Vic’s Picks: July and August 2026
BBC broadcaster, author, actor, musician, DJ and List columnist, Mr Galloway flicks through some music listings to choose top July and August gigs in variously sized rooms and across different genres...
Surely Edinburgh’s own Shirley Manson must be pinching herself in disbelief at her next hometown gig. Having fronted techy alt-rockers Garbage since 1993, she and the boys get to play Auld Reekie’s single most prestigious venue, Edinburgh Castle (Saturday 11 July). An extraordinary experience and a career highlight for any Edinburgher that will doubtless never be topped; her old muckers and previous bandmates Goodbye Mr Mackenzie are along for the ride as support act too. This is the kind of full-circle phenomenon that dreams are made of, so why not be part of the spectacle and sing along to the band’s outsider anthems in the open air. Just don’t bring a beach ball.
Indietronica geek Dan Snaith has been rocking dancefloors in his own unobtrusive and unassuming way, fusing techno, house, psychedelia and alt-pop sensibilities as Caribou for decades now. Excellent albums aside, he has built up a massive loyal following for his nuanced and effervescent productions in a live setting. He is also an excellent DJ, as I can attest to, having once shook my tail feather at a warehouse party in downtown Los Angeles. Scottish dance crowds are always better though, as you can witness for yourself at SWG3 Galvanizers Yard in Glasgow (Friday 17 July). Glow sticks are recommended but not mandatory.
Want an antidote to the festival luvvies with a dose of the heavy stuff? Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (or Pigs x7 to their parents) roll up to Edinburgh’s La Belle Angele (Thursday 20 August) with a veritable armoury of monstrous, down-tuned riffs and reverb-drenched vocals. Think Black Sabbath, Hawkwind and Melvins as reference points, with a sweaty man in tiny shorts and handlebar moustache screaming in your face. Not for the faint-hearted, but the good stuff rarely is. Bring your earplugs and prepare for a highly entertaining, if slightly terrifying, full-frontal assault.
Listen to Vic Galloway every Monday night on BBC Radio Scotland, or anytime on BBC Sounds; he curates and hosts live events at Wavelength film festival as part of North Berwick’s Fringe By The Sea, Friday 31 July–Sunday 9 August, and appears in An Unbiased Afternoon With Allaster McKallaster, Gilded Balloon At The Museum, Monday 10–Wednesday 19 August as part of Edinburgh Fringe; picture: Fabrice Bourgelle.
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