Radar weekly: The latest from the Scottish music scene

20 Rocks confirm Road Trip and The View

Last week we reported on the news that 20 Rocks are taking over the Dundee venue formerly known as The Doghouse. This week they have confirmed The View for a gig on May 20. Full details.

The gig venue chain also revealed the line-up for the 20 Rocks Road Trip , a festival spread over their venues in Falkirk, Stirling and Dundee this weekend (March 29 – 31) to celebrate their opening in the City of Discovery.

Among the 60 bands playing the Road Trip are Vigo Thieves, Brown Bear & the Bandits and The Boston Tea Party.

Aberdeen band win Kerrang! award

Aberdeen band Akord have been crowned the winners of Kerrang! Radio’s Big Audition, in support of Cash for Kids.

They were the only Scottish act to reach the final five of the contest, and impressed a panel of industry experts including Kerrang! Radio presenters and Lower than Atlantis frontman, Mike Duce in the live final.

Akord will now claim a range of prizes including radio play on Kerrang! Radio, a feature in the magazine, recording session, live dates and a promo video.

The band will release their debut album Carry The Sound this spring.

Meursault set for UK tour

Meursault have announced a series of shows around the UK for spring and early summer. The Edinburgh band, whose third album Something for the Weakened was released last year, begin their mini tour with a date at the Liquid Room in their hometown on April 26, and end it with a show at the Oran Mor in Glasgow on June 23, as part of the West End Festival.

There will be a new single available at these shows, according to the band’s label Song, by Toad, and the full dates are as follows:

26 Apr – Edinburgh, Liquid Rooms

30 May – Brighton, Sticky Mike’s

31 May – London, The Garage

1 Jun – Manchester, Night & Day,

23 Jun – Glasgow, Oran Mor

Collar Up’s album / tour plans

The dream-pop trio Collar Up, who we profiled when they emerged in 2011, have announced plans for their second album, backed up with a four live shows.

Titled Ghosts, the long-player is released on Edinburgh label Permwhale Recordings on May 13. You can listen to a preview of the album below, and Collar Up play the following dates in support of Ghosts:

6 Apr – Edinburgh, Wee Red Bar

4 May – Glasgow, The 13th Note

18 May – Edinburgh, Limbo/Voodoo Rooms

24 May – Edinburgh, Stevenson College

T Break deadline this week

Any musicians hoping to enter the mix for T Break 2013 only have until Friday to submit their demos.

Every year a judging panel chooses 16 unsigned acts from Scotland to play the T Break Stage at T in the Park, a good platform for wider exposure. With a deadline of midnight on Friday (29 Mar) fast approaching, here’s how to enter:

“Entrants must be aged 18 or over, live in Scotland, and must be currently unsigned and recording original material. T Break is open to artists of every genre. Bands and solo artists can submit their demos via Facebook or via the T Break website.”

The T Break line-up will be announced in May.

• The Wizard Festival in Aberdeenshire is taking a year off, but will return in 2014, probably on an earlier date in the summer, organisers have confirmed.

• Miss the line-up for the Solus tent at Wickerman? Here’s our report from last week.

New music

• Black International, a band we first picked up on back in 2009, have just signed to Electric Company records in Glasgow. They’ll be releasing a double A-side 7″ single and download in June (date TBC), titled A Gilded Palace / the Sky is Falling inm which you can check out on SoundCloud. See below for details of their gig this week.

• Where We Lay Our Heads, the musical project of singer/guitarist Wull Swales, has a new single out on Common Records next Monday (April 1) called Keanu Leaves.

• A new song from Radar-featured Reverieme, called Sorry or Something, is streaming on SoundCloud. It’s taken from their upcoming album With Up So Floating, which is out on April 21.

• You can listen to the hotly anticipated CHVRCHES EP, titled Recover, via Pitchfork Advance.

Gig picks

Lach’s Antihoot Radio Night

Wednesday @ Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, 7pm, £5

Glasvegas

Wednesday @ King Tut’s, Glasgow, 8.30pm, £20

Die! Die! Die! + United Fruit + Black International

Friday @ Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, 7pm, £6

Neu! Reekie!: Eugene Kelly, TeenCanteen, Douglas Dunn, David Kinloch

Friday @ Summerhall, Edinburgh, 7pm, £7

Fat Goth + Carson Wells

Friday @ The Tunnels, Aberdeen, 7.30pm, £5

20 Rocks Road Trip

Friday – Sunday @ 20 Rocks in Falkirk, Stirling & Dundee

Velvet Audio + The Ian Burnett Band

Friday @ Cafe Drummond, 8pm, free

Jonnie Common + grnr + Flaccid Haus

Saturday @ The Glad Café, Glasgow, 8pm, £5

Madhat Macgore + Hector Bizerk + Mog

Saturday @ Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, 7pm, £8 / £5

RM Hubbert

Saturday @ CCA, Glasgow, 8pm, £7

S-Type

Saturday @ King Tut’s, Glasgow, 8.30pm, £6