Radar recommends: 24 - 30 May

[Zoey Van Goey: playing The Bowery on Monday]

As sure as a Pope defecates in the woods, the dawning of a new week brings the promise of further ministerial misdemeanours, yet more fall-out from the Pete/Jordan saga and the harrowing realisation that a trip to Stark's Park beckons next season. Oh, and there's a tonne of exquisite gigs across the country to get yer lugs around...

Zoey Van Goey
Mon 25 May, The Bowery, Edinburgh. Doors 7.30pm, £5
Zoey Van Goey create the type of delectable indie-pop ditties a Tigermilk-era Stuart Murdoch would give his corduroy cardigan for. Which is hardly surprising really, given the Belle & Sebasian frontman had a hand in producing the Glasgow-based trio's scrumptious debut single Foxtrot Vandals. Having built up a fervent reputation for their ebullient live shows, The Bowery's warren-like cove is the perfect setting for Zoey Van Goey to finally move in to the spotlight. [BH]

Nacional
Wed 27 May, Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £5
Despite not yet having an album under their belts, Glasgow-based Nacional have already played live at Glastonbury and this year's SxSW festival in Austin, Texas. Though the band's guitar-driven indie pop shows clear nods to a range of acts like Sonic Youth and The Stone Roses, their most obvious influence is The Smiths. Having already attracted the attention of trendsetters down south and with a UK tour lined up early this summer, it's only a matter of time before Nacional go stratospheric. [JM]

Silvermash
Wed 27 May, Bannerman's, Edinburgh. Doors 8pm, £tbc
Wednesday sees the return of Fife drone-pop worshippers Silvermash after a lengthy hiatus. Having toured most of the world with The Wedding Present, drummer Graeme reunites with his former cohorts for a night of both delicate musicality and bone-shuddering walls of guitar, with a doff of the cap to the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. [NM]

United Fruit, Hey Enemy, Bronto Skylift, Hey Vampires

Thurs 28 May, Captain's Rest, Glasgow. Doors 7:30pm, £free
The cream of Glasgow's grunge and punk talent lines out on Thursday to celebrate the launch of United Fruit's latest EP, Mistress Reptile Mistress. Guests-of-Honour United Fruit have been favourably compared with Sonic Youth, among others, and the new EP looks set to herald in another gloriously noisy chapter in their increasingly illustrious career. Underground grunge rockers Hey Enemy recently returned to the live circuit after a lengthy hiatus and will be keen to dust off their chops ahead of festival appearances at goNorth and Rockness this summer. Despite being a two-man outfit, Bronto Skylift are one of the most abrasive bands on the bill, with a sound reminiscent of classic Mudhoney, though post-hardcore punks Hey Vampires will give them a run for their money every step of the way in the loudness stakes. [JM]

Live at The Mill: Cryoverbillionaires, Action Group
Thurs 28 May, The Mill @ Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Doors 7:30pm, free
Glaswegian experimental rockers Cryoverbillionaires have established themselves as one of Scotland's premier unsigned acts in recent years. The band's enormous wall of sound goes far beyond what one might reasonably expect a three-piece to produce, with swirling, psychedelic guitars, soaring vocals and superb musicianship the order of the day. Also on the bill are eclectic Edinburgh pop outfit Action Group, winners of Under The Radar's prestigious single of the month award for April. [JM]

Play: Action Group - Look At That Ass


Ablach, Step On It, Black Sister, Gusto Mastivo
Thurs 28 May, The Tunnels, Aberdeen, Doors 7:30pm, £tbc
Local grindcore upstarts Ablach join Hungarian thrashers Step On It for the Aberdeen leg of their ongoing tour of the UK and Ireland. Formed by alumni of the now defunct Filthpact and members of death metal titans Bonesaw, Albach have already established themselves as one of the most brutal acts on the Aberdonian scene. They're joined by half-Scottish, half-Hungarian thrash metal outfit Black Sister and Gusto Mastivo, obnoxiously offensive purveyors of grindcore from the depths of Morayshire. [JM]

**UtR's gig of the week**
The Skinny Dip: St Deluxe, The Gothenburg Address, Bronto Skylift
Thurs 28 May, The Bongo Club, Edinburgh. Doors 7.30pm, £5
These days, it's usually best to ignore anything coming out of Alan McGee’s cakehole, but for once the former Creation Svengali is right on the button. Nae quite the Scottish Nirvana he makes out, Glasgow's St Deluxe are still a blistering scab of slash and burn guitars built around guttural, tight rhythms and fuzz-box vocals. Backed by The Gothenburg Address's magnificent post-rock soundscapes and the aforementioned Bronto Skylift’s lug-blistering racket, this Skinny Mag-associated showing is going to be L.O.U.D. [BH]

Play: The Gothenburg Address - The Lesser Coming Home


Oscar Charlie
Thurs 28 May, Blackfriars Basement, Glasgow. Doors 8.30pm, FREE
Glasgow-based Shetlanders Oscar Charlie, who we featured on the blog back in the early days, kick off the first of three monthly summer shows at the tiny Blackfriar's Basement. The quartet make complex, accomplished math-rock that reels off into epic choruses when you least expect it. DJs will follow the band, it's free entry, and everyone gets a complimentary bottle of Krusovice on arrival. Need any more reasons? [NM]

