In February 2021 the supremely talented Alison Eales blogged for us about the process of recording her debut album Mox Nox during lockdown, and last year it was released to rave reviews. Alison has been busy and is back with her new four-track EP Four for a Boy  due for release on March 8th from Fika Recordings. Alison Eales Four for a Boy was written with Alison’s long-term collaborator, Garry Hoggan, and like its sister record Mox Nox, the EP was recorded and mixed by Paul Savage at Chem 19 studios. In a departure from the approach to the album, Four for a Boy keeps its arrangements s ..read more

In between raiding the mince pies and making inroads on the whisky, Glasgow Music City Tours will spend much of the festive period polishing our stories for our Merchant City Trad Trail Walking Tour for Celtic Connections 2024. The tours sell out quickly so if you’d like to get your hands on tickets before they do, book here. They make a great Christmas present for the music lover in your life. What Can Guests Look Forward To? From Burns to the bards of the shipyards, unusual rider requests, skirls and skirmishes, the two-hour tour traces the story of Glasgow’s folk and roots scene including ..read more

Shipyard Bards, Tall Tales and Dinner: 5 evening events in January & February in conjunction with Mharsanta Restaurant & Bar Looking for a memorable Christmas gift? Since our 2023 season of scheduled Saturday tours ended we’ve been busy with plans for our upcoming events in January. Due to popular demand we’re re-running our hugely successful Shipyard Bards, Tall Tales and Dinner event in conjunction with our partners, Mharsanta Restaurant & Bar. If you’re looking for a memorable Christmas gift this event makes for a splendid evening out, especially for those connected to the ship ..read more

‘A celebration of the city and its enduring love affair with music and musicians, venues and shops, one which will spark the remembrance of unique, high-octane experiences for all of us’ – Ian Rankin ‘A fascinating and witty look at Edinburgh’s Music History’ – Bruce Findlay ‘A briliant snapshot of rock and pop in Edinburgh’ – Stuart Cosgrove If you’re looking for a stocking filler for the music fan in your life, our handy pocket/stocking-sized book Edinburgh’s Greatest Hits should fit the bill…and it’s under a tenner…by a penny. Discover Edinburgh’s hidden music heritage with this eye-openin ..read more

On Saturday October 15th, White Hot Day, the Simple Minds Fan Convention is happening at the Classic Grand in Glasgow, check out our previous blogs for more info (see links below). Graeme Thomson, author of Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds, has written one of our favourite books this year, so we wanted to draw your attention to some other brilliant Simple Minds publications from Hanging Around Books .Hanging Around is an independent book publisher specialising in music-related photobooks — A5 sized paperbacks and photozines — that carry on the legacy of Hanging Around a ..read more

Ahead of WHITE HOT DAY the Simple Minds Fan Convention, on October 15th at the Classic Grand in Glasgow, we spoke to guest speakers, Bruce Findlay and Graeme Thomson who will be In Conversation at the event. Bruce managed the band from 1978 to 1990 and Graeme is the author of the brilliant Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds , it’ll be a fascinating chat. The event also features an online charity auction with unique items including signed guitars, artwork from the band, an ultra-rare gold disc and Jim Kerr’s backstage pass from Live Aid. An amazing collection of memorabilia ..read more

White Hot Day, the brilliant Simple Minds Fan Convention takes place at the Classic Grand in Glasgow on Saturday 15th October and features special guests plus a charity auction. Ahead of the big day we chatted to the organisers Gordon Machray and George Porter… Gordon and George met properly for the first time at a Simple Minds Hogmanay gig in 2012 in Edinburgh, they were friends online but decided to meet for a pre-gig meal and chat. Gordon was running the most successful Facebook fan page Simple Minds International and George’s tribute band Simple Minded had already been going for 3 years ..read more

Last year we hosted a guest blog from singer-songwriter, Lynnie Carson, about her brilliant song, ‘She Rose’, celebrating Rose Reilly the inspirational Scottish footballer who was selected to play for the Italian women’s national team. The play, Rose—Shunned in Scotland Signed by Italy, written  by Lorna Martin is touring this autumn, catch it while you can, tickets are on sale now. Based on real life, Rose tells the funny, poignant and inspiring story of an underdog, working-class teenager from Ayrshire who refused to play by society’s sexist rules, and who overcame every possible obst ..read more