Paisley Music Roundup 04 by Tommy McGrory

Welcome to Tommy McGrory’s Paisley Music Roundup 04, looking ahead at gigs in the town from Friday.

Esperanza is back headlining The Bungalow Stage again on Friday. This time in support is their special guests The Dughoose Ska Band.

It’s the quality of the band’s live shows that has led to them being increasingly in demand supporting some of the biggest names in ska, punk and reggae including The Wailers, Bad Manners, The Beat, The Selecter, Neville Staple and The Undertones. Tickets on the door from 7pm.

Modtastic Start are playing an afternoon gig on Saturday from 2pm and it is free entry.

The much anticipated Dirty Harry gig is on Saturday night. The band has not only the original sound, feel, attitude, and full back catalogue of the band but a look-a-like of Debbie to deliver the good stuff.

If a recap of some of the top tunes are required, lets remind ourselves; Heart of Glass, Call me, Rapture, Sunday Girl, Dreaming, Atomic, Denis, Hanging on the Telephone, Maria, and One Way or Another.

Dirty Harry do it all plus plenty more of the best chart toppers and fan’s favourites. And if you made it to The Bungalow sell out gigs in recent years you’ll know exactly what lies in store for you this time. Tickets on the door from 7pm.

On Sunday it is a homecoming gig for Paisley’s own Tony McManus appearing in duo format with multi talented Julia Toaspern with support from Danny Bradley.

Tony McManus is known as ‘the best Celtic guitarist in the world’ he has been listed as one of the 50 transcendental guitarists of all time by Guitar Player Magazine.

Conjuring a unique but universal language from that most ubiquitous of instruments, the acoustic guitar, Tony has both extended and transcended the parameters of contemporary Celtic music.

Ranked by peers and predecessors alike alongside the guitar world’s all-time greats, his fiendishly dexterous, dazzlingly original playing draws on traditions from the entire Celtic diaspora – Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, Quebec – along with still further-ranging flavours, such as jazz and east European music.

Long applauded for his uncanny ability to transpose the delicate, complex ornamentation characteristic of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes – even the phrasing of a Gaelic song – onto his own six strings, McManus is increasingly being acknowledged also as a pioneering figure in bridging the realms of Celtic music and other guitar genres. Tickets on the door from 7pm.

On Thursday The Bungalow welcome back local Paisley bands Scunnurt, Red Bandits and Klaise. Doors 7pm first act on at 8pm Tickets £5/3 students available on Eventbrite and on the doors

Kirk Strachan is at The Old Swan on Friday from 7pm and Saturday the annual Maggie’s Day event at The Old Swan continues again this year with another bumper line up of live bands playing all day starting from 2pm.

The line up includes: Trunk Monkey, Memphis, Mod Life Crisis, Sin City, Back in the Day Judy and the Jaywalkers, End of a Century and Wreckless.

There is a full card of solo artists in the beer garden running in conjunction with the indoor main stage. Clyde are in their usual slot on Monday at 5pm, Lee James is performing his Swing Show on Tuesday and Songs Through the Decades on Thursday, both at 3pm.

The Cave have Overdrive on Friday from 8pm. On Saturday, due to the Champions League Final, Hung Jury will be on at 5pm to 7pm and on Sunday from 6pm it is the monthly Jim Keilt Blues Jam.

Check out live bands at The Keg tonight and tomorrow night at 9pm and Kennedy’s on Sunday from 3pm, also The Anchor on Sunday at 4.30pm. Stephen Henry will be playing at Tannahill’s tomorrow from 8pm.

This week’s Open Mic sessions are: Abbey Bar on Monday with Dunky Hunter at 8pm, Jason Flood is hosting at Gantry on Tuesday from 9pm, Johnny Barr will be at The Keg from 8.30pm.

Have a great week and Keep Music Live.