Glas-Goes Pop, Glasgow University Union 26/07/25

After missing the Friday session, messing up my hotel booking for staying overnight in Glasgow (like the idiot I can sometimes be I didn't check the date I'd booked for was the same date I'd made my booking), and missing Stuart Murdochs book chat which kicked off the Saturday event, I was pleased to see Soup Dragons number one fan and socials convenor Soup Dragons Dave and his wife outside the venue and I was quickly caught up on just how good (and hot) the Friday session was. Having seen The Cords a few times this year already and a ticket bought for The Sexual Objects upcoming Edinburgh gig I wasn't too disappointed at missing the Friday sets.

Inside the venue, it quickly started to have more of a party/get-together feel as much as a day ahead of top notch indie legends, newcomers and experimental sound collectives. Not only bumping straight into Sushil Soup Dragon but also Ross Soup Dragon (and greeted warmly by both) after a quick hello and chat I went in for the first band of the day Silver Biplanes and met up with some of the Edinburgh Gig crowd, The Indie Pop Collective, Andy, Craig, Johnathan and Grant and it was great to hear some exciting updates on their plans to launch an east coast event of a similar jangly guitar nature.

Glad Goes Pop is now in its 4th year with a stellar indie line up, heavily headlined by Scottish indie legends that are worth the entry fee alone but organisers Kenji and Tita have pulled out all the stops for arguably two of the most influential indie bands if the eighties and onwards in The irrepressible Soup Dragons and Fridays headliners The Pastels, not to mention the other acts appearing this year.

First up were the Silver Biplanes, with a bang on the money indie sound to set the days music off on the right foot. Jangly guitar and gentle pop melodies that mix a floating sixties sound with a C86 heartbeat. While they sang "This is now and that was then, you can't go back again" in Coming Up For Air id disagree as this sounds took me right back to the type of indie sounds that took over my musical tastes in the mod/late eighties and ever since. A nice touch from the bass player to thank the crowd, share their gratitude at still being able to play events like Glas Goes Pop after all the decades since first setting out in bands and to give mention of a couple of pals no longer with them but still remembered. A good opening set all round and ended with a pleasantly surprising thumping cover version of Hawkwind's Silver Machine.

Sassyhiya were up next and looked very relaxed in stage and got a very big welcome from the crowd, which now felt almost full (and roasting at only 4.30!). Their laid back style almost gave the vibe of a band practice but was excellent. Highlights for me were the upbeat Crayon Potato, Puppet Museum and bass-led Kristen Stewart (is there a thing of famous people song titles now with this song, Wet Legs Davina McCall and (almost) Lime Gardens Nepotism, about Kate Moss?). Another enjoyable set to keep the indie atmosphere gently humming along.

I got a quick chat with Nick G from Precious Recordings who was manning the merch stall and Ask The Drummers gig-goer extraordinare Ana N before John Charnleys experimental collective Olympic State Choir, who it was said were scheduled to appear even without having been heard. I got a chat with John and one of his pals later on and we talked about Bill Drummond's bizarre but brilliant Hear Hard Sounds of The Gallowverse album & concept shows last year, then how John brought his group together (their sound was a lot stronger imo than only the few practice runs John explained they had had!). A short set of only around half a dozen songs but for me a great collection of tunes that ranged from The Stooges to Brian Wilson and Velvet Underground to a slow motion Jesus And Mary Chain. A lot to pick out of that but I hope they do more and play sometime soon again.

With another quick change of bands I went to find out more about the screen print posters that were being produced on the day and got talking with Matthew Rich, who was creating these. Interesting conversation about his process and background in fly posting for bands around Manchester in the Eighties. Go see his exhibition in Mono until the end of August if you can. My copies of The Soup Dragons and official Glas Goes Pop posters are now framed front and centre on the wall of my music room. Quality pieces both!

Closing the first half of the day were Hartlepool's finest Mt. Misery. Mellow jangly guitar, laid back melancholy sounds that had the crowd cheering (and coming from what seemed to be a load of their fans rather than the more general Glasgow indie crowd). If there is one band that you could say are a direct, strong influence on their sound it's not difficult to spot the Teenage Fanclub in their DNA. Especially when the vocals and guitar duties seem to be interchangeable amongst the band. Highlight tune of theirs (and possibly my 2025 favourite so far) was Hey! but I'd say the rest of their set wasnt far behind.

While there was a short break for food we headed round to The Doublet bar just along from the GUU with the Edinburgh Indie Collective crew for a beer and chat. A more sensible trip to this great bar than my last visit through with Slash V ahead of seeing The Wonder Stuff at QMU as we rushed out the bar to get to the venue as the band were due on stage we took a wrong turn and somehow ended up on top of Kelvingrove park hill instead!