Play: Oscar Charlie - Vandals:


Meursault, Honey Trap, X-Lion Tamer
Fri 29 May, Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £5
Meursault hardly need an introduction for readers of this blog. Defying the unspoken mantra that a laptop and a ukulele should never share a stage, the Camus-inspired Edinburgh outfit are arguably Auld Reekie's pre-eminent 'buzz band', their powerful folktronica and Neil Pennycook's yearning vocals singling them out from the crowd. Support comes from rowdy Londoners Honey Trap and local electro-popsters X-Lion Tamer. [NM]

Words: Billy Hamilton, Nick Mitchell, Jodi Mullen

Radar recommends: 3 - 9 May

[The Gothenburg Address: playing Cabaret Voltaire on Wednesday]

Pheweee...what a seven days for gigs. With Tigerfest swinging into action on the east coast and a plethora of ear-pleasing acts heading west, Scottish punters are a bit spoilt for choice this bank holiday week. But, as a waistline-bulging UtR once said, why settle for just one measly slice when you can have the whole cake, right?

Ross Clark & The Scarfs Go Missing, Rob St John, French Wives
Sun 3 May, Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh. Doors 8pm, £5
Once a solo-flying troubadour, Ross Clark has rounded up a herd of instrument-wielding miscreants (aka Ths Scarfs Go Missing) to beef up the bones of his precious, moribund trinkets. Highlighted by various indie-zine bibles as a star of the future, Clark’s live sets are delivered with fervent gusto, crackling with both poignancy and grace. Backed by UtR’s favourite purveyor of simmering folk ditties, Rob St John, and effervescent Glaswegians French Wives, this is going to be one hell of a kickstart to the week. [BH]

Rob St John - Like Alchemy


**UtR's gig of the week**
Tigerfest: Amusement Parks On Fire, The Gothenburg Address, Cryoverbillionaires
Wed 6 May, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £8
Shoegazing superstars (now THAT’S an oxymoron) Amusement Parks on Fire are not just a catch for this year’s Tigerfest, they’re a stick full of dynamite waiting to ignite. To say UtR’s excited about witnessing this mammoth aural eruption would be an understatement - we’re as giddy as a spin-dried 3-year-old high on Haribo - and with Edinburgh’s mighty The Gothenburg Address and the equally beguilling Cryoverbillionaires playing wingmen - we may well need to bring along an extra catheter. Needless to say, this is going to be good. [BH]

The Gothenburg Address - The Lesser Coming Home


The Mill: Palace Ballet, St Deluxe
Thu 7 May, The Mill @ Oran Mor, Glasgow, Doors 7pm, FREE. Tickets here
This week the Glasgow leg of The Mill scores another double-header of quality Scottish music. Palace Ballet, for anyone unfamiliar, are like the hip New York band that no-one told you about, with the singer's Casablancas drawl and their readymade garage rock hits. Except they are indeed Scottish. St Deluxe, meanwhile, are steeped in the hazy alt-rock of the late 80s, and damn good at what they do. [NM]

This Is Music’s 3^rd Birthday Party: Broken Records, Mike Bones, Rob St John
Fri 8 May, The Bowery, Edinburgh. 7pm. £10
No longer a toddler, This Is Music [TIM] has played a titanic role in the rejuvenation of Edinburgh’s music scene. And to celebrate their third year, the folk at TIM have once again produced the goods; rolling out a stellar line-up that runs the gambit from soaring baroque rock (Broken Records) to introverted laments (Rob St John). With Vice Records’ latest tune-churner Mike Bones adding transatlantic bite to proceedings, TIM’s birthday bash is the only party to be at this Friday. [BH]

• Not content with one party, the TIM gang have staged two: Copy Haho, Tie For Jack, Homework and DJ Vic Galloway will appear on the same night at Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh(Doors 8pm)

The Vivians, The Brogues, Ewan Butler
Fri 8 May, Maggie May's, Glasgow, Doors 8pm, £5
Once familiar sights on Edinburgh streets in their skinnier-than-thou jeans and vertical punk barnets, The Vivians now ply their trade on London's hipster bar circuit. But you can catch them in all their outlandish glory with this Glasgow show where good old confrontational punk is guaranteed. Support comes in the shape of Dundonian lad-rock outfit The Brogues and West Lothian singer-songwriter Ewan Butler. [NM]

Zoey Van Goey, The Second Hand Marching Band, Endor
Sat 9 May, Stereo, Glasgow, Doors 8pm, £TBC
With their crafted, intelligent indie-pop and a freshly pressed debut album, the Glasgow-based, transatlantic trio Zoey Van Goey could well be set to follow in the footsteps of similarly exquisite forebears My Latest Novel and Camera Obscura. For this their album launch party they've recruited none other than UtR faves The Second Marching Band (see 6 April blog) and Endor to share their festivities. Not to be missed. [NM]

