TOP 10 MUST SEE ACTS AT STAG AND DAGGER 2025

Stag and Dagger Festival returns to Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street this weekend with another loaded line-up, featuring some of the best emerging talent from the UK and beyond. This year, the event takes place on Saturday 3rd May with the likes of Big Special, Stone, Daytime TV, The Clause and Grandmas House all topping the multi-genre bill.

With venues, stage splits and timings now confirmed, we can reveal that the iconic Glasgow Garage will be the festivals main host, with Bognor Regis based Rockaway Beach taking over the venues main stage. Meanwhile whilst it’s sister spaces G2 and The Attic will also be in on the action, with This Feeling hosting The Attic stage line-up. Sauchiehall Street landmark Nice n Sleazy’s opens it’s doors yet again for festival go-ers and for the first time Stag & Dagger are teaming up with Assai Records who will be putting on special live performances, free and open to all.

Unfortunately, the once thriving Sauchiehall strip has suffered another blow over the past year, with the loss of both Broadcast and Dannsa, both venues which have previously played a role in Stag & Daggers line-up. With organisers having to relocate some of the stages, this year see’s North Street’s The Berkeley Suite jumping on for the first time and The Renfield Centre – based just a stones throw away on Bath Street – which also doubles up as the events Box Office for the day.

With over 30 acts performing across 7 stages, all within short walking distance of year other, we share our Top 10 Picks for Stag & Dagger 2025!

MARTHA MAY AND THE MONDAYS

THIS FEELING STAGE – THE ATTIC | 9.30pm

Glasgow’s own Martha May and The Monday‘s are high up on our watch list over the past 12 months. Vocalist and songwriter Martha May leads the eclectic punk six piece who have been garnering a solid reputation for their high energy live performances. A loud voice not only on stage, Martha May and The Monday’s have a strong allegiance to being on the right side of politics, amplifying the voice of those who go unheard.

Expect to be left all hot and sticky when they headline The Attic stage, hosted by This Feeling, on Saturday night.

FOG BANDITS

THIS FEELING STAGE – THE ATTIC | 5.45pm

One local band that deserves your attention is the gritty punk rock group, Fog Bandits. With their ferocious beats and gritty riffs, this Glasgow-based ensemble channels the spirit of the late ’90s nu-metal era while incorporating the melodic elements of mid-2000s metalcore, all while sounding refreshingly contemporary. Their latest track, ‘Vile’ showcases a bluesy rock vibe that is undeniably ready for the stage. Having recently opened for Vukovi at their hometown show at SWG3, Fog Bandits are clearly poised for greater opportunities ahead. The high-energy performance they bring will be essential when they take the stage at this year’s This Feeling event, hosted by The Attic at the Garage.

DOVV

NICE N SLEAZY | 5.30pm

For a lighter addition to the lineup, don’t miss the captivating performance from Kirkcaldy singer Dovv. After collaborating with Kyle Falconer at The View frontman’s La Seirra Casa songwriting camp, Dovv has already made a noble name for himself. His smooth vocal style draws comparisons to iconic figures like Roy Orbison, while his theatrical presence and charisma echo are spellbinding. Catch Dovv live at Nice n Sleazy’s at 5.30pm.

SILVERBACKS

NICE N SLEAZY | 7.45pm

Coming over from Ireland for Stag & Dagger are Dublin based six piece, Silverbacks. Releasing their third album in just 4 years Easy Being A Winner in late 2024, Silverbacks have garnered acclaim from notable outlets like NME and Clash Magazine, with their recent releases reflecting a more polished and confident sound. Blending classic Indie Rock with unique, offbeat rhythms, their music is feel good listening at it’s best.

If you fancy seeing what all the fuss is, Silverbacks can be seen in Nice n Sleazy’s at 7.45pm

THE HOWLERS

NICE N SLEAZY | 10.10pm

Set to headline Nice n Sleazy’s on Saturday night are London’s The Howlers. Straight up indie rock, the trio released their much anticipated, Western inspired debut album ‘What You’ve Got To Lose to Win It All’ this time last year. The recording of the album was a labour of love for The Howlers, who have been dealt more than their fair share of trauma over the years, which nearly lost their lead singer Adam Young. Yet, The Howlers are still here, and with the release of their first single since the album ‘Night Crawling‘ earlier this year, eager fans can hope to hear some more snippets of new music to come.

SEX MASK

RENFIELD CENTRE | 4.30pm

Arguably making the longest commute to this year’s Stag & Dagger are controversially named Melbourne band, Sex Mask. Set to bring their high-energy post-punk electro-infused sound to the newly added Renfield Centre stage, this trio is definitely worth getting down early for. So, grab your glow sticks and be sure to give Sex Mask a big warm Scottish welcome.

THE CLAUSE

G2 (The Garage) | 8.45pm

The Clause need no introduction at Northern Exposure, however, if you haven’t caught Birmingham’s best new indie band yet, then you know where to be this Saturday night. Three EP’s already tightly under their belts, the quartet come armed with big anthemic Kasabian style riffs, with enough he grooves to blow the roof off any venue. So watch The Clause bring their explosive performance as headliners at G2 (The Garage) from 8.45pm.

VUNDABAR

ROCKAWAY BEACH STAGE – THE GARAGE | 7.45pm

Another contender for biggest commute this year is the Boston, USA band Vundabar. Rocking for over a decade now, the three piece released their debut album Antics in 2013 before going “viral” when their track ‘Alien Blues’ began trending on TikTok in 2021. Six albums in, Vundabar unleashed their latest offering Surgery and Pleasure in March this year which fans can expect to hear snippets of, amongst old favourites, when they play second to headline at Stag & Dagger’s biggest stage – the Runaway Beach takeover The Garage from 7.45pm.

STONE

RENFIELD CENTRE | 7.15pm

Another band who need no real introduction to Northern Exposure is Scouse favourites, Stone who made their much live return just last week when they headlined Sheffield’s Bring The Noise Festival. Boasting a vigorous live reputation across the UK and Europe, the Liverpool band blend hard hitting alt rock with a nostalgic flair and genre bending energy. Their debut album Fear For A Lifetime was ranked as one of our finest debut albums of 2024 and we can’t wait to see the tracks brought to life when the quartet play Renfield Centre at 7.15pm

GRANDMA’S HOUSE

RENFIELD STAGE | 8.30pm

Releasing their brand new EP Anything For You just a few weeks ago are Bristol based queer quartet Grandmas House, who will follow up Stone’s performance at Renfield Centre on Saturday night. With grungy yet melodic riffs reminiscent of the post-punk era, Grandma’s House has established a formidable reputation for their intense, angst-fueled performances. We highly recommend you pay a visit to Grandmas House this Saturday night!

Tickets are on sale now for this year’s Stag and Dagger Festival, priced just £33.75 from seetickets.com

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