Big names are tuning up ahead of the second edition of the Vibration Festival this weekend.
The two-day Falkirk event was first staged in May 2019 when it featured appearances from the likes of Welsh power trio Feeder and psych popsters The Coral at the town’s Callendar Park.
Glam rock, punk soulsters and more
This time around it’s being headlined tomorrow by baggy veterans The Charlatans, who’ll be joined by Valerie hit-makers The Zutons – presently on the comeback trail – Brummie indie favourites The Twang and Glasgow funk soulsters Tom McGuire And The Brassholes.
There’s also a host of home-grown breaking outfits on the bill, including the likes of The Dunts, Dead Pony, Kitti, Danko and Kirkcaldy alt-rock songsmith Mike Clerk, formerly of The Lost Generation.
Sunday’s line-up is headed up by a brace of rock heavyweights, namely glam metal chart-toppers The Darkness – featuring Milnathort-raised Frankie Poullain on bass – and Northern Irish pop-punk legends Ash.
Also appearing on the festival’s main stage are Futureheads, plus Glasgow bands Vlure and Spyres, leading tribute McFleetwood, Fife troubadour Davey Horne and Falkirk hopefuls Pleasure Heads.
Acoustic stages
Vibration also boasts separate breakthrough and acoustic stages which’ll have a full array of artists playing throughout the weekend, with Stirling’s Tolbooth venue pitching up on Sunday to showcase young artists signed to its Generation Tolbooth Records.
The newcomers involved are Stirling singer-songwriter Joe Goodall, guitarist-cum-violinist Corin and teenage talent Melanie Glencross.
Coming up in Dundee, it’s Metal legends Machine Head at the venue formerly known as Fat Sams on Monday.
Thrash pioneers
Formed in 1991, the Californian outfit have long been considered as one of the pioneers of the American thrash scene and have scored eight UK top 50 albums.
Still led by founding member Robb Flynn, Machine Head are playing in Dundee as part of their five-date Electric Happy Hour tour of intimate Scottish venues ahead of a major run of dates across Europe, starting in England later this week.
They’ve dropped their 10th studio set Of Kingdom And Crown – a follow-up to 2018’s Catharsis – within the past few days, and fans can expect to hear cuts from the concept album at South Ward Road, along with vintage highlights from the band’s three-decade career.
Machine Head’s sixth opus The Blackening, from 2007, was named album of the decade by headbangers’ bible Metal Hammer in 2010, with Aesthetics Of Hate, the first single off the influential set, earning the band a Grammy nomination.
The band have undergone a few line-up changes in recent years, with frontman Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern now joined by ex-Decapitated guitarist Waclaw Kieltyka and former Devilment drummer Matt Alston.
Bandaid Brigade for Conroy’s
Separately, fans of modern punk can look forward to one of the genre’s most celebrated exponents playing Conroy’s Basement tomorrow, in the shape of Bandaid Brigade.
A collaboration between Pears frontman Zach Quinn and keyboardist Brian Wahlstrom – best known for his work with hardcore outfits Scorpios and Gods Of Mount Olympus – the American noiseniks have just released their second album Sex Is Terrifying.
Recorded with James Whitten at High Tower Studios in New Orleans and mixed at Colorado’s Blasting Room by Chris Beeble, it’s a  follow-up to the duo’s acclaimed 2020 debut I’m Separate.
Support tomorrow comes from Dundee-based prog riffola merchants Speedrunner and ethereal goth-tinged post-rockers Fractal.
Edi Reader for Gardyne
Over at the Gardyne Theatre, legendary folk-pop songbird Eddi Reader is paying a visit next Friday. The gig’s part of the ex-Fairground Attraction star’s anniversary-themed 40 Years Live tour, which sees her mark four decades since she started out as a backing singer for the likes of Eurythmics and Gang Of Four.
Elsewhere, it’s a big night tomorrow for Courier Country songsmith Jamie Button who’s headlining at Glasgow’s legendary King Tut’s.
The post-Britpop troubadour will be launching his debut album Lost In Local Life at the St Vincent Street venue, where he’ll be supported by fellow rising talents Paul Mullen and Stewart James, from Dundee.
Finally for this week, the Tolbooth continues its ongoing series of afternoon gigs in Stirling with an appearance from ex-BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist Amy Papiransky tomorrow.
The Moray-raised music teacher and Katie Melua soundalike has been writing and recording her own alt-country material for the last eight years, including her 2019 debut album Read Me Write and the recent single Summertime Blues.
