Whatever you might think about this month's live entertainment line-up, it's a heck of a lot more exciting than the selection we had 12 months ago. In fact, we'd go as far as to say that you're being thoroughly spoilt now that people are getting reacquainted with the feeling of heading out for a show, concert or gig. Here we pick 21 of the best things happening in Glasgow and Edinburgh over the coming month including protest singers, horrible histories and cerebral stand-ups

Admiral Fallow
The melodic and delicate Glasgow five-piece will be celebrating the launch of their fourth album, The Idea Of You, when this show comes round. Raise a glass and open your ears.
Summerhall, Edinburgh, Saturday 6 November.

Arlo Parks
And here's another reason for a bit of a party as the indie-soul singer makes her first live appearances since scooping the Mercury Prize in September for Collapsed In Sunbeams.
St Luke's, Glasgow, Wednesday 10 November; Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thursday 11 November.

Ballet Black
Will Tuckett and Mthuthuzeli November have choreographed two new pieces for the acclaimed dance company with an eye firmly set on the current socio-political climate.
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Thursday 18 November.

Be Charlotte
The artist also known as Charlotte Brimner didn't let a little thing like a global pandemic slow her rise to the top. A new EP, Dreaming With The Lights Off, is likely to be aired at these gigs.
Mash House, Edinburgh, Monday 15 November; King Tut's, Glasgow, Tuesday 16 November.

Berwyn
Here comes the second Mercury Prize nominee to hit Edinburgh this month as the Trinidad-born London-raised rapper brings his tunes of love, loneliness and betrayal to the capital.
Caves, Edinburgh, Wednesday 24 November.

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
With Idles set to release a new album shortly and that band's pals playing some big gigs later this month, clearly the new punk scene is far from dead. Pop along and see exactly how anger can be an energy.
Barrowland, Glasgow, Monday 22 November; O2 Edinburgh Academy, Tuesday 23 November.

Grace Petrie
Pre-pandemic, this singer-songwriter who constantly gets the Billy Bragg comparison thrown at her, was supporting Hannah Gadsby. Now she's striking out fully on her own with a modern take on the protest folk song.
Summerhall, Edinburgh, Sunday 14 November; Òran Mór, Glasgow, Tuesday 16 November.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain
The dark past comes crashing onto our stages with many a funny twist as the likes of Boudicca, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and even Dick Turpin having their behaviours examined and pilloried in this dastardly live show.
King's Theatre, Glasgow, Wednesday 17–Saturday 20 November.

Idlewild
With last year not really happening, Idlewild are now properly marking their 25th anniversary in music with a tour which culminates in a pair of long-awaited homecoming shows.
Summerhall, Edinburgh, Friday 26 November; Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Saturday 27 November.

Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed production hits the road once again allowing fans of the musical culled from the 1862 Victor Hugo novel to, yep, dream a dream.
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tuesday 23 November–Friday 31 December.

Mark Watson
The 'skinny national treasure' insists that This Can't Be It with a new show about mortality, triggered by his perhaps foolish purchase of an app that predicts your life expectancy.
The Stand, Edinburgh, Wednesday 3 November; The Stand, Glasgow, Thursday 4 November.

Mogwai
Yet more reasons for a music act to toast themselves as the recently announced winners of the Scottish Album Of The Year Award continue to pack out the big venues in their home city.
Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Sunday 7 November.

Public Service Broadcasting
They've created concept albums about the space race and coal industry, and now the London quartet have turned their attention to Berlin for inspiration. Bright Magic is the compelling result
Barrowland, Glasgow, Sunday 7 November.

Rob Newman
One of the more cerebral acts on the comedy circuit, the man who was once known widely as being part of a rather successful double act is here to offload some funny philosophy on us
The Stand, Glasgow, Wednesday 24 November; The Stand, Edinburgh, Thursday 25 November.

Saint Etienne
Bob, Sarah and Pete are still going strong after 30 long years in the biz and to many ears they've never sounded better as they prove on new album I've Been Trying To Tell You.
St Luke's, Glasgow, Thursday 18 November.

Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Death In A Nutshell
Conducted by James MacMillan, these concerts feature a new work by Ayrshire-born composer Jay Capperauld, one of Scotland's rising classical music stars.
Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, Thursday 11 November; City Halls, Glasgow, Friday 12 November.

Seasick Steve
As you'd expect from a tour billed as 'Just Steve, a guitar and you', this gig is set to get very intimate as Seasick rolls into town with tunes from his new acoustic release, Blues In Mono.
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Saturday 13 November.

Tim Peake
This former Apache pilot gained household name status in 2015 when he became the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station and conduct a spacewalk. My Journey To Space tells his incredible story.
Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Thursday 11 November; SEC, Glasgow, Monday 29 November.

The Great Western
The second iteration of this all-day music extravaganza has a blisteringly fine line-up featuring Anna Meredith, Willy Mason, Callum Easter, Konx-Om-Pax, and The Yummy Fur.
Various venues, Glasgow, Saturday 13 November.

The Great Eastern
And this year, The Great Western takes an about-turn on the M8 to head east with an equally excellent set of acts including The Ninth Wave, Hamish Hawk, Swim School, Sacred Paws, and Free Love.
Various venues, Edinburgh, Saturday 27 November.

Yussef Dayes
Some might have him down as a 'jazz drummer' but this Londoner's work transcends safe genre-labelling. Here he brings The Yussef Dayes Experience to your eyes, ears and souls.
St Luke's, Glasgow, Monday 8 November; Summerhall, Edinburgh, Tuesday 9 November.

Keep an eye out for our rolling coverage of live entertainment throughout November.