Stevie Martin "Clout", The Stand, Glasgow. Wednesday 22nd April, 2026

The drive in was fine tonight. Only a couple of wacky drivers couldn't decide which lane they needed to be in. We found a parking spot nearby and walked to the venue, arriving at 7.20 pm. The show was sold out. The queue stretched outside the venue. 

Fortunately, they opened the doors almost as soon as we arrived (they never open on time). Inside, the room is laid out without the usual tables. It's chairs only, in tight rows, stretching to the back of the room (no area curtained off). We sit in the fifth row, uncomfortably close to the people beside us and in front. Sightlines are good, though.  

Recently, I have been fascinated by the music playing before comedy shows, seeking any themes that are being suggested. I almost forgot to note them tonight, so these are the last three before the show started:

Don't Start Now by Dua Lipa

Get Shaky by The Ian Carey Project

Lights On (feat Ms Dynamite) by Katy B

All upbeat, fast numbers. 

 Then this slide appeared on the screen:

That playlist title is genius.

Looking closer at the sidebar, we discover other gems:

This bodes well. I have never seen Stevie live before. I only know her from her TV appearances on Taskmaster, Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helpful and Richard Osman's House of Games. I am aware she is married to comedian Adam Riches. I have only watched a few of her online sketches.

We have an unadvertised support act: Krystal Evans. I know her shtick from her show "The Hottest Girl in Bandcamp", and this material forms the basis for most of this set. Doesn't mean it's not funny. These are her bankers, with a few new ones thrown in for testing. She has grown in confidence on stage since I last saw her. She looks slimmer, too. Divorce looks good on her.

The music in the interval includes:

To Lose a Life by White Lies

Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer

Broken Man by St Vincent

The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes.

Then Stevie bounces onto the stage, full of energy, wearing an Inter Milan tracksuit, her ringed thumb poking through her sleeve and carrying her phone and clicker in her other hand. Her long hair is now brown and tied back in a ponytail. She talks nineteen to the dozen, throwing out funny remarks and smiling a lot as she explains who she is for those who don't know. 

She resembles one of my former patients, with her quick mouth, bouncy energy, smart-casual clothing and the way she repeatedly rubs her nose, sniffs and touches her face, her eyes sparkling but glazed. I'm not saying Stevie snorted any illicit drugs before the show. Perhaps this is how she is wired. It doesn't detract from how funny she is. And her teeth are nice.

She has packed her show with detail. She shows us a silly slide. We laugh. She points out a minute detail we missed. We laugh harder. She plays with callbacks, adding to the insanity she is creating. It's all fun stuff.

What is the show about? Difficult to say. She developed as an online comedian, a slave to the algorithm, chasing views and likes, but the dopamine hit she got from an online lol or hahahahahaha comment (or hohohoho from the Christmas worker from Lapland) fell way short of that feeling of performing live on stage in front of her audience. She's thankful to Taskmaster for bringing her an audience (doesn't mention Mitchell & Webb, perhaps as she and the cast not named in the show title have been dropped from the second series). I think, ultimately, she wanted to make us laugh in whatever way she could. 

I don't know how she maintained her high energy level for the hour, but she did. The show felt like a race. My wife thought it was just okay; superficial laughter that she enjoyed but didn't need to experience again. I disagreed. I was thrilled by the show. And I was only on Paracetamol.

Ticket Price: 2 x £20 plus Booking Fee £1.60 = £41.60 directly from The Stand.

Tyketto "Closer to the Sun" UK Tour, The Garage, Glasgow. Tuesday 21st April, 2026.

A Tuesday night gig at The Garage: the queue is down as far as the Gentings Casino by the time we arrive. The doors are due to open at 7 pm, with Collateral on stage at 7.15. The entry process is smooth, and, bypassing the merch room, we make our way to the main hall, where we end up five-deep at the front.

A couple are on my left, the woman as short as the man is tall. Her view of the stage is good until a white-haired pensioner with hearing aids, thick-rimmed specs on a cord, and a walking stick shuffles through the crowd and stops right in front of her. The husband is irate, demanding that the man move, which he doesn't. There's no room. The pensioner brasses it out and stays where he is, forcing the unhappy pair to slide over.

Collateral both look and sound great once my ears adjust to the room. Frontman Angelo Tristan packs charisma with a fine voice. He brings the energy, demanding we raise our game so they can fulfil their role in warming us up. He succeeds. A great start.

However, my photos are shite.

Collateral

It doesn't take long for Warrior Soul to sap that energy. Their intro takes forever before the lead singer joins them on stage. I wished he hadn't. If you're going to copy the look of David Coverdale and the dance moves of David Lee Roth, you shouldn't do it as they are now - vocally strained and arthritic. Any singing voice this man had is long gone. He still bears the demeanour of a rock god, but I quickly grow tired of his shouting into the mic. I don't mean in a death metal way. This is not death metal. If anything, this is the death of metal. The solos the guitarist shreds sound more like instrument abuse than music. If I'd had a magic amp, I'd have rubbed it and wished them to stop. Forever. As I haven't, I close my eyes and wait for it to be over. Interminable!

Warrior Soul - look at us, we used to be middlingly famous

This rather dampens my feelings towards Tyketto. As does the clean-shaven Hagrid in a leather jacket, who uses his heft to push forward to stand in front of the girl beside me. She taps him on the shoulder. He pretends not to notice. She taps more insistently. He turns and fake apologises, edging over slightly. She still can't see. She tells him to do one. He relents and eventually slides sideways to be a pain in front of someone else. (He returned during the set, standing in front of the couple on my other side, but the husband, who was as tall as him, 'encouraged' him to keep going. I didn't see where Hagrid went after this - hopefully home.)

Tyketto frontman Danny Vaughn is a humble soul. He appreciates how the fans have stuck with them for their thirty-five years. He's retained a powerful voice and his sense of humour, and is an easy presence to like. I'm not overly familiar with their music, though I did give the new album a couple of listens (it's a grower). The hardcore fans sing along, while I try to work out what the words are. The talented guitarist keeps playing at the side of the stage, out of the spotlight, which is a bit frustrating. I don't think he realises he's in shadow. 

I don't attempt to shoot any video footage. Too many heads at the same level as mine. Besides, the tall bloke to my right seems to have his phone permanently on record, with an unobstructed view of the stage, so his footage will be superior to mine. Let's hope he shares it on YouTube.

Mr Video

I never managed to snag a photo of the setlist, but noticed a poster of the stage times behind the bar. The barmaid saw me taking the picture, asked if I wanted it, and handed it over. Tyketto never stuck to the 'strict curfew', finishing at 10.45 pm.

The Garage printer needs a new ink cartridge.

Overall, the gig was fine, but I would have enjoyed it more without Warrior Soul's set. 

Setlist:

Rescue Me

Wings

Burning Down Inside

Higher Than High

Strength in Numbers

Reach

Closer to the Sun

The Run

We Rise

Circle the Wagons

Seasons (preceded by the opening verse/ chorus of "Stuck in the Middle with You" by Steelers Wheel)

Harleys & Indians (Riders in the Sky) (Roxette cover)

Standing Alone

Lay Your Body Down

The Brave

Forever Young

Ticket Price: unknown (Bob owes me for tickets, and I owe him. It balances out in the end). 

 

Lucy Darling: Simply Darling - City Halls Grand Hall, Glasgow. Sunday 19th April, 2026

Traffic chaos on Glasgow's High Street, with several surrounding roads closed, meant performing a U-turn and trying to find another way in. We eventually parked on Montrose Street, then walked down the steep hill to the City Halls. 

When we arrived, lots of weirdos were smoking outside the venue. They had weird haircuts in weird colours and wore weird clothes. Surely they weren't here for Lucy? Was there some weird act next door at The Old Fruitmarket? 

No, they were here for Lucy. She describes her typical demographic as polyamorous D&D players, which gives you some vague idea about those present. 

Inside, we find our seats and swelter. Initially, I think I have a fever and dread the return of Covid, but then I overhear the ladies behind me complain about how hot it is. Elsewhere, people are using their tickets as fans. 

Keekaboo

I'm surprised to see Robert White as Lucy's Musical Accompaniment for the tour. I've witnessed him before. He's an odd fellow, but can be funny. His role is minor, though. Lucy is the star. She uses him to segue between sections of the show. 

My second surprise is in discovering that this really isn't a magic show. It's so light on Magic, it should be called a crowd-work show. Thankfully, we are in row S, well away from Lucy's prying.

The sound in the room isn't great, so I'm grateful for the captions on the giant screen behind her. The AI producing the subtitles occasionally misunderstands what was said, making some doozy mistakes, mishearing 'sheath' for 'sheep' in relation to the adjective 'penile'.  

Tonight, Lucy struck gold in selecting Mark in the front row as her main stooge. His banter and performance stole the show. From the vague job title he couldn't talk about to his golf habit, and his wife of thirty years not caring how much he flirted with Stephen, the stranger on his left, the laughs kept coming.  

Jenny, her other stooge, was an unhappy radiographer whose most unusual object she discovered during an X-ray was a deodorant spray bottle. She also mentioned finding dominoes up someone, too.

Lucy asked whether she meant the Pizza or the game. When told 'the game', Lucy replied, "Did the rest tumble out after the first?" She is exceedingly quick-witted.

She got Mark and Jenny to act out a play for her, rewarding them with the first magic trick of the night, pouring each of them a different, randomly selected cocktail from a single cocktail shaker. That old chestnut. 

Stephen, the camp gentleman on Mark's left side, was selected to pick up Lucy's handkerchief (catchphrase: "Oh, no"). He also got a kiss from Lucy's camp cameraman, much to Mark's fake outrage.

After the interval, those in the audience who could stand performed Lucy's dance, which was filmed for later posting on social media. I didn't participate. Lucy also answered the audience's questions, picking a few at random from a jar, before answering her three favourites. The girls behind me wanted to know how she would deal with an arsehole neighbour, but she didn't answer that one.

A trick with dice leading to selecting a particular animated star on the screen seemed weak, despite the overblown storytelling around it. Maybe I'm a little jaded when it comes to these outcome tricks. 

Robert White did get to show off his schtick for improvising funny songs to summarise how the performance had gone, incorporating specific elements such as the penile sheath reference. I loved the bit when he appeared to be playing the piano and walked away, only for the music to continue.  

Would I do it again? Yes, probably. As a comedy show, she is funny, but I would have preferred a little more magic.

Ticket Price (for two) : £95.00 & Facility Fee £3.00 & Service Charge £12.20 & Transaction Fee £2.50 = Total: £112.70 from AXS

Seb Lowe, La Belle Angele, Edinburgh. Wednesday 15th April, 2026

 

After a pleasant drive to Edinburgh, arriving at 6.30 pm for a 7pm doors, I park at the Pleasance and head to the venue. I'm fifth in the queue, until security points out to the person at the front that the queue is actually up the steps, past The Mash House (who also have a gig on). It's not just up the steps. It's around the block, too. I end up on Chambers Street, parallel to the venue, within sight of the National Museum of Scotland. I guess I'll not be on the barrier tonight.

And I wasn't. Lots of tall people down the front, so no videos either.

First up is Kate Couriel (Seb Lowe's violinist and backing singer). This is her very first live performance as a solo artist. She's accompanied by Rory (?) from the band on keyboards. Her music is very like Seb Lowe's: lyrically dense, full of drama and opinion. And a bit samey. It doesn't do her voice justice. I think it would have sounded better with full orchestration, like on Raye's recent album, rather than with this pared-down approach of keyboards and violin. It's a short set, but welcome.

The Rooks are a Glasgow band who possess a swagger reminiscent of Oasis. Which is just as well because their singer sounds awfully like Liam, chewing his lyrics (confusion becomes 'con-few-shei-own'). Despite their confidence/arrogance, they actually sound good. I'd be happy to see them again, maybe with fewer tall people in front so I can see the singer, who's a little on the short side. Cool shades, though.

By the time Seb Lowe takes to the stage, the crowd is hot and sweaty. More youths have pushed forward, shifting the height dynamic, but I still can't see the stage clearly. I refuse to lift my phone above my head to record any of the performances, preferring to snatch the odd photo when I can. The Aberdeen setlist missed out a couple of my favourites, so I'm pleased when they slip in Mr & Mrs Human Race. 

The first three songs flow into one another without any chat. I guess they're aiming to cram as much as possible into their hour-long set, favouring the new songs. 

Seb likes to come down to the front of the crowd. Only, he is restricted by his microphone cable, relying on a techie to unhook the cord whenever it gets tangled. When Katie comes down, she's so small, no one except those at the front can see her. 

There's no Hot To Go moment this time, but the crowd amazes me, being able to sing all those lyrics along with Seb. They are loud, too; the largely young and female audience nearly busts my eardrums, even with earplugs in, as they scream their appreciation between songs. It was nice having nearly six hundred people singing, "We all love dogs, we all hate cats", at the top of their voices.   

I don't wait afterwards to meet the band. Let the young fans have their moment. I do keep an eye out for setlists being handed to fans and manage to persuade one youngster to let me photograph hers. As always, thank you for doing so.

Setlist:

Little Caesar

Here Come the Aliens!

Jump Scare

Kill him (he's a Socialist)

I'm Hateful, I'm Horrible, I Love You

Don't Say No to Hitler

One Day to Live

iPhone

Freak.

Mr & Mrs Human Race

People Like You

Ode to Britannia

A Westerner Walks Into a Bar

Terms and Conditions

No One to Kill in the Sky

Ticket Price: £14.00 & Service Fee £2.75 & postage £0.70 =  £17.45 from TicketWeb.

Russell Howard "Don't Tell the Algorithm" Tour, Evening Show, King's Theatre, Glasgow. Sunday 12th April, 2026.

The first thing we notice as we take our seats in the front row of the Grand Circle is the loud music. Either the soundman is going deaf, or it's deliberate, to blast energy into the room. I don't recognise all the songs, but they get my foot tapping and occasionally actually mouthing along to the words.

Just after 7.30 pm, the lights dim and an unknown voice welcomes our first act, Andrew Bird. He's been on the circuit a long time, and it shows. He absolutely smashes it with his observations, especially about married life. He serves as an ideal warm-up for Russell. He is touring in January and will appear at the Glee Club in Glasgow on Wednesday, 27th January 2027 (Tickets). 

More loud music during the interval, before Russell's tour manager comes on and whips up the crowd, before introducing Russell.

Russell is a pro. From the off, he's joke, joke, joke. Shortly into the set, he admits he shat himself during the matinee performance and is now full of Imodium, so his movements might be restricted. He confesses he can't do a Scottish accent, demonstrating his best effort, choosing to go Welsh instead when need be. 

He is incessant. If anything, there are too many jokes to laugh at them all.

Afterwards, my wife said that he was just alright. I think she meant he was too slick. 

He definitely was funny, but this was an arena performance in a theatre. Maybe he should have turned down the volume and made it more intimate. You can't beat his laugh rate, though. 

Ticket Price: 2 x £41 & transaction fee £3.95 = £85.95 from ATG Tickets

Preshow music:

You are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve by Johnny Boy

Shine A Light by Paolo Nutini

Beachball (Andry Meets Schalli @ Monkey Island Remix) by Nalin & Kane

Fans by Kings of Leon

The Bartender and the Thief by Stereophonics

Bros by Wolf Alice

My Delirium by Ladyhawke

Stumble and Fall by Razorlight

I Hope, I Think, I Know by Oasis

Interval Music:

Recharge & Revolt by The Raveonettes

Hate to Say I Told You So by The Hives

Sex by The 1975

Ça plane pour moi by Plastic Bertrand

Pink Lemonade by James Bay

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

Helter Skelter by The Beatles

Ray Bradshaw "CODA", SEC Armadillo, Glasgow. Saturday 11th April, 2026

 

I saw a £15 ticket offer for this gig earlier in the week. Of course, being Ticketmaster, £15 tickets actually ended up costing £20.80. It was still worth it, though. This was Ray's biggest-ever solo show, and it felt good to support him. I've always found him a disarmingly funny comic with an easy, conversational style that packs a killer punchline. 

He's never nervous on stage because, with two deaf parents, he's always had to be confident from a young age to help them navigate the world of sound. He gets a lot of mileage from his deaf parents. Despite hearing some of the stories before, I couldn't help but laugh at them again, because 1) his delivery is so smooth, 2) everyone is laughing, and 3) the stories are very funny. For example, Ray hears someone using a chainsaw outside his house early one morning. He looks out his window and sees his deaf dad cutting the hedge. He also sees all the neighbours watching from their windows, annoyed at being disturbed so early. Ray makes gestures to try to catch his dad's attention (no point in shouting), and eventually catches his dad's eye. Ray signs to him that he is disturbing the neighbours. His dad looks about, shrugs and then signs back, "That's your problem," and carries on.

Ray performed both halves of the show with his sign language interpreter. She also provided a few laughs, like when she showed him the middle finger (not up the bum - injoke*) after he made a joke about her.

Before the show, Ray watched the audience on the screens backstage. With many deaf people in the audience, he was able to eavesdrop on their signed conversations, the best one being one chap who asked his wife if she thought he had time to go for a shite. 

It would have been brilliant if he could have sold out the venue, but even with the last-minute £15 tickets on sale, the Front Circle was less than half full, with no one in the rear seating or top floor. This was a shame. It was a good night.

Afterwards, on the way back to the car, I persuaded my wife that we should stop at McDonald's. I wanted a Creme Egg McFlurry, and she decided she'd like the same, but the mini version. At the order screen, I raced through the transaction, but the machine had no receipt roll. As I took out my phone to photograph the order number, the screen returned to the start. My wife berated me for hitting the wrong button. She said I had cancelled the order. So I repeated the process, and again it leapt back to the order screen, though this time I briefly noticed the number 97 flash before it disappeared. She was angry now. Why did I cancel it again? She now wanted to leave, but I was determined to order my ice cream. For a third time, I went through the process, taking each step slowly. At the end, I paused to read the instruction she claimed I had got wrong. 'Yes' meant retry. Nothing happened. It couldn't. There was no receipt roll. 'No' meant continue without a receipt. Then we heard 97 being called, just after 95. Two sets of our order were on the counter, with a third on the way. My wife couldn't stop laughing. In the end, they refunded the other two orders. The assistant asked if I wanted a receipt. I said no. I got one anyway.

Ticket Price:
Venue £15 Ticket offer: £15.00 x 2 = £30.00
Service Fee: £2.05 x 2 = £4.10
Venue Facility Fee: £2.50 x 2 = £5.00
Handling Fee £2.50
Total £41.60 via Ticketmaster

* At a wedding, Ray persuaded an American guest to order a 'Finger Up The Bum' at the free bar. Ray credits the barman with the greatest of replies. "Is that a single or a double?"  

Selected Preshow music: 

Pretty Glasgow Sky by Elgin Drive

Midnight by The Lucky Angels

The Sweetness of Doing Nothing by Heavy Weather

College Days by Careo

Revolution by The High Flats

I've never heard of any of them either.

BBC Scotland's Breaking The News Recording, Drygate, Glasgow. Thursday 9th April, 2026.

Host: Des Clarke

Panellists:

Jamie MacDonald, 

Kim Blythe,

Stephen Buchanan

Amanda Dwyer

Audience Question:

Paranormal podcaster Danny Robins is in the news, so we want to know... Tell us your most paranormal experience?

Mashed-up Headlines:
1. Trump announces two-week ceasefire in the Middle East - Goosebumps or Goosetrumps?
2. Artemis II travelling further from Earth than any other human being.

Stories People are talking about:

1. Evelyn Hollow - Saunas are the new pub 

2. Grant Stott - Change in subscription laws

Mystery voice:

1. Curler Bruce Mouat 

2. Danny Robins

Quickfire round:

"40% of young people in Scotland are not what?"

Best answer: Are not sure if a Mazda is a car or their maternal grandfather.

Klaxon "Send your poo to Dundee" - Martin Geissler

Ticket Price: Free from BBC Tours and Shows.