved of, are now being praised for the music they play.
The Herald, a Scottish newspaper have reported that the band have found,
“a different level again – the songwriting is strong”
The music is the similar to what it was before but if its possible, it is now better.
This band are responsible for a huge part of Scottish rock music over the last 30 years. Lead singer Mickey has suggested that the band move away from the style they are known for and begin to slow things down and introduce acoustic music, this, he states, is because they are
“at a certain point in their life now”
Their latest album “Disinhibitor” is a great start to this new period of the bands career, proving that they still have a lot to show in relation to their music and that they still have a connection to the old “garage rock” style that they have always been famous for.
Franz Ferdinand are the band that inspired bands such as Glasvegas to follow in their footsteps. Formed in Glasgow in 2002 the band are now an award winning group having sold over 3million albums worldwide.
This is one of Glasgow’s most famous rock bands being talked about in the same fashion as the Artic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. When it comes to music Glasgow is very proud of Franz Ferdinand and their success.
The band have continually been nominated for different awards throughout their career including the NME Awards and the Brit Awards for categories such as Best Track and Best group.
The band are currently on “down time” which has given lead singer Nick McCarthy time to focus on a solo career under the name Box Codax. This has allowed the singer to approach different areas of music that he is unable to do with the band. He himself says raves about different styles of music saying:
"Actually, I even like Bavarian folk music now that I've moved out of there. But that's all in straight major keys, and I do love those lop-sided chords in film soundtracks“
His new solo album is set to be released in May featuring all of his new and very different styles of music.
Glasgow’s answer to Indie Rock band is definitely Glasvegas. The band formed in 2003 but it really wasn’t until their debut album “Glasvegas” was released in 2008 that they became universally known.
A band that started off playing just a few local gigs in Glasgow became known worldwide and over the years have been nominated for various awards in 10 different award ceremonies including the NME Awards and the Q Awards.
The band still stay true to where they are from having performed a FREE concert on the steps of The Royal Concert Hall on Buchanan street in Glasgow on Monday 4th April, performing in the rain the band showcased some new stuff to a gathering crowd of over 1000 people.
This concert spurred great support for the band and was a great way for the band to gain a lot of very positive publicity. Many who hadn’t heard the band before where introduced to their music, I think this was a great “stunt”, a way in which the band could achieve free publicity and a growing fan base.
With the beginning of this year starting with the announcement of a Scottish tour, receiving great feedback, Simon Price of The Independent on Sunday, stated that:
“Glasvegas are still – and we desperately need this right now – a band to believe in"
With a huge following, especially in Scotland, Glasvegas are a band that continue to grow in popularity within the music industry.
Glasgow is very proud of their hometown artists, one of which being Amy Macdonald. Amy is a singer/songwriter from Glasgow who came to fame in 2007 with the album “This is the Life”.
Amy taught herself how to play guitar and was singing in pubs in Glasgow at just 15, hard to believe she has come so far as to beat the famous Adele in the Germany Echo Awards for Best International Female.
Amy played in the O2 ABC in Glasgow, I was not able to get a ticket however I did wait around outside the venue to speak to a few who attended. One 1st year student, Iona MacMillan raved about the concert saying,
“She’s even better live than she is recorded, anyone can laugh at me all they want for liking Amy Macdonald but she is amazing”
She wasn’t the only one, one 4th year student that I talked to, Caolan Davis said,
“If I’m honest I only came to chum my friend to the concert and I didn’t need to pay for the ticket, but it’s been a while since I enjoyed a gig as much as that one”
One of Glasgow’s most famous artists, she continues to perform here in some the most famous venues where she gathers a crowd almost as big as artists such as Lifehouse and Eliza Dolittle.
For anyone who hasn’t heard the artist check out the video below to see some of Glasgow’s best talent.
One thing Glasgow does not lack is bars/pubs, and one thing the bars/pubs don’t lack is live music. From the more famous ones I’ve mentioned such as King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, to the more intimate ones such as Sloans, or my favourite Waxy O’Connor’s.
Waxy O’Connor’s is famous for their live band every Friday from 5pm, a regular place I like to go the music ranges from Irish traditional to the current favourites. The atmosphere in Waxy’s is great and although the venue is very big with 6 different bars, you still get the sense that you are in a small homely pub.
Waxy’s is a place I like to go however I have been talking to others who like to tell me their favourites, this proved to me how many options there where in Glasgow to get involved in music. This student is one example of a group that I spoke to.
4th year student, 22:
“I like to go to the Ceilidh in Sloans pub every Friday. It might sound stupid but I like it because it’s something different and the music is actually really good.”
However if you want live music in a casual setting you are better of visiting one of Glasgow small pubs just like Waxy O’Connor’s. The biggest venues in Glasgow are not the only places that make great music.
Slouch opened on Bath Street in Glasgow’s city centre in September 2010. The Bar, Restaurant and Venue provides great food, a great atmosphere and celebrates music from the past 60 years.
