ROCKTALK GIG GUIDE

Submit listings to: awelshrocktalk@gmail.com

● Much-travelled guitar hero Billy Bremner’s poised for a UK return – and he’s set to rock up in Kinross next week. The veteran ex-Pretenders six-stringer has paid occasional visits to these shores down the years after relocating to Sweden in the 90s, and he’ll be jetting in to southern England after playing a gig in Germany tomorrow.

Billy kicks off the British leg of his latest European tour in Brighton on Sunday, 24 hours ahead of appearing at London’s legendary 100 Club, and he’s lined up a further three shows in England and Wales ahead of his only Scottish date at the Green Hotel next Friday – exactly a year on from playing two gigs at the Muirs venue on his last UK jaunt.

Now 73, the fretboard maestro’s mapped out an old-school hectic touring schedule with his band Rockfiles. He warms up for his single German gig with three performances in Scandinavia this week, and following his English adieu in Wiltshire next Sunday he’s due to cram in visits to 13 more Nordic venues by the end of February.

The Aberdonian was regarded as one of the go-to sidemen by some of rock

‘n’ roll’s biggest names of the 70s and 80s, including his Rockpile cohorts Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe, as well as Pretenders icon Chrissie Hynde, Elvis Costello, Carlene Carter and even Shakin’ Stevens at the peak of his powers.

Initially a member of Lulu’s 60s backing band The Luvvers, Billy’s first recorded output was on ex-Honeybus troubadour Colin Hare’s 1971 debut solo album.

However, it wasn’t until the middle of the decade that he started to get noticed, and following a stint in Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band offshoot Fatso led by Monty Python japester Neil Innes – who sadly passed away last month – he teamed up with power-popsters Rockpile in 1976.

The Scot sang lead vocals on the tracks Heart and You Ain’t Nothing But Fine on the band’s 1980 US top 30 debut Seconds Of Pleasure, and also penned Edmunds’ 1978 single Trouble Boys – later covered by Thin Lizzy in 1981 – under the alias Billy Murray which he also used to record a brace of singles. After Rockpile split in 1981 amid tensions between Lowe and Edmunds, Billy released further solo material before giving a memorable performance on The Pretenders’ epic 1982 hit Back On The Chain Gang and also played on two other tracks on the English-American band’s third album Learning To Crawl.

A further collaboration with Hynde followed on 1990 album Packed!, which saw him take on further lead guitar duties in his last major recording before upping sticks to Sweden.

The move saw him initially focus on work with Grammynominated Refreshments plus solo material, until he formed supergroup The Trouble Boys in 2011.

In recent years Billy’s toured extensively with Rockfiles, who pay tribute to his short but colourful spell in the same band as songwriting legends Edmunds and Lowe.

Tickets £29.90 via Ticketweb.

● Alt-rock hopefuls Domiciles are the big draw at Beat Generator this weekend.

The Fife outfit touch on a range of stylistic influences including Krautrock, shoegaze, experimental noise and both garage and space rock. Known for their suitably psychedelic vibes, much of the five-piece’s output features jarring guitar leads, droning feedback and spiky synths.

Led by dual songwriters Nick Young and Rory Cowieson, Domiciles inked a deal with indie Last Night From Glasgow in 2018, with their self-produced debut album This Is Not A Zen Garden following last August.

The cult noiseniks are being supported by post-punk outfits Vlure and The Roques at tomorrow’s Mad Sounds session, which also features an indie disco until around 3am. Tickets £7.70 via See Tickets.

● Green Hotel hosts blues rock exponents Starlite Campbell Band on Thursday.

Led by husband and wife Simon Campbell (vocals / guitar) and Suzy Starlite (bass / vocals), the four-piece’s 2017 debut Blueberry Pie was nominated in the European Blues Awards’ best album category.

Favourites of Radio 2’s Blues Show, SCB’s line-up also features two-time British Blues Awards keyboard player of the year Jonny Henderson and drummer Steve Gibson.

Tickets £19.40 via Ticketweb.

● Conroy’s Basement hosts the latest live session from Courier Country-based MakeThat-A-Take Records tonight.

The Meadowside venue has cowpunk outfits Uniforms – the Dundee four-piece are poised to start work on their debut LP – and Broken Stories. They’re joined by good-time alt-rockers The Overbites – complete with a new line-up – and lo-fi anarcho folksters Aff It.

Tickets £5 via MTAT online.

● Number 57 welcomes nostalgia combos The Sixties tomorrow and The Mivvies, who play the venue’s regular Sunday jam.

● Relentless giggers Cherry Bombz hit Whites Bar tonight, Rewind tomorrow and The Glens on Sunday.

● Covers outfit Cut The Cake play a free show at Dunfermline’s PJ Molloys on Wednesday.

Rockpile veteran Billy Bremner, left, plays his only Scottish gig next Friday.