Also if you're read this before Sunday 24th August the "fifth Soup Dragon", the wonderful Stu Kidd is playing a solo show there in aid of the very worthwhile cause Maggie's Centre. Go if you can.

Back to the GUU and Chime School started the last part of the day with another batch of tunes mixing Eighties Indie and Sixties Psych guitar ballads for an overall enjoyable set. Previously a solo set-up of Andy Pastalaniec's and now a full band, with a few albums under their belts in the past couple of years so hopefully more material and shows to come.

I have to give my apologies to Comet Gain as I missed most of their set through chatting in the bar area with various folks - an old workmate, John Charnley and Matthew Rich again, plus more Soup Dragons, none more influential to me than the legendary Sean Dickson. After an overdose of fanboying, I fessed up (on behalf of my partner in gigging Slash Vaseline) to him after 35 years that Slash swiped his cowbell drumstick off the stage after their 1990 Calton Studios Edinburgh gig on my birthday for a present (only cos he couldn't reach a wahwah pedal for himself). I did offer it to return it (yes, I still have it!) but he was happy for me to keep it - not that my kids know it but, it's now family heirloom number one. And Chime School, sorry, I owe you a blog review if your next Scottish gig!

For me, the main event is and always will be the band that changed my life in the mid/late 80s The Soup Dragons. Having been lucky enough to see them a few times over the past couple of years following them to Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow, I'll never take seeing them live for granted after decades between their 80s/90s gigs and these recent shows. Having also been lucky enough to get chatting with them at all of these shows it's been great to get their take on getting back together and how the shows have gone. Glasgow gigs for them are special and the happy relaxed mood of the whole day was no more obvious than when the band came on stage.

They played with confidence, energy and obviously enjoying themselves. From being at most of these recent shows over the past couple of years I've heard Sean's in-between songs quips a few times now and love to hear the origins of the tunes, band background and snippets of inside info (and won't ever tire of it either).

The set was a great mix of what I'd describe comes from the six eras of The Soup Dragons; early thrashy indie punk-pop (Whole Wide World, Can't Take No More, Hang Ten!); Majestic indie Breakthrough (with strings) Soft As Your Face, Majestic Head; cross-over indie/ baggy dance (Backwards Dog, Crotch Deep Trash, I'm Free); big in America post-baggy dance (Divine Thing, Pleasure); new 2020s tunes (Love Is Love, No Music On A Dead Planet); and lastly (but firstly) the recently released early early Raw TV rarities (Too Shy To Say, Learning To Fall) which I hadn't heard a lot of until now (well, 1985 rarities for a 13 year old stuck in the backwaters of Peniciuk weren't easy to come by. I mean C86 didn't even arrive until a few years after that!). And nice to hear a perfect (seemingly unplanned?) version of Teenage Kicks during the encore which inevitably ended with the extended Soup Family kids on stage with Jim, Ross, Sushil, Sean and Stu. I'd say their best show since getting back together. Superb.

I stayed at the after-party later than I had planned which meant more chatting, more buying of merch and also more charity contributions - especially one in particular that got me a few funny looks on the train journey back to Edinburgh on the Sunday morning after. As well as my Sean Dickson cowbell drumstick I now have one of the Soup Dragons No Music On A Dead Planet placards to put in the family heirloom vault. As they said in their recent release Love Is Love and for me, Love is The Soup Dragons.

One final mention is for the stylish design side of the event. While Ross Sinclair's unique Dragons art is well known, and extended for the event with some limited edition prints and shirts, also the GGP brand of merch, raffle for GGP signed cans and posters and Matthew Rich's screen printing brought extra dimensions to proceedings - and raised a lot of money for charities near and far too.

While I missed the Friday session (and Douglas T Stewards Sunday quiz) this year, I won't be missing any of next year's event (and already signed up for a couple of the gigs arranged for later this year!).

2025 Glas-Goes Pop went more with a bang and here's hoping for more next year. Maybe Glas-Goes Even Bigger?

https://linktr.ee/beatsoncharity

https://www.seetickets.com/tour/kidd-broken-by-rock

https://www.monocafebar.com/events/i-am-the-fly-screenprints-by-matthew-rich

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4pNLghYVE9KK6NmeoqKac4?si=NFjLR-JKQ-aM3-Jn9JuZrQ

SOUP DRAGONS

COMET GAIN

CHIME SCHOOL

MT MYSERY

OLYMPIC STATE CHOIR

SASSYHIYA

SILVER BIPLANES