We do try to bring you gigs that aren’t simply across the central belt – we’re not in cahoots with transport and petrol companies, honest, just that there’s often gems of shows in some of the saller towns around Scotland.
This week is… well, an exception even with all that said, as you will see…

Things get under way on Wednesday – Medals play Aberdeen’s Tunnels, while Future of the Left are at Mono in Glasgow.

On Thursday, the Manchester Orchestra are at the O2 ABC in Glasgow.

Reasonably inaccessible for your regular gig-goer is Carnivores, not a hometown show for the Paisley noisemongers but in the Union of the Uni of the West of Scotland – what we used to call “Paisley Tech, except it’s at the Ayr Campus.

Things get tricky for the intrepid gig-goer on Friday – Randolph’s Leap are at Dundee’s Beat Generator, while former Special AKA man Neville Staple is in the same city, but at Buskers.
Down the east coast a little, Mountains Under Oceans are in Montrose (sadly we don’t have the venue name, but it’s not that big a town…)
In Glasgow, Strand of Oaks – who have been all over 6music of late – are in Glasgow, at Mono.

Idlewild are out and about – now, our listings suggest that hey are at both Strathpeffer Pavilion AND Kirkwall Arts Centre on Friday – which frankly, doesn’t seem logistically possible. Again, can’t be too hard to locate Roddy and co in either town even if they are playing acoustically. (It seems likely that they are on Mull, at An Tobar, on Saturday)

On Friday, and a first for the gig guide, in Torphichen, Dublin singer-songwriter Jack Lukeman is at the Inn. Highly recommended, by the way.
He’s also in East Kilbride on Saturday, at that town’s Village Inn.

if you make your way south, then the Barstow Bats are at the Ship Inn in Dalbeattie (I believe that’s another first). Or in more regular surroundings, there’s Buzzcocks at Glasgow’s O2 ABC, or Dumb Instrument at the Old Hairdressers.

More familiar to regular readers are Pumajaw, whose musical play ‘Song Noir’ is on at Perth Concert Hall on Saturday.

And more contrasting female voices in Edinburgh on Saturday – Horse is at the Queen’s Hall, while Conquering Animal Sound are at Summerhall.

But most significantly on Saturday will be multi-venue mini-fest Tenement Trail – an all-dayer taking in 5 venues and around 35 bands including Atom Tree, Campfires In Winter, Deathcats, Scary People, Vladimir, Teen Canteen, Randolph’s Leap, Vukovi , and, as they say (correctly on this occasion) many more.

On Sunday, things calm down a little, with just a couple of shows of note – the Amazing Snakeheads are at Edinburgh’s Caves, while in Glasgow, school night dub with Zion Train at the Art School