Scottish Gig Highlights – March 2014

Our month begins in earnest on 5 March at Edinburgh's Opium (also Glasgow's Bloc+ on 4 Mar), with a set of manic post-punk packed with infectious pop hooks from Strasbourg's Electric Electric, who are also off to try their luck at SXSW this year. It's been a while since their 2012 album Discipline, so we'll be intrigued to hear some new material from this inventive, addictive band of French noiseniks. Support comes from Foreign Tongue and The Gastric Band.

On 7 March, and just across the M8, head down to Nice 'n' Sleazy's for the arrival of shouty indie troublemakers Eagulls, who are gaining an increasingly impressive reputation for their energetic live shows, and who entertained the media at large back in January with a coruscating open letter to "all beach bands sucking each others' dicks and rubbing the press' clits." If there's one thing we like, it's bands who know what they don't like – we'll be down the front for this one, clits at the ready.

LA psych-rockers The Warlocks come to Glasgow's Broadcast on 12 March – on the go since 1998, this drone-augmented five-piece are touting their new LP Skull Worship, so expect psychedelic guitar workouts, black jeans, and enough reverb in which to lose yourself completely.

14 March sees Long Beach hip-hop veterans Ugly Duckling coming to Edinburgh's Sneaky Pete's for an intimate gig – and if you've never seen them do Meat Shake live, now is your chance to rectify that. Rappers Dizzy Dustin and Andy Cat are proficient in a technical sense, but it's their offbeat humour and the dextrous turntablism of Young Einstein that has made the trio such an enduring success, often cited as one of the best live hip-hop bands in the world. They'll definitely wheel out some classics from their much-loved 2001 album Journey To Anywhere – so this should prove as unmissable as always.

Back to the rising stars of tomorrow – Glasgow post-rock-meets-electro combo Machines In Heaven have been getting serious love in these pages and beyond since their debut EP dropped in 2013, and now their full-length album bordersbreakdown is ready for release. They launch it at Glasgow's Stereo on 14 March, and Edinburgh's Electric Circus on 29 March. Following strong performances at T-Break, Kelburn Garden Party and other festivals last year, they have a burgeoning reputation as ones to watch on the dynamic and competitive Glasgow scene. Support comes from Infant Telethon, the solo moniker of Errors drummer James Hamilton. 

Another impressive band marrying an indie rock sensibility and songwriting chops with shimmering electro production are IndianRedLopez – the Aberdeen quintet have been on our radar since 2011, when they played the Fence Records HomeGame bash and a string of other festivals. We're looking forward to their return to Glasgow this month at Stereo on 16 March, with electronic maven Plum and Inuit in tow.

On 19 March, Patterns play Glasgow's Broadcast – this Mancunian four-piece create fugue-like, droning electronic pop, which they sculpt into towering edifices of glitter-flecked melody, placing them alongside the likes of Remember Remember and Discopolis. If electro-tinged indie pop is the current flavour, Patterns certainly represent the cream of the crop.

On 20 March, catch Winning Sperm Party affiliates the Gummy Stumps at Mono with Bad Aura supporting. The Stumps are another band we've been watching since 2011 or so – they play a kind of clattering, raw-boned fuzz-punk that's hard to resist. On the same night, King Tut's plays host to Liverpool-based singer-songwriter Dan Croll, who'll be unveiling cuts from his debut album Sweet Disarray. There's the occasional electronic flourish to his guitar-based antics, too – just try not to brandish the term 'folktronica' within his earshot.

Back in Edinburgh, 23 March provides a chance to see one of the most impressive live hip-hop acts from the UK scene – Fingathing, a duo comprising champion turntablist Peter Parker and phenomenally talented double bass player Sneaky. The dextrousness with which these two construct drum and bass, broken beat and hip-hop rhythms from just two turntables and an upright bass is both undeniably funky and a thrilling spectacle to behold.

On the same night, filthy Glasweigian punks Rungs take over the 13th Note for a run through their disgustingly-monikered EP I Don't Wanna Hug! I Just Wanna Cum! Get down in the muck and shake your naughty bits alongside them, or you may just live to regret it. Back East on 24 March, Glasgow post-hardcore fusionists United Fruit bring the noise (and a boatload of new tunes) to Sneaky Pete's, ably supported by Black International and Birdhead. 

Back in Glasgow on 25 March, it's the triumphant return of globe-conquering art school indie-pop darlings Franz Ferdinand, who take over the Barrowland for a run through latest album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. If you behave yourself and play nice, they might just encore with Take Me Out, as well. This one's going to sell out fast, folks, so grab your tickets early.

On 27 March, those Wild Beasts unleash new album Present Tense upon the willing crowds at The Arches. With whip-smart synth-pop hooks and an edgier, more upfront sound than on previous outings, this feels like a turning point for the Kendal four-piece – expect fireworks. On the same night, the Pleasance in Edinburgh plays host to The Radiophonic Workshop – this will be a very special show, with Paddy Kingsland, Dr Dick Mills, Roger Limb and Peter Howell of the original BBC Radiophonic Workshop team recreating some of their most famous compositions and soundscapes, including work by the late, great Delia Derbyshire. They'll most likely give the vintage 60s Doctor Who theme a spin, as well as tracks from their new collaborative album Electricity. They also play Glasgow's Art School on 21 March.

Last but by no means least, cutting-edge math rock / post-metal heroes 65daysoftstatic return to Glasgow to play The Arches on 29 March, for a run through the brutal, intricate paths of their 2013 album Wild Light (and a tenth anniversary celebratory lap for fully-formed debut The Fall of Math). If you've never seen these Sheffield outsiders in a live setting, prepare to be astonished as they lurch from feral noise to heavenly distortion. 

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DO NOT MISS: The Notwist and Jel, Mono, Glasgow, 16 March

Without a doubt, this month's hottest ticket is The Notwist, a constantly-morphing, multi-headed Hydra of indie rock and electronica, formed near Munich in Germany in 1989. Their absolute refusal to be boxed in has marked them out as masters of the avant garde: starting with fuzzed-out proto-grunge in the early 90s, moving through radio-friendly indie, experimental electronica, freaked out jazz and hook-filled pop music, they have travelled in a more electronic direction of late, with this year's album Close to the Glass combining the majestic sweep of post-rock with psychedelic ambient soundscapes and synth-driven, epic pop hooks.

Backing them up is one of hip-hop's most under-rated figures: Anticon co-founder, architect and producer of countless avant garde hip-hop projects from Themselves and cLOUDDEAD to 13 & God, and one of the most gifted performers in the world with an MPC and a sampler, Jel will be showcasing cuts from his latest album Late Pass, which received a rare 5-star recommendation from us last year, and hopefully, some tracks from his back catalogue, including a chance to revisit the 2006 classic Soft Money. Don't pass up this opportunity to see two living legends at the peak of their powers.