South Wales alt-rock three-piece The Bug Club are on their way to Beat Generator.
The Caldicot-based trio have been on the go since 2016, honing their stripped-back sound and building a live following, with the Bingo Records signings unleashing a series of garage pop gems over the past couple of years.
Cult appeal
Known for their DIY-style and stripped-back harmonics, The Bug Club released their debut album Pure Particles in 2021, with last year’s follow-up Green Dream In F# further cementing their burgeoning cult appeal.
They play at Beat G on Thursday, with tickets available via the North Lindsay Street venue’s website.
Meanwhile, over at Conroy’s Basement there’s a bumper bill of Ecossemo purveyors tonight, headed up by hardcore favourites Kaddish, supported by kindred Dundee spirits Portable Heads, A Place Of Beauty and Concept Car.
What the venue is describing as “ultra-heavyweight extreme chaos” is in prospect at the Meadowside venue on Thursday in the shape of American noiseniks Pound, who are currently out on a European tour.
The Seattle instrumental outfit are being joined at Conroy’s by Edinburgh metalheads Kakihara and their fellow capital post-metallers Codespeaker, along with the lesser-known KCFC.
World music
Elsewhere, a fast-rising world music combo is the big music draw at Perth Theatre’s Joan Knight Studio on Wednesday when Ashara come calling.
The brainchild of Scottish-Canadian muso Jason Wilson, the band are known for fusing Scottish folk and global roots with reggae.
Wilson provides vocals, acoustic guitar and piano, and is joined by legendary Jamaican-Canadian guitarist Carl Harvey, who played with ska favourites Toots and The Maytals in the 1980s and continued with them right up to the time of frontman Toots Hibbert’s passing in 2020.
That pair are joined in the line-up by saxophonist Marcus Ali, Laurel Tubman (vocals), Vince Reel (drums) and Michael Shapinko (bass).
As if that wasn’t enough, Ashara also comes with a rotating cast of top Scottish trad musicians, including fiddler Jack Smedley, Perthshire piper Ali Hutton and Treacherous Orchestra accordionist John Somerville, plus their special guest Scottish-based Jamaican singer-songwriter Subrina Ward.
As well as new songs, the combo reimagine standards from the folk tradition, as well as numbers associated with their individual careers, including 54-46 (That’s my Number), The Ballad Of Jack McLaren and 2021 Canadian reggae chart-topper Ready To Be Loved.
Old school rock
In Kinross, the Green Hotel is set for some old school rock’n’roll thrills when it hosts The Sensational Alex Harvey Experience next Friday.
Made up of diehard Harvey fans, the Experience are out there marking the 50th anniversary of the release of SAHB’s classic Framed album, with highlights from their heroes’ back catalogue also in the setlist.
The band also includes players who’ve appeared on UK and European tours with SAHB guitarist Zal Cleminson’s Sin Dogs.
Martin Barre at the Green
Before then, the Green has legendary Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre starting a three-night run at the venue tonight.
As reported last week, tomorrow night’s gig is sold out, but fans can still grab places at Barre’s shows this evening and on Sunday.
The veteran six-stringer’s live band includes singer and second guitarist Dan Crisp as well as the late John Martyn’s long-term bassist Alan Thomson and drummer Darby Todd.
His most recent studio album, 2018’s Roads Less Travelled, was followed almost four years ago by a career retrospective boasting a host of reworked vintage touchstones.
Looking to Fife, PJ Molloys has a John Fogerty tribute show tomorrow courtesy of Clearwater Creedence Revival – yes, you do have to read that name twice.
Separately, Kirkcaldy indie rockers Mosaics make their headlining debut at the Canmore Street venue next Friday, with support from RAAB and more bands still to be announced.
The Skids for the Abbey
Looking further ahead, it’s just been announced that punk legends The Skids will be playing a unique gig in the grounds on Dunfermline Abbey on June 30.
Designed to celebrate the launch of the Richard Jobson-led outfit’s forthcoming studio album Destination Dusseldorf, it’ll be the first time any band has played at the historic venue, and they’ll also be rocking up at Molloys earlier the same day to sign albums and chat about their new songs.
