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of these three, still manages to feel like an intimate basement space and is an exciting place to catch bands with a bit of buzz around them. Upcoming acts include Karine Polwart at Mono and Chastity Belt at Stereo.
Although Glasgow often dominates touring schedules, Edinburgh holds its own with several independent venues dotted around the capital. The Liquid Room is in the heart of the city (just off the Grassmarket) and has been around for over 30 years. Legendary acts who’ve played there include the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Coldplay and Amy Winehouse. Staying in the centre, the tiny Sneaky Pete’s is popular for sweaty late-night clubs, but their gig schedule deserves a close look too, with upcoming highlights such as Xiu Xiu and Pulled Apart by Horses. Nearby, The Mash House, is a multi-story, multi-
purpose venue with a dizzying array of gigs and club nights to choose from, with acts such as the breakthrough emotive pop of Self Esteem coming up.
A more recent addition to the city’s music scene, the multi-arts venue Summerhall has its own dedicated music programme entitled Nothing Ever Happens Here. Based out of the venue’s Dissection Room (the building is an old veterinary school), it has hosted everyone from Sun Ra Arkestra to Charlotte Church. These are just a taste of what Edinburgh and Glasgow have to offer for independent venues. As Nick Stewart of Sneaky Pete’s tells us, ‘go to your local independent venue as often as you can, you may or may not see the next big stars, but either way, you’ll benefit the venue that definitely will host tomorrow’s big artists . . . and you’ll definitely see some amazing music’.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MUSIC CALENDAR We round up some of the best gigs to look forward to over the coming months
GLASGOW
ELROW GLASGOW - EL BROWNX Immersive clubbing experience with a downtown New York theme. SWG3, Sat 11 Oct, elrow.com
LITTLE SIMZ London-based rapper and hip hop artist with a Mercury Prize nomination for her latest album, Grey Area. SWG3, Thu 24 Oct, stillnessinwonderland.com
LOYLE CARNER
Eloquent Mercury Prize-nominated rapper and MC from London. SWG3, Wed 30 Oct, loylecarner.com CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN Garage rock and post-punk quartet from Llandudno, with rock’n’roll and indie pop influences.The SSE Hydro, Fri 8 Nov, catfishandthebottlemen.com
KATE TEMPEST Hip hop lyricist, playwright, poet and MC. The Old Fruitmarket, Sat 16 Nov, katetempest. co.uk EDINBURGH
HOZIER Soul and contemporary blues-folk from the Dublin-based songsmith. Usher Hall, Tue 24 & Wed 25 Sep, hozier.com
SELF-ESTEEM Solo electro-pop project from Slow Club’s Rebecca Taylor. The Mash House, Wed 16 Oct, selfesteem.love
SHE DREW THE GUN Dreamy, lyrical psych-pop group from Liverpool, fronted by Louisa Roach. Summerhall, Fri 1 Nov, shedrewthegun. com SIGRID
Norwegian pop singer-songwriter. Usher Hall, Tue 26 Nov, thisissigrid.com
KAISER CHIEFS Jaunty rock and indie quintet best known for hits ‘Ruby’ and ‘I Predict a Riot’. Usher Hall, 22 Jan, kaiserchiefs.co.uk
1 Sep–31 Oct 2019 THE LIST 119