King Tut’s Summer Nights is back! Over the next eight weeks, this iconic venue will showcase some of the UK’s best grassroots music right here in Glasgow. A summer festival without the camping and the mud – it’s perfect event for staggering your trips to the bar, and most importantly provides a curated evening to discover emerging talent in the city.
Night one set the standard high. Opening the 2026 season was Cora Manchester – a pianist and songwriter who is now embracing the Glasgow scene with a style that can only be described as musical theatre and opera making an alliance with punk-rock. Cora had a memorable stage presence, created a solid relationship with the audience, and kept our attention with her dynamic pairing of original material and a Muse cover to complete the set. Taking this in – pint in hand – transported me to the Horseshoe Bar on a Saturday night (and that’s certainly not a bad thing at all).
In direct contrast, Wanderer took to the stage as our second support of the night. First impressions had me thinking this was going to be a typical pub ballad compilation. I am pleasantly surprised to say this was not the case. This alt-folk indie-pop duo came onto the stage apologising for not having a full band behind them. And I’m not accepting that apology, because they didn’t need a full band to deliver a moving and energetic sound. The blend of finger-picked acoustic guitar with ambient electric melodies captured my attention, as did the lyricism and meaning to each song. It’s always lovely to watch someone play a song for their mum at a gig, and the genuine feeling the duo had for their craft was highly apparent. I would, however, be interested to see how their material could be developed with some female vocals on a few songs – just thinking out loud.
Our final support instalment came from Just Someone Who Cared. They are the blueprint for the girlband aesthetic, and it’s difficult to believe that this was their first gig in a year. Opening with an Amy Winehouse cover, transitioning into rock-inspired originals, and pivoting to choral pieces, they looked the part, were right at home on the stage, and left me hoping they won’t take another year to play a gig. Watching this set made me jealous that I wasn’t part of this four-piece outfit, and ‘cool’ was the word on the tongues of those around me after their set.
After a top-up at the bar, I was more than ready for our headliner – Marigold – a 4-piece indie rock outfit. Marigold supported The Grapevine at Summer Nights in 2025, so it was great to see their progression as the first headliner of 2026. What’s more, they’re back with an EP – all i see is her now – under their belts. I appreciate the intolerance the group have to using capital letters for their titles, and this could almost be perceived as a physical representation of the band’s intimate sound. It’s this attention to detail that will stand a band in good stead. And in terms of the sound, it was truly introspective, delicate; yet also purposeful and raw.
Contrast and range is always a great and underrated skill to hone as a band, and the more intimate duo pieces were a striking addition to the set overall. But, it left me wondering whether Marigold could develop an acoustic duo to function separately to the four-piece project. I would’ve appreciated more material with three layers of vocals and the full instrumentation of the band for this particular gig. This of course doesn’t take away from the clear talent on the stage, the authentic emotions of the set, and the desire I have to see them play