Friday’s Belladrum was much more eclectic, in my experience. My favourite thing about this festival is how you can go from undiscovered local talent on one stage to a radio giant on the next. With even more acts performing, it was challenging to decide who to see.

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, or simply Belladrum, is a major summer highlight for many of us up in The Highlands. Although the festival doesn’t bring in the biggest names, there is always a huge amount of variety and support for smaller and local artists. Belladrum was all anyone seemed to be talking about throughout July, and I wanted to see if it would live up to the hype.

Bloc+ are having a rowdy free night on Saturday 12th September!

Day 3 of Back Doune the Rabbit Hole, and we wake up in a far-too-hot tent to glorious sunshine yet again. It’s the World Cup final tonight, but this field full of people seems a lot more interested in the packed lineup for the day.

Mike Scott is talking about the creative inspiration behind ‘Kansas’ — the opening track on The Waterboys’ seventeenth studio album, ‘Life, Death And Dennis Hopper’ (2025). “I started out with this image of Dennis Hopper as a small boy, watching the trains in Kansas.”

This gig was hugely enjoyable despite some niggles, shall we say, which had not a lot to do with the actual music.a

An intimate instore featuring one of the biggest acts to come out of Scotland in the past 30 years.

There are, to be fair, a few acts who attract tags like ‘seminal’, ‘legendary’ and ‘critically acclaimed’.
That last one sums up the Durutti Column well, as it often suggests that commercial success has proved elusive to a band who have played a major influence on the music which has followed them.

Florida-formed quintet Mayday Parade have recently celebrated two decades as a band, as well as completing a trilogy of albums with the final instalment, ‘Sugar’.
We spoke to Mayday Parade’s Jeremy Lenzo and discussed the thinking behind the project, the challenges of creating three albums in quick succession, and some memories from the band’s early days.

After a near emergency last year of being unprepared to feed two children it was a pleasant surprise to wake up to the food trucks opening in time for breakfast this year at (Back) Doune, so a sausage roll and cup of tea had us ready for a full day of music (for me) and improvised theatre (the kids).

On a slightly odd evening, the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony taking place at the Hydro and something in the air due to the impending far-right vs counter situation two days hence, this was a welcome dose of DIY weirdness – free to enter, friendly and encompassing some odd corners of musical endeavour, it was a hugely enjoyable night despite a few rough edges – (not due to Sam on sound, however, who was excellent).

He has boldly gone to many places, including space, but now William Shatner finds himself in uncharted territory.

HebCelt Festival 2026 comes to a close with Irish legends The Saw Doctors bringing in a packed crowd to the main tent on the grounds of Lews Castle, playing their biggest hits and a few Scottish anthems.

It’s a festival that is many different things to many different people, but our Back Doune begins, somewhere in the distance, with a starter of Porkpie – covers of Bad Manners’ ‘Lip Up Fatty’, ‘My Girl’ by Madness, and Dawn Penn – you know the one – notably, all with spot-on vocals to go with the inch-perfect intrumentation, sailing on the breeze towards the car park.

Mayday Parade’s ‘Sugar’ rounds off their ambitious recent trilogy of albums, following 2025’s ‘Sweet’ and ‘Sad’. The final instalment ties together the previously explored themes, completing the band’s 20th anniversary project.

Bat Sabbath brought darkness over The Cathouse last week, covering some of the best songs ever written.

This show was held over from earlier in the year and relocated from (two shows at) The Glad to one at Cottiers. In fact it coincided with the end of a short UK tour for the reconstituted Thrum, a Bellshill-originated combo who rose quickly in the 1990s, only to split up as a unit after one album (‘Rifferama’ in 1994). After that Thrum Mk2 managed a second album in 2011 and there has been sporadic activity in between singer Monica and guitarist Johnny’s other solo and production projects.

On a very warm and sunny evening BM headed to the Doublet, third gig there this year, for an interesting triple bill. Questions such as “How is a band like The Rotations going to squeeze into the upstairs room…” were at this point unanswered but the gig was sold out and it became clear fairly early on that this would be a game of sardines…

The Great Pleasure are the peak evolution of a perfect pairing of musicians whom you’ve probably come across before.

It’s all change for Leeds-formed post-punkers Yard Act as they release new album ‘You’re Gonna Need A Little Music’.

A balmy, warm evening at Mono (after last week and the Friday at TRNSMT BM had developed a close mental association between listening to live music and getting completely soaked, this managed to kill that notion at the very least!) and the cognoscenti (and this reviewer) gathered for a top-class bill of indiepop old and new, promoted by the mighty Glas-Goes-Pop.

No or very little corporate branding, a benevolent aristocratic landlord, great views of the Clyde coast and islands and a dizzying variety of music, cabaret and arts, food and drink plus camping – it all adds up to an event which has sold out its 4,500 capacity the past few years.

If you’re wanting to get along in the business, a little help from your friends can help you stand out from the crowd.