Play: TSHMB - A Dance to Half Death


The Elvis Suicide, Four Dead in Ohio
Sat 9 May, The Captain's Rest, Glasgow, Doors 8pm, £TBC
If you're in the mood for something a bit more raucous, head to the Captain's Rest for this show by Glasgow rockers The Elvis Suicide. With scant regard for what's fashionable or cool, they emit short, full-throttle punk songs like jabs to your kidneys. Not enough heid-banging for you? Well there's also Four Dead in Ohio, a London group of Neil Young inspired, BRMC-esque rockers. [NM]

Tigerfest: The Ordinary Allstars, Supersonic Sims, B Burg (DJ Set)
Sat 9 May, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Doors: 7pm, £7
While never a regular on these here pages, Hip-Hop can still be heard blaring through the halls of UtR’s less-than-stately abode every so often. And Edinburgh outfit the Ordinary Allstars are one of the MC-wielding ensembles who regularly tickle our tape decks. Summertime samples aplenty, the group’s ebullient instrumentation is supplemented by a waterfall of slickly executed rhyme. Supported by Supersonic Sims' grime-riddled Funktronica, this Tigerfest show promises to bring the beat back to Auld Reekie. [BH]

- Billy Hamilton / Nick Mitchell

Have we missed something? Let us know below...

Radar recommends: Edinburgh gigs, 29 March – 4 April

Greetings music fans! Under the Radar [UTR] welcomes you to our very first foray into the world of gig listings. Now, we know you guys are busier than Madonna in an African adoption agency, so rather than reeling off a succession of shows we’ve done all the hard work for you and extracted the highlights of the next seven days and placed them into one essential feature. Without further ado then, UTR brings to you its top five Edinburgh gigs of the week [and, yes, we know Frightened Rabbit and Meursault are playing The Bowery on Friday but if you’ve not got a ticket by now don’t even bother]...

**UTR’s GIG OF THE WEEK**
Duty Free featuring Thomas Truax, Withered Hand, Greg Dodgeson
Friday 3 April, Cabaret Voltaire, doors: FREE(!)
Anyone who’s witnessed the beguiling sight of Thomas Truax (pictured above) in full flow will understand just why this is our gig of the week. A madcap human hurdy-gurdy, Truax and his smorgasbord of self-moulded instrumentation emits tunes like an off-kilter Andrew Bird teetering on the edge of both brilliance and derangement. Supported by the delectable harpsichordal strums of local troubadour Withered Hand, this is shaping up to be quite a showing. Oh, did we mention it will cost you not one penny?

Rob St John, The Wee Rogue, Ben Wetherill
Saturday 4 April, The Bowery, doors:TBC
Think of the sound of silence. Now add to it a tender, corkscrewing vocal and a few pulse-stopping melodies and you’ve done it; you’ve pinned down Rob St John. The once singer/songwriter now fully functioning band is an exquisite aural pleasure that never fails to induce the tingle of goose-flesh across UTR’s oh-so-manly self. Set in the Bowery’s haunting halls and supported by The Wee Rogue’s brittle-boned mews and Hack & A Hacksaw collaborator Ben Wetherill, you’d be a fool to miss this one.

Limbo featuring St Deluxe , Team Turnip, French Wives
Thursday 2 April, Voodoo Rooms, doors £4
A staple on the Edinburgh scene for over a year now, Limbo consistently produces the goods when it comes to gigs. This one’s no exception. St Deluxe are a thrashing romp of Ash-like hooks and swagger; Team Turnip wail out infectious melodies like The Boy Least Likely To in a Lego-less toy shop; while French Wives are the sweet sound of string-laden waves crashing against a shoreline of The Delgados and Arcade Fire. Will we ever stop singing Limbo’s praises? Doubtful.

Manky Bastard Presents: The Gothenburg Address, North Atlantic Oscillation, San Sebastian
Saturday 4 April, Sneaky Pete’s, £5 doors
When someone going by the name of Manky Bastard presents you with anything you’d normally make for the pepper spray. But this time you’re in safe hands because this lovingly-wrapped gift is the oscillating sound of The Gothenburg Address. A clan of indie luminaries, the Edinburgh-dwelling quartet’s voiceless thrust of chord embellishing Post-Rock is picking up plaudits like Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli picks up women, sans the incorrigible catchphrase and finger snapping.

Jesus H. Foxx (Single launch), Y’all Is Fantasy Island, Hindle Wakes
Thursday 2 April, Sneaky Pete’s, £4 doors
We here at UTR make no apologies for our unreserved love of Jesus H. Foxx. The Edinburgh-based quintet’s new-wave, post-punk scuffling has been tickling our sensorial cones for over a year now. This week's gig marks the launch of The Foxx’s brand new single and is supported by infectiously morose mainstays Y’all Is Fantasy Island and Glasgow’s whispered Hindle Wakes. All in all, it’s guaranteed to be a corker.

Disagree with our selection? Wanna tell the world where you 're going this week? Let us know below...