Yes, there’s a quiet-ish start to the week (ignoring comically made-up Swedish metallers Avatar at Glasgow Garage on Wednesday) but Celtic Connections starts with a bit of a bang on Thursday 17th. Well, perhaps more of a gentle oscillation, as Laetitia Sadier (out of Stereolab, natch) plays The Hug and Pint, Glasgow, UK

The Twilight Sad‘s new album ‘It Won/t Be Like This All The Time’ is out any second now, and the band have some live appearances – including a (sold-out) in-store set at Monorail in Glasgow on Thursday.

In Dundee on the same night, York miserablists The Howl & The Hum are in Dundee, at Clarks on Lindsay Street.

Friday night sees half of Crowded House, pretty much, arrive at Edinburgh Queen’s Hall – Neil & Liam Finn is the billing, Liam being the son of Neil (and by simple logic, the nephew of Tim, who won’t be in attendance).
Alternatively, The Wave Pictures are at Summerhall in Edinburgh on the same night, while in Aberdeen, The Howl & The Hum are at The Tunnels
In Glasgow, another in the King Tut’s Revolution show series has Dancing On Tables as the Friday headliners, while The Van T’s are at Broadcast, and Slime City play Nice N Sleazy.

But first, an instore gig with You Tell Me – Sarah Hayes out of Admiral Fallow and Field Music’s Peter Brewiss – launching their new self-titled debut album at Monorail.

Saturday night is rock’n’roll night, in the broadest sense of the word – 70s teddy boy legends Showaddywaddy have a show at Dunfermline’s Alhambra Theatre, and Between The Lines play P.J. Molloy’s.
Oh, presumably earlier in the day, You Tell Me have two in-store shows, this time at Assai Records in Edinburgh as well as at the Dundee branch. Best check local press for details.

In inverness, The Howl & The Hum continue on their not-so-merry way, to The Tooth and Claw in Inverness, and Park Circus – not to be confused with the Glasgow street of the same name – are in the same city, but at Ironworks

At King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, it’s the hotly-tipped Walt Disco, and a Celtic Connections show at Glasgow’s City Halls pairs up Blue Rose Code with Duke Special.
Also in Glasgow, the Wave Pictures are at the CCA, and at Nice N Sleazy, Helicon.

Finally, on Sunday, The Howl & The Hum are island-hopping, for a show at The Sound Archive in Kirkwall, while in Glasgow, The Gracious Losers reprise their album for the Last Night From Glasgow label at The Hug and Pint. And on a slightly larger scale, KT Tunstall is at the Royal Concert Hall.