DIY DONE RIGHT: GLASGOW’S HOUSEGUEST RECLAIM SAUCHIEHALL STREET MUSIC SCENE

LIVE REVIEW | HOUSEGUEST FESTIVAL | GLASGOW | 4th April 2026 by Anne Kelly & Courteney Pearson

The third edition of the Crowded Flat and SMC Houseguest festival took place in and around Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street on Saturday, transforming staples like Nice’N’Sleazy, 1990, and The Art School into a playground for indie and post-punk discovery. With 29 bands on the bill, the day was a frantic, rain-soaked, and ultimately triumphant celebration of live music.

The action kicked off early at Nice’N’Sleazy, where the basement stage was already pushed to capacity for Edinburgh’s Oedipus and The Mama’s Boys, with late arrivals were reduced to peering through the doors. A band destined much larger stages – quite literally as an eight piece – delivered a set that was testament to this ambition. The energy peaked during their finale, where the band commanded the entire room to sit down before exploding into a chaotic, massive mosh pit.

The momentum continued in the basement with local group angelface who delivered a set of stunning harmonic tones that left a “heavenly” lingering presence in the room. Offering a brief, melodic reprieve from the intensity of the day so far, angelface are up there with our ones to watch from Scotland this year.

Meanwhile, upstairs at Sleazy’s was hiking up the festival’s footfall. Tuesday Club performed the first of their two shows that day to a room so full that queues stretched out the door. Their set – which ended with a stirring rendition of Auld Lang Syne accompanied by bagpipes – was the perfect setup for their later show supporting Liverpool band Stone up the road at King Tut’s.

On the move again we returned to the basement for Diva Down who confirmed their status as a “must-see” act. Surpassing even the high bar set by their recorded tracks, the band delivered a set fuelled by a level of passion and energy that can only be fully appreciated in person. Back in the main upstairs bar it was time for the emotionally driven theatrics of honey. With their debut single ‘Caveman‘ becoming a staple on our new music playlists since its release last month, their live performance proved exactly why that is. Fuelled by sheer passion, the Glasgow outfit showed a remarkable ability to command a room.

As the Glasgow weather got progressively more wet and wild, we braved the hill to The Art School for a highly anticipated set from Spyres. Despite a mid-set string break for the bassist, the band handled the mishap like the seasoned pros they are. The crowd carried the energy, singing along to every indie-pop hook and kept a powerful punch to the final note with the fan-favourite ‘Otherside‘ followed by a high-octane cover of Le Tigre’s ‘Deceptacon‘.

The inevitable festival dilemma – deciding who to see when the schedule overlaps – led us to an unplanned stop at 1990. It proved to be one of the best decisions of the night. Quality Control delivered an incredible performance that unified the room, marking them as a Glasgow band to watch closely.

Back at Nice’N’Sleazy, Dublin’s Croithe were busy reminding us why the Irish music scene is thriving right now. Their brand of indie sharpened rock drew another massive crowd to the basement. We could only stay for the first half of their set before dashing upstairs to catch PVC, and clearly, we weren’t the only ones with that idea.

With a bodies snaking out the door, we squeezed through the masses in search of breathing room, only to surrender to our fate as crowd sardines. It was worth the squeeze; PVC delivered a sensational set, blending 90’s grunge with melodic post-punk edge. Lead singer Cara’s charismatic, velvet-smooth vocals anchored the performance perfectly. Although the band is a collective of talent from Ireland and England, they’ve become such a fixture of the Glasgow scene that we’ve officially claimed them as our own.

Next up were Fog Bandits, a band that I seem to keep missing thanks to inevitable schedule clashes. They were well worth the wait – and then some. The intensity in the room was electric, with the crowd once again packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Overflowing with attitude and effortless confidence, they delivered a relentless barrage of riffs with their brand new single ‘Devour’ sounding just as delicious as it promises. It’s clear that Fog Bandits have huge potential to break out of the Glasgow scene into much bigger things.

We trekked back up the hill for a personal festival highlight: Brighton’s Opus Kink headlining the main stage at The Art School. Unlike the lightning-fast slots earlier in the day, they were granted a more expansive setlist that felt like a celebration of their career to date. You know a show is special when you start at the back of the room and somehow end up white-knuckling the front barrier. The energy was feral. A shifting mass of mosh pits that dictated the flow of every track, the definitive moment was hearing ‘I’m a Pretty Showboy‘ in all its horn-fueled glory, complete with a dedicated fan taking over “backup dancer” duties on stage. I’d bet everything on the hype surrounding this band; they are an absolute force. With a debut album and headline tour dropping later this year, missing them is not an option.

With the last trains looming, we couldn’t catch every desired set—missing iwanttobeontv and San Jose was a heartbreak—but a final “one for the road” back at Sleazy’s led us to Dirty Faces. Despite being a band I’d only heard of in passing, their energy was the surprise of the night.

Ultimately the magic of Houseguest is the ability to saunter from room to room, escaping the rain, and being caught by the unexpected magic of a new favourite band. I’ve been to my fair share of these style of events and I can honestly say that this one was up there with the best of them. The success of the night is a testament to the incredible work both Crowded Flat and SMC continues to do for Glasgow’s grassroots scene. There is a specific, electric DIY energy that only a festival like Houseguest can capture—one defined by community, support, and an overwhelmingly positive atmosphere. It is the lifeblood of the city’s music culture.

If there was any downside to the day, it was simply that the festival might be outgrowing its current footprint. While the “packed-in” feel is often an essential part of the basement-show experience, there were moments where the venues felt just a little too cramped to fully enjoy the talent on stage. It’s a boring complaint to make when the music is this good, but when you have bands this high in demand, a little more breathing room would go a long way – or at least somebody at the door to turn bodies away. However, it’s a high-quality problem to have; it simply proves that the Glasgow scene is more alive and hungry than ever.