With such a crowded gig calendar, it can be hard choosing which live acts to spend you money on. Maybe you've never heard of the bands playing; maybe you've heard their name, but haven't listened to any songs yet; conversely, maybe their back catalogue is so large you don't know where to start. Luckily for you, Time Out is on the case: what follows are the five best songs from the five best artists gigging in Glasgow this month. Use it to jog your memory, or to get introduced to something completely unfamiliar – you might just find your new favourite band.
Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds – The SSE Hydro, Sat Mar 7
Much more preferable now he’s not lugging round an Oasis-sized weight of expectation and chipping away at it with ever less essential albums by his old group, the elder Gallagher’s current work feels less constrained and more natural. This, the B-side of his comeback single ‘In the Heat of the Moment’, is the better of the two songs by a distance.
Idlewild – O2 ABC, Sat Mar 7 & Sun Mar 8
Like very polite conquerors returned from the north with nary a wee bit of dirt on their plaid shirts, Scots indie favourites Idlewild – whose output bestrides punk and folk influences – will walk out to a hero’s welcome at these homecoming dates in support of the new album ‘Everything Ever Written’, their first in six years. We hunted for a great classic track to put here, before we realised the best of the new material stands up to all of it. Here’s the comeback single.
James Chance & Les Contortions – Stereo, Thu Mar 12
We’re excited and then some. Furiously inventive jazz saxophonist and New York No Wave pioneer of the early 1980s James Chance (he was in ‘Downtown 81’, which means he’s basically NY royalty) is playing a few European dates ahead of the rerelease of his seminal album ‘Buy’, and Glasgow’s got one alongside JD Twitch of spiritual brethren Optimo (Espacio). Listen here not to James (but please do search for him on YouTube), rather two tracks from one of Glasgow’s finest new bands, the heavily Chance-influenced, Optimo-signed Whilst, who play support.
Usher – Hydro, Tue Mar 17
According to Eric Bellinger, one of the songwriting team on his new record ‘UR’, this is the release on which Usher has 'to show I’m still Usher'. For an artist who went full showbiz recently with his role as a judge on 'The Voice' in the States, we can only hope the mission implied by the title of his last album ‘Looking 4 Myself’ was a success. Still, the singles released so far have fused echoes of Michael Jackson, shiny ‘90s R’n’B and Pharrell’s latter, Marvin Gaye–aping work to pleasing effect. This one’s for all the laydeez.
Sleater-Kinney – O2 ABC, Wed Mar 25
Olympia, Washington’s much-beloved riot grrrl triumvirate Sleater-Kinney released their eighth record ‘No Cities to Love’ in January, and despite all the misty-eyed hagiography about how good they were back in the day, it’s a record steeped in fiery, must-listen urgency. The joyous ‘A New Wave’ is one of this year’s anthems so far.
