Glasgow concerts

How did all these people get in my room? It’s time for Side Two of our virtual LP, marking the 100th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth, featuring tracks chosen by a swinging gang of musicians, writers and other Charleys, Barn-burners and Clydes. If you missed it, you can still give Side One a spin here. Careful not to spill while you sip… “Watertown” chosen by Jill Rodger I’m just currently a bit obsessed with  Sinatra’s Watertown album – and this title track in particular! It was a new one on me, brought to my attention by my pal Grahame Skinner (Hipsway) – who is working on his own version of some of the songs at the moment. I sought it out and immediately fell for the whole album. It’s now been on repeat for months. (Jill Rodger is director of the Glasgow Jazz Festival, and busy getting ready…

It’s a good week to be in Glasgow: John Lydon and Public Image Ltd are coming to town. When the writer Damien Love recently caught Mr Lydon for an interview,  he managed to ask him for us about some of his memories of playing in venues in the city over the years, among other things……

Built in 1924, the proud little bandstand in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park lapsed slowly into disuse by the last decades of the 20th century, and was finally closed in 1999, from which point it was left to crumble into what looked like terminal disrepair. Anyone who remembers it from that period will recall the open-air amphitheatre as a sad,…

It has been a beezer week for Glasgow Music City Tours. Yesterday, we finished our last of four special tours for Merchant City Festival. We had lots of guests come out on tour with us and our TripAdvisor reviews are all glowing with good comments. We finished each tour with a concert from special guests at Mono. Many thanks to Miracle Strip, Spinning…

We got a great turn out for our first Merchant City Festival tour on Sunday. It was a pretty varied group in terms of musical interests but with content ranging from music hall acts to Glasgow’s post-punk scene via the classical conductor with the world’s longest name, we had stories for everyone. UK’s oldest music…

A big shout out to Paul English who came on tour with us and then wrote a great piece in The Daily Record. It was a fun day out swapping stories and his article really captures what we are trying to do with the tours. It’s all coming together nicely in time for our official launch. Remember,…

Not long to go now until the launch of our special Merchant City Festival tours. Starting off at the Old Fruitmarket, the four tours are a two hour swing through the musical past and present of the Merchant City and East End. From the dung-flinging audiences of the Panopticon to the Barrowland’s more romantic stories, the tours bring some of…

We keep on hearing good things about Dukes Bar on Old Dumbarton Road in Glasgow. Handy for Kelvingrove Museum and Gallery, it has been through several incarnations since first opening way back in 1877. Having recently come under new management (check the piano and disco ball), it’s developing a neat reputation for its avant-garde music events. Kate…

Oh, be still our fluttering hearts. Tomorrow is a big day for those of us who believe that the only thing better than a Franz Ferdinand gig or a date with Sparks is the smooshing together of the four Franz boys and the Mael brothers in the exquisite meeting of hearts, minds, musical talent and…

Today we’re delighted to bring you Part Two of our guest blog from the multi-talented FRANCIS MACDONALD – Scottish BAFTA nominated composer and songwriter, record label manager, and general music gentleman around town, who’s worked with everyone from Alex Chilton, Edwyn Collins, Belle & Sebastian and The Pastels to Kevin Ayers, Kate Rusby, Max Richter…