Stag & Dagger is almost here, bringing with it more musical treasures than a particularly obscure Now! That’s What I Call Music compilation. The multi-venue festival will take place on Saturday 29 April in Edinburgh and Sunday 30 April in Glasgow, and features so many A-grade acts that the programme can almost be a bit overwhelming. Who to see? Who to miss? How to cram it all in? 

For a start, check out the acts below. The List team has put together a few of the bands we can’t wait to watch live. Stick them in your diary and we'll catch you there. Buy us a pint for the recommendations. 

Ewan Wood recommends…

Acid Klaus

After 20 years on the fringes of pop music, including a six-month stint as guitarist for The Fall, Adrian Flanagan’s latest moniker Acid Klaus offers exactly what you might expect from his hallucinogen-addled name. He blends heavy acid beats with tongue-in-cheek, Yorkshire humour and a larger than life persona, as if someone had let Sleaford Mods loose with a synthesiser. Donning a fabric bowler hat and signature shades, expect bangers to make you move and make you laugh.

For Fans of: Baxter Dury, Daniel Avery

Dutch Uncles

Despite being one of Manchester’s less heralded jangly indie bands, Dutch Uncles have quietly put together a formidable back catalogue over the last 15 years. Influences as varied as Yellow Magic Orchestra and The Blue Nile confront you with a desire to dance, as you contemplate your own existence. With androgynous vocals, curious time signatures and melancholic lyrics, you’ll be surprised you haven’t woken up in the late 70s, à la Life on Mars.

For Fans of: The Blue Nile, Everything Everything

Megan Merino recommends…

Swim School
A local act of a grungier persuasion, Swim School are a trio creating guitar-led indie tunes that occasionally lean into dream-pop and punk soundscapes. Their 2023 EP don’t leave me behind contains three tunes that showcase their distinct sounds, with ‘delirious’ on the heavier end of the spectrum.

For fans of: Wolf Alice, Paramore, The Ninth Wave

Kevin Fullerton recommends…

Alice Glass 

Given that her face is emblazoned on almost every Stag & Dagger poster in Glasgow and Edinburgh, I’m not exactly going out on a limb recommending Alice Glass. But really I can’t contain my excitement for this one. Glass, a synth-pop veteran, seems to have sprung from an alternative dimension where Grimes’ Oblivion wasn’t a wondrous one-off but instead a keystone which shaped the music industry for the better. Mixing scrungy squalls of noise with pop-infused electronica, her solo debut PREY//IV released in 2022 and sounded like an incredible purge of emotion, its deeply personal and regularly disquieting discussions of abuse and power creating a brutal and bold concoction. She's crafted a reputation as one of the most electrifying stage presences of the past decade. Expect her visceral music to translate 1:1 when she performs live. 

For fans of: Grimes, Liars, HEALTH

Stag & Dagger will take place on Saturday 29 April in Edinburgh and on Sunday 30 April in Glasgow. Tickets are available now.