Craig Gornall

Throwing a Halloween party this year? Forego the 'Monster Mash' and take a listen to these tunes from five ghoulish and ghostly Edinburgh bands to provide the soundtrack for your shindig. The Spook School - 'Burn Masculinity'The Spook School released new album 'Try To Be Hopeful' this month and will play Edinburgh's Banshee Labyrinth on October 26 and 27. You can buy the new album on their Bandcamp page. The Holy Ghosts - 'Devil On Your Side'This track is taken from The Holy Ghosts' debut album 'Ride Them Down' released in 2014. After a couple of line-up changes the Ghosts returned this year with brand new EP 'End of the World and Other Multifarious Destinations'. You can buy both on iTunes.  Stanley Odd - 'The Walking Dead'Stanley Odd are without doubt one of Edinburgh's hardest working bands, with three albums and an abundance of EPs, singles and live tracks released in just over five years. 'The Walking Dead' is taken from third album 'A Thing Brand New'. Get this and treat yourself to the back catalogue at stanleyodd.com. The Phantoms - 'Wasting Time'The Phantoms (not to be confused with Glasgow-based The Phantom Band, who you could also add to that playlist) are based in Broxburn just outside Edinburgh. They're described by Jim Gellatly as 'what Oasis would have sounded like if they had listened to The Doors rather than The Beatles.' Listen to more on Soundcloud. The Winter Tradition - 'Game Of Ghosts'A golden oldie from The Winter Tradition from when they were call

The best in Scottish music is to be celebrated next week at the sixth annual Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs). Taking place at the Garage on October 8, the event will include the presentation of seven awards as well as live performances from a number of previous winners and nominees such as wecamefromwolves (pictured above), Holy Esque and Crash Club. SAMAs founder Richy Muirhead has praised the diversity of this year's nominees. 'The shortlist is extremely strong this year, with nominees from every corner of Scotland,' he says. 'There is a huge surge in nominations for new bands which goes to show that Scotland is forever churning out new and exciting talent. I think this year’s main event will be one not to miss – it’s our sixth birthday, so we’ve got a few surprises and crowd-pleasers up our sleeves.' The nominations are... BEST ROCK/ALTERNATIVEMonogramWecamefromwolvesCatholic ActionDear JohnSchnarffSchnarffHuxtable BEST NEWCOMERMartha FfionWhite BaerMan Of MoonAlphasBella And The BearLionel BEST HIP HOPMOGDelighted PeoplesDJ Yemester & HextasyThe Ill CollectiveBigg Taj & SpeesixnineSpring Break BEST ELECTRONICBDY PRTSSequalOur Future GloryLockahCrash ClubClyde Rouge BEST ACOUSTICC DuncanThe Jellymans DaughterStella ReillyBest Girl AthleteSean C KennedyDR Wook BEST LIVE ACTErrorsDed RabbitCopper LungsKathryn JosephColonel Mustard & The Dijon 5Neon Waltz BEST METALMountains Under OceansThe AmorettesDividesholy MountainSeed Of SorrowBlackened Ritual If you fancy jo

Electric Fields Festival takes place at Drumlanrig Castle on August 29. Now in its second year, it's one of the best places to catch great Scottish bands in one field this summer. The fest was set up in 2014 to provide music fans the ability to check out some of Scotland's best bands and not have to spend a fortune - complete with low-priced tickets, cheap bus travel from a variety of locations and pints for £3.50. Here are five acts you should make time to see while you're there. King CreosoteKing Creosote will headline the Arc Stage at Electric Fields. What will he play? Who knows, as King Creosote has over 40 releases from which to pick the set-list. The latest album 'From Scotland With Love' was in the long list for this year's Scottish Album Of The Year Award.  KloeBilled as the next big thing in Scotland at only 18 years old, Kloe already has picked up massive praise from the Scottish media. The dark electro-pop artiste is being compared to CHVRCHES and with Zane Lowe playing her debit release 'Grip' on his Radio 1 show, her rise in popularity may follow the same trajectory. Kloe also plays the Arc Stage at Electric Fields.  Victorian Trout ConspiracyVictorian Trout Conspiracy are no strangers to the Scottish festival circuit having previously played Belladrum, Kelburn Garden Party and Linkylea to name but a few. The eight-piece rock-pop-ska-funk outfit, who are based in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, will be sure to get the festival crowd at Electric Fields in the party

Hidden Door Festival, the annual festival which takes place in abandoned or hidden venues around Edinburgh, returns for nine days from May 22. This year's focal venue is the Secret Courtyard on King Stables Road, however there will also be a number of events taking place at the Bongo Club. Over the nine days there will be a feast of art, theatre, cinema, poetry and food and drink - and of course, music. Here are five acts you shouldn't miss. Jonnie CommonRecently described as a 'Scottish oddball', Jonnie Common's most recent album 'Trapped In Amber' has been well received over the UK, especially by Lauren Laverne of BBC 6Music. Jonnie will be playing alongside Lonelady, C Duncan and Plastic Animals.May 22, Secret Courtyard. Garden Of ElksHaving just released their debut album 'A Distorted Sigh' on Song, By Toad Records and having been tipped on many tips for 2015 lists, Garden Of Elks are looking to take the summer by storm. Catch their thrashy guitar pop along with Bat Bike and Youngster Joey.May 23, Bongo Club. Victorian Trout ConspiracyVictorian Trout Conspiracy have just released their new single 'Birds & Bees' as a free download. They have also just played a sold-out Limbo show at the Voodoo Rooms. Catch this eight-piece ensemble playing live at Bongo Club with the equally fabulous Black Diamond Express. May 24, Bongo Club. Dead Boy RoboticsDead Boy Robotics are back on the scene after a two-year break and have recently released comeback single 'Arrival'. They're loo