I went to see an unsigned band in the venue called“Weekend City Scene”. This venue is perfect for local unsigned bands to have an intimate concert. With the small and homely venue the artists where able to talk to the crowd, you could see the band setting up showing that this was a live performance and getting you ready for when the band performed.
As a result of the small venue the music was loud which meant that for the time a band was playing you could speak much to other people, some may find this a good thing for the band as this means that an audience are concentrating on their music and really hearing it.
My favourite part was that you could watch the band in the venue but if you wanted a break or the band where finished playing you could walk through into the bar where usually music such as The Rolling Stones was playing and there is a great chilled out atmosphere.
After being at Slouch and also hearing others opinions of the venue it is a definite place that I, and many others will return to.
The Barrowland Ballroom was Scotland’s principal dancehall and is also famous as it is believed to be the place where Scotland’s serial killer “Bible John” met all of his victims back in the 1960’s.
The venue soon however reformed with the decline of ballroom dancing and the rise in popularity of rock and pop music. The dancehall has now become a huge concert venue with its interesting acoustics it has become a favourite for most artists.
Simple Plan filmed their music video for famous single “Waterfront” which put the venue back on the map for the UK touring scene for artists such as U2 and Marillion. The venue is also quite popular with the police, having played host to a lot of Irish Rebel bands the building is often visited by the police once trouble breaks out.
Amy MacDonald’s song Barrowland Ballroom she states that:
“nothing beats the feeling of the high Barrowland ceiling when a band begins to play”
This venue is one of the few venues beloved not only my audiences but also by artists. Many believe that the small venue gives it much more personality than that of a huge stadium with the atmosphere being really relaxed allowing the performers to talk to the crowd more.
The venue continues to play for huge artists such as:
Christy Moore
The View
Swedish House Mafia
The Wolfetones
This is a great concert venue for those wanting to have a more intimate concert.
Any Oasis fans out there must know about King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, the historic venue where the band where first seen performing and signed on the very spot in 1993.
King Tut’s is renowned in Scotland for hosting some of the music industry’s biggest bands at the beginning of their careers such as:
Radiohead
Blur
Travis
Pulp
The Verve
All of these bands performed in the venue before they reached the top of the music industry “A list”
An online reviewer raves about the venue stating that:
“King Tuts is what going to a gig is all about. It is small enough to be intimate and large enough to create an astounding noise level and crackling atmosphere.”
King Tut’s has now been seen as “legendary” among those in the music business. The venue hosts pub quizzes weekly and also promotes different styles of music such as jazz, this makes the venue a great spot for any music lover.
The venue gives the impression of an old, "dingy" bar. One fan described it perfectly saying:
“As you go down the stairs to enter the bar, it's like walking into a portal back to the small rock clubs in the States.”
This adds to the great atmosphere of the bar taking people back to times where Rock music was dirty and allowed people to rebel.
King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut is a “must” when coming to Glasgow, if you’re a music lover or even just a partier, this bar in the ultimate spot.
One thing Glasgow does not lack in is music venues, one of which being the O2 ABC on Saucheihall Street. Once the building which housed Glasgow’s first cinema in 1896 it was converted in a concert venue in June 2005.
The venue has played host to a range of artists from different genres such as:
Eliza Dolittle
The Pigeon Detectives
Shayne Ward
Lifehouse
All of these artists prove the range of music the venue provides appealing to all.
However the O2 ABC Glasgow is not just a concert venue, it is also known as one of Glasgow’s most popular nightclubs open most Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights playing today’s most popular music from every genre.
The club is not genre specific or style specific, no matter what your dress sense or music preference chances are you will enjoy this club. One online reviewer states that the reason the O2 ABC Glasgow is so special is:
"It seems to do the impossible by catering for almost everyone"
Although this club is extremely popular with students in the Glasgow area with cheap drink promos and central location, it appeals to all ages and all occupations.
Don’t believe what I have said? Check out this video and see for yourself
Glasgow, a town filled with culture and people filled with pride. But theres another thing that Glasgow is full of and that is, Buskers. Whether its 3pm or 3am you cannot walk down Buchanan Street or Saucheihall Street without hearing some form of music. From the man with his bongo drum to the little old lady with her accordion, there is no corner left empty as buskers fill up every inch of Glasgow’s city centre.
Maybe it’s the hope to get famous, artists such as Bob Dylan, KT Tunstall and even the Dixie Chicks all began their careers on the streets, or the hope to make a bit of extra money, whatever the reason they all seem to love it and so do we.
One busker who I spoke to, who preferred to remain anonymous, said:
“I do this because its fun and this way I can play what I want to people who, with the exception of some, are respectful and just let me play.”
From traditional Scottish music to world music or just plain chart music you will hear one of there dedicated musicians playing it in the city centre. Perfect if you have a wide range in music, even better if you have never listened to any of it.
We cannot talk about Glasgow and its music scene without mentioning the people who we hear in the heart of the town and who are there performing everyday without fail.
This band are responsible for a huge part of Scottish rock music over the last 30 years. Lead singer Mickey has suggested that the band move away from the style they are known for and begin to slow things down and introduce acoustic music, this, he states, is because they are 
