The xx

Studio 24, Edinburgh, Tue 9 Mar.
At the start of the year that has been their most high-profile yet, with a Mercury Prize win in September, Romy and co took to the (under-used) Studio 24 stage, letting their lo-tech shadow puppet show (them, backlit behind a white sheet) build the drama before a typically moody, understatedly gorgeous show.

Hallogallo: Michael Rother & Friends present the music of Neu!

The Picture House, Edinburgh, Tue 17 Aug.
Krautrock crack for fans of kosmische soundscapes, this rare outing of Neu! material was a hypnotic highlight of the Edinburgh Festival. Vast numbers of men meant tiny queues for the ladies toilets too. Wunderbar.

Crystal Castles

ABC, Glasgow, Tue 19 Oct.
The bouncers got a thorough workout here – chasing after Alice Glass as she lobbed herself again and again into the crowd – still screaming her vocals while the crowd threw her like an empty plastic bag over their heads. Noisy electro on a schoolnight? Come back soon.

Away Game

Various venues, Eigg, Fri 24-Sun 26 Sep.
Technically three days of gigs, this first-time festival on the isle of Eigg killed the summer competition with its folk-meets-electro line-up (Human Don’t Be Angry, Silver Columns, Withered Hand and 30 others). Those sunsets, that bumpy boat-ride over… Unforgettable.

The Phantom Band

Sun 21 Nov, Oran Mor, Glasgow
Prog-folk, glam-motorik, krautScotrock – whatever portmanteau, disposable label you slap on this Glasgow sixsome, there’s no denying they nailed their ‘difficult second album’, with The Wants, and stomped through this slick, psych-rock set.