Don’t be fooled, the fact the guide only starts on Thursday is simply because it’s all about the weekend (and not due to us being ‘otherwise engaged’ for the earlier part of the week).

Good way to start though – Wojtek The Bear and Book Group are among the acts playing King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow (it’s some sort of BBC Introducing thing meaning that all four bands will be able to put ‘hotly tipped’ on their CVs).

Glasgow on Friday has a fair choice for the intrepid gig-goer – Halo Tora are at Stereo, and Pinact play The Flying Duck.
Venture further afield and a rejuvinated Hipsway can be found at the Grand Hall, Kilmarnock… while in darkest West Lothian, appropriately on many levels, Martin Metcalfe & the Fornicators play Bathgate’s Dreadnought Rock
back in the (other) big(ish) city, Jamie & Shoony are at Stramash in Edinburgh and Kyle Falconer out of The View has a solo set at
Smash (the Club Formerly Known as The Citrus)

Also on Friday, Kitchen Cynics are on a bill with Kapil Seshasayee, T_A_M (UK), and Ashley Park an Aberdeen’s Collective Studios

Embra’s also agog with music – it is the Festival after all – so Orkestra Del Sol play Summerhall on Saturday.

In Glasgow, some sort of Britpop juggernaut rolls into town – Sleeper, The Bluetones, Space, Dodgy, My Life Story and Salad wind back the years at the O2 ABC

A simplar (but moreso) show sees Ex-cathedra bring their brand of gothy goodness to King Tut’s.

Saturday also sees Hipsway play Kelvingrove Bandstand and in deepest darkest (etc), while in Coatbridge, Blue Rose Code are at Berits & Brown.

The weekend mostly belongs to the Linlithgow however. Party at the Palace has two days of a lineup that the word ‘eclectic’ was made for – along those on the bill are Ash, BMX Bandits, Dodgy, The Snuts, Lightning Seeds, TeenCanteen, Noisettes, and headliners Kaiser Chiefs and Amy Macdonald.

However, mirroring that event a little is Dundee’s Carnival Fifty Six in Camperdown Park- Jonnie Common and Honeyblood alongside Mark Ronson and the Charlatans…

Finally, observing the Sabbath, Arab Strap are at the Kelvingrove Bandstand.