Electric Fields, one of Scotland's newest music festivals, is taking place at the beautiful Drumlanrig Castle on August 29 and has just announced its 2015 line-up. Now in its second year, Electric Fields was set up by Alex Roberts, Chay Woodman and Nick Roberts with the intention of showcasing the best up and coming music from around the country, at a ticket price that is easy on the music lovers pockets, at one of the most stunning locations in Scotland.  The line-up certainly reflects some of Scotland's best music: headliner King Creosote was last week nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award, as were fellow Electric Fielders Paws and The Phantom Band. Also appearing are Hector Bizerk, Golden Teacher, Miaoux Miaoux, Randolph's Leap, Pronto Mama, Jonnie Common, Crash Club and Victorian Trout Conspiracy.   Still not convinced? Have a listen to some of the acts on the bill below.    Adult tickets start at £30 and are on sale now. If you fancy gracing the stage yourself rather than just attending, there's also a competition running to open this year's festival. Electric Fields, August 29, Drumlanrig Castle, Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway. See more music and nightlife in Edinburgh from Time Out.

Twenty of the best albums released in the last year are in the running for the fourth annual Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) award. The awards celebrate, promote and reward albums released by Scottish artists, with a top prize of £20,000 up for grabs. There are also nine runners-up prizes of £1,000 and a Graduate Design Commission valued at £2,500 on offer. The longlist will be whittled down to ten before the judges make the final decision of who will take Young Fathers' crown from them - unless of course they take the prize for a second consecutive year! The nominations are: Fatherson - 'I Am An Island' Happy Meals - 'Apero' Kathryn Joseph - 'Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I Have Spilled' Mogwai - 'Rave Tapes' King Creosote - 'From Scotland With Love' Belle & Sebastian - 'Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance' Withered Hand - 'New Gods' Slam - 'Reverse Proceed' The Twilight Sad - 'Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave' The Amazing Snakeheads - 'Amphetamine Ballads' Young Fathers - 'DEAD' Paolo Nutini - 'Caustic Love' Honeyblood - 'Honeyblood' Treacherous Orchestra - 'Grind' Blue Rose Code - 'The Ballads Of Peckham Rye' PAWS - 'Youth Culture Forever' Idlewild - 'Everything Ever Written' The Phantom Band - 'Strange Friend' Mike Vass - 'In The Wake Of Neil Gunn' Errors - 'Lease Of Life'   You can listen to a track from each of the artist (except Kathryn Joseph) on the Spotify playlist below:  Over the next four weeks one album will be named 'Album of the Day' on

Record Store Day began in 2007 when more than 700 independent record stores in USA came together to celebrate all things vinyl. Now in its eighth year, RSD (which takes place this year on Saturday April 18) is a global music event. Chart heavyweights such as Biffy Clyro, Calvin Harris, Erasure and Foo Fighters will all be taking part with exclusive releases. It isn't just the worldwide superstars who will be getting involved with RSD though, as some of the best local bands will be releasing exclusive records and playing special in-store gigs throughout the day in some of Edinburgh's record stores. Here are three must-see events taking place this year. VoxBoxAlthough Stockbridge's VoxBox Records are not stocking any official RSD releases this year, they will still be providing a stellar line-up of Scotland's best bands. Delta Mainline, The Holy Ghosts, Miracle Strip, Supermoon (pictured above), Garden Of Elks, Randolph's Leap and Gerry Cinnamon will be playing on the day. All the bands will also have various CDs, cassettes and vinyl for sale.  Oh, Supermoon by SUPERMOON Underground Solu'shnUnderground Solu'shn in Cockburn Street will open its doors early (8am) and will stock 550 vinyl-only releases, which will be available on a first come first serve basis. Fear not however, if you miss out on a record you can still enjoy the entertainment provided on the day. With live sets from James Yorkston and Randolph's Leap, as well as DJ sets from Edinburgh electro pioneers FiniTribe,

Wide Days, the Scottish music convention for those looking to make a career in the industry, is returning to Edinburgh on Friday April 10 and Saturday April 11. In addition to seminars from industry professionals, Wide Days also puts on two free gigs as a showcase for six of the best up and coming bands from Scotland. The acts playing are: Kathryn JosephPreviously Kathryn has been known as 'Scotland's best kept secret', but that can't be said anymore - with tour dates supporting Broken Records, sessions on BBC and her album selling out on vinyl, it looks as though 2015 is the year where the otherworldly piano balladeer makes her breakthrough. Her album 'Bones You Have Thrown At Me And Blood I Have Spilled' is available on Bandcamp now.  bones you have thrown me and blood i've spilled by kathryn joseph C DuncanThe son of two classical musicians, C Duncan has grown up around music. Originally taking up piano and viola, he then joined bands at school where he learned guitar, bass and drums. His music bridges the gap between the classical and modern genres; he's recently been signed to Brighton based Fat Cat Records and will release his debut EP later in the spring.  Fiona Soe PaingFiona Soe Paing is a solo producer/vocalist who cannot just be listened to - her live show combines electronica with amazing projected images to create a 'live cinema' experience. Her current show 'Alien Lullabies' has been chosen for the 'Made In Scotland' showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 20