A Song or Three for St Andrew's Day

In two years, this day could be fkn huge. The mother of all independence days. In the meantime, pour yourself a Laphroaig and sing along.

First up, Frightened Rabbit. The sentiments of this song could only be more Scottish if they were sung with alternating verses in Gàidhlig, Pictish and Brythonnic.



Next up is the (haggard) face of new Gaelic music. Except, it's an auld song in English. The topic though is one that is still sadly current. As long as we still have native Scots living in damp caravans in Lochaber or Skye while the rich of many nations own acres of land, we won't be free as a nation. Independence is our chance to solve this injustice.



Lastly, we have a Sasannach and ex-Labour supporter reminding the current Scottish Labour leader that pensioners, the sick, disabled, unemployed and students don't wan't "something for nothing". Especially while London's governments, both Tory and Labour, plough £billions into war.



Slàinte mhath. Air adhart do Alba shaor aig a bheil ceartas na crìdhe.

Bollocks to the Stones - the alternatives...

Tired of the meeja coverage of Mick Jagger shaking his wrinkles with his fellow lovers of under-age lovers? As someone who was old enough to know what it was all about at the time, I still wonder why Bill Wyman didn't get the Gary Glitter treatment after he managed to get a lumber with Mandy Smith at the tender age of 14.

Hesian, London 2012

Never mind, I just wish I'd be able to have been present at the Basque Solidarity Sound System gig in Brixton last weekend. Raising money for and awareness of the blight of Basque prisoners in Spain, London and Edinburgh was the aim of the event. I can only hope that the likes of Hesian, Itziarren Semeak and Siroka make it up Scotland sometime soon.

Union Jack? Thall is Cac.

In the meantime, the once legendary - in some circles anyway - Antisect take the stage at Edinburgh Bannermans this Saturday. These noisy and political anarcho-punks from way back apparently influenced the likes of Neurosis and Godflesh. Expect some unremitting heavy music and harsh harsh vocals that will make Tom Waits sound like Jagger. Support comes from Dùn Eideann's premier purveyor's of Gaelic punk-rock, Oi Polloi.

On the downside, we hear that Liet International has convened a mysterious 'committee' that has 'chosen' a predictably dismal and not so 'ùr-nosach' piece of music to represent Alba in the minority language version of Eurovision. In the past, the great unwashed got the chance to vote for the likes of Welsh ska-indie music or Gaelic indie music to compete with Basque language rock music or Latvian death metal. This time, the plebes didn't get a vote and Gaelic Scotland is taking one step forward and two back in terms of 'new' music. Hey-ho, let's not go...