By Tommy McGrory
The Bungalow’s first show of 2026 starts with the very popular Howlin’ Radio on Saturday afternoon, 3rd January 2026.
The band play uplifting and original hits from the 1960’s & 70’s: Bowie, Stones, Kinks, Clapton, Hendrix, Elvis, Wilson Pickett, The Band, Creedence and many more. Doors open at 1.00pm with the band on approximately 2.00pm and it is free entry.
The Bungalow have the first National Parka Day event in Scotland on Saturday evening, 3rd January 2026. This has been running for a few years now down south. National Parka Day or NPD for short started in about 1984 or 1985. The Modrapheniacs Dorset Scooter Club used to have a run somewhere every Sunday. Be it in the Poole area or the following week, it would be the Dorchester/Weymouth area. About 30 regulars took part. As most know by the early to mid-1980s the parka had fallen out of Scooterist fashion and you’d be more likely to see flight jackets, leather jackets, donkey jackets, jean jackets … but never a parka.
For fun, and it was meant as a laugh, the club decided that one Sunday run a year that they would all dig out our old parkas and wear them. It looked quite funny seeing them being worn on cut downs and choppers. One year the Blue Diamonds SC from Cheltenham were down for a party and a joint National Parka Day was held with them. That was the last NPD.
Roll on until a few years back sadly some of their old club members had died and, in their memory, National Parka Day was revived. It’s now done for charity, a local hospice who’s looked after many of local Scooterist friends who’ve needed their help in their final days.
The ride these days is now organised by all the local scooterist’s getting together for the day, it’s not a club thing. It’s a bit of fun and gives some money to a good cause.
There is a two-band line up and they are Bits & Pieces and The M65’s with DJ’s playing all your favourite mod sounds. Tickets on the door from 5.00pm.
On Sunday, 4 January 2026, there is a debut gig at The Bungalow for Glasgow based Rattlesnake Tattoo. It is free entry and doors open 1.00pm with the band on at 2.00pm.
The Pines are playing on Thursday 8 January 2026. Tickets on the door from 7pm.
The Swan have Abbey Road playing on Friday, 2 January 2026 from 8pm. On Saturday afternoon, 3 January from 4.00pm it is Epic.
Sunday Soul Club kicks off at 4.00pm with John and Maria on the decks. Crawford Carlyle will be playing on Monday, 5 January from 4.00pm; Lee James starts his comedy and song stage show on Tuesday, 6 January 2026 at 3.00pm and every second Thursday at 5.00pm and alternatively sometimes it is Cammy Miller.
Careo is at The Keg on Thursday 8 January from 9.00pm, and on Saturday night also at 9.00pm it is Gordon’s Alive Black Dog Forge. The Keg Grassroots Night returns with live music next Thursday, 8 January 2026 from 9.00pm.
Check out Kennedy’s on Friday at 7.00pm as The Black Triangles will be performing a rare acoustic set of their set of banging rock classics. The Inn on the Corner will be having a live session on Sunday 4 January from Replay starting at 4.30pm.
The Open Mic/Stage Sessions next week are: The Abbey at 9pm on Monday; Ugly Duck Monday at 7pm; The Gantry at 9pm on Tuesday; The Bungalow on Tuesday 7pm; The Keg on Wednesday at 8.30pm and The Inn on the Corner has an Open Mic on the last Tuesday of the month (27 January 2026).
As its New Year 2026, and the usual programmes have been disrupted, check venues for updated gig times.
Have a great week. Keep Music Live and support your local venues.
Tommy.
