I am starting my column with some good news; my friends in Renfrew are having a music festival. Drew McCormack has been telling me all about it. “This Pilot Frew Fest Event is to see what is possible in terms of creating an Annual Community Music Festival in Renfrew. The Event has been funded by a Local Partnership Grant from Renfrewshire Council. All 17 events over the 3 days are free entry and there is a strong emphasis on local acts.
It all begins in Renfrew Bowling Club on Friday 23rd at 7.30pm where there will be some great live music including Jimmy Judge and Katee Kross and a bit of 70s Pop Quizzery thrown in to kick the consultation and Podcast off. It finishes on Sunday with 3 subsequent events including Howling Radio, John Rush, Hephzibah, Stephen Henry and Johnny Barr.
Local punk legend Ewan Eadie has also created 2 events in The Burns Howff on Friday and Saturday including a performance from his own act Parliament of Owls on Saturday at 3pm. Acts up from Ayrshire include Alan Frew, The Railwaymen. The Circle and The Heeby Jeebys and from the bonnie banks rockabilly guitar Rocker Dave Acari plays in Sammis Bar on Saturday night. Local musician John Carty also hosts his Jam Session in the Victoria Bar on Friday night. For more information check out the participating venues which are The Victoria Bar, The Burns Howff, The Black Bull, Cottons Bar, Sammi’s Bar, Davidson’s Bar and The Ferry Inn
The Bungalow have Start in tomorrow afternoon. It is a free event and doors are 2pm. Tomorrow night The Bungalow welcome back The Vanities supported by Resister who used to be called Dogtooth and now have a new line up and new songs. They are well worth checking out to see what they are how they are sounding now. You can pay on entry and doors are 7pm. Stand Up Comedy comes to The Bungalow on Sunday night and it features; Mickey Motion, Brian Kavanagh, James Grant, Jamie McCauley, Amanda Hursey, Tattoo Dave and Erin McKenzie. Opens at 7pm and you pay on the door. And doors are 7pm
The Cave have Fire In playing from 6pm tomorrow and in the later slot at 9pm it is Lucky 13 and on Sunday at The Anchor it is Kong from 4.30pm.
The Annual; British Heart Foundation fund raising event organised by local man Hugh Stevenson at Kennedy’s is on Sunday and they have a full line of great bands starting with Canyon 2pm, Thunder Road 3.30pm, Sad Ida 5pm, Black Triangles 6.30pm and finishing it off at 8.15pm is Wreckless.
The Old Swan tonight is Escapade from 7pm and tomorrow from 4pm in the ‘Shopper’s Slot’ is Wild Card followed by Fired Up at 8pm. In the Garden Stage is Emma Nailen from 5pm. On Monday Clyde are back in their usual spot from 6pm. Lee James will be performing a ‘Tribute to Swing’ on Tuesday at 3pm and on Thursday at 3pm he will be ‘Taking you Through the Decades’
The Keg has Mike Edwards in tonight from 9pm After performing in festivals around the country Oceans View back for another night of live music also at 9pm. Trevor Mills of The Keg Said “Catch them before they become too big for our wee venue”
This weekend at Zambretto will be Charlie Gorman tonight from 8.30pm and then local singer Charlene Gordon will be performing on Saturday night also at 8.30pm.
This week’s Open Mic sessions are: Abbey Bar on Monday with Dunky Hunter at 8pm, Jason Flood is the host at Gantry on Tuesday from 9pm; Johnny Barr will be at The Keg on Wednesday from 8.30pm. It is the last week of the month and that means that Andy Lindsay is back at The Anchor for and open mic night from 8pm. As Andy says “C’mon doon and gie’s a tune”