2022 in live music

(Laetita from Stereolab @ SWG3)

2022 was an incredible year for live music in Glasgow. So many of the acts that Not Unloved saw were absolutely at the top of their game. Some of the venues, too, had used the enforced time off due to the pandemic to make repairs/spruce up their spaces which enhanced things no end. Being a disorganized soul (also, I've never liked booking tickets 6 months in advance or being manipulated into being part of the 10am scramble for tickets), I didn't get it together to go to 'big' gigs by the likes of Pavement etc. so it was mainly smaller groups in smaller venues that I saw excelling night after night. The aforementioned disorganization meant that I didn't keep a list of what I saw but, from memory, it was something like this (N.B. most recent first):

NewDad / Cloth @ King Tut's

flinch. and pals @ The 13th Note

Plaid @ CCA

The Vaselines / Poster Paints @ CCA

Lung Leg (matinee show) @ Mono

Lung Leg / Bis @ Classic Grand

Gerard Love / Water Machine / Apostille (Monorail's 20th birthday) @ Mono

Dragged Up / Count Florida / Blue Kanues @ The 13th Note

Stereolab / Nina Savary @  SWG3

Ganger / J Mellis Hairweave / Subliminal Girls / Lugworm (The Inner Circle book launch) @ Mono

Tara Clerkin Trio / Noise Pocket @ The Glad Cafe

Lewsberg / Dragged Up @ Nice'n'Sleazy

Fake Fruit / Wild Cabin @ Broadcast

Francis Plagne / Warm Currency @ The Old Hairdresser's

Romero / Sister Madds @ Broadcast

Whitney K / Flew The Arrow @ Audio

The Lemonheads / Bass Drum of Death @ QMU (Glasgow University)

Special Interest / Container @ Stereo

Myriam Gendron / Quinie @ Broadcast

Chickfactor 30 (Birdie / The Umbrellas / Seablite / Artsick / Rachel Love / The Catenary Wires / Marlody / Sacred Paws) @ The Lexington & The Betsey Trotwood (London)

Prolapse / Comfort @ Mono

Artsick / Blue Kanues / Water Machine @ Stereo

The Umbrellas / Seablite / Paul's Martial Arts @ Mono

The Hanging Stars / Gerry Love & band @ Stereo

Romeo Poirier / Dip Friso @ The Glad Cafe

Lou Barlow (acoustic) @ Nice'n'Sleazy

Stuart Moxham / Pocket Knife @ Mono

Pan American / Kinbrae @ The Glad Cafe

Marissa Anderson / William Tyler @ The Glad Cafe

The Orchids / GNAC @ The Glad Cafe

Sapphire Slows / Dip Friso @ The Glad Cafe

Dali Muru and The Polyphonic Swarm / Susannah Stark @ The Glad Cafe

Ducks Ltd @ Broadcast

Gaming @ The Rum Shack

YL Hooi / Silzederek / An Gleann Dubh @ The Old Hairdresser's

Rose City Band / Japanese Television @ Broadcast

Swell Maps / The Thanes @ CCA

Glas-goes Pop! (The June Brides/Pete Astor/The Catenary Wires/Swansea Sound/Papernut Cambridge/The Orchids/Rachel Love/Jetstream Pony/Mozart Estate/Close Lobsters/David Christian & pals/Davey Woodward & The Winter Orphans + DJs) @ Glasgow University Union Debating Chamber

Oliver Coates @ Civic House

Dean Wareham / Ryder the Eagle @ The Liquid Room (Edinburgh)

Squarepusher / Konx-om Pax @ The Leith Theatre (Edinburgh)

The Bohman Brothers / Lori Goldston @ The Old Hairdresser's

Cucina Povera / Mark Vernon / Otherworld @ The Old Hairdresser's

Perila (deep listening) @ The Old Hairdresser's

Young Guv / The Wife Guys of Reddit @ The Rum Shack

CS + Kreme / Joanne Robertson @ The Old Hairdresser's

Green Door Studios birthday w/ Alliyah Enyo / Jacob Yates and The Pearly Gate Lock-pickers / Pleasure Pool @ The Old Hairdresser's

Margo Cilker @ The Poetry Club

Spiritualized @ SWG3

Ashley Paul / Max Syedtollan @ The Glad Cafe

The Stroppies / Dinner Night / Yung KP @ The Hug & Pint

Erasers / EO / Karl D'Silva @ The Glad Cafe

Jon Spencer & The HITmakers @ Broadcast

The Shivas / Las Acuarelas / Water Machine @ The Flying Duck

Tirzah / Still House Plants @ SWG3

The Bevis Frond / Gerry Love @ Stereo

flinch. / Frances McKee @ The Glad Cafe

Molly Nilsson / Apostille @ Stereo

US Highball / Lloyd's House / Joyce Delaney @ Mono

Lemon Drink / flinch. / Sacred Noise / Miss the Occupier @ The Hug & Pint

Kit Sebastian @ Broadcast

Kim Gordon @ Classic Grand

Hiro Kone / Hyppia / Grim Lusk @ Stereo

Melenas / US Highball / Las Acuarelas @ The Flying Duck

The Cool Greenhouse / Bikini Body @ The Flying Duck

Okkyung Lee + 3 @ The Old Hairdresser's

Molly Linen / Clementine March  @ The Old Hairdresser's

Nika Son  @ The Old Hairdresser's

Good Sad Happy Bad / Tara Clerkin Trio / Comfort @ Broadcast

Special mentions must go to Young Guv for being unspeakably great and delivering banger after banger to an increasingly excited crowd, Alliyah Enyo for delivering something more akin to a religious experience than a gig and the sound of San Francisco (The Umbrellas, Seablite and Artsick) for pitching up in Glasgow (thanks in no small part to Chickfactor 30 enticing them over - cheers, Gail!) and being all that ever mattered. Here's to more of the same in 2023!

P.S. It was a genuine and unexpected thrill to witness Birdie singing this tender 60s teen gem at Chickfactor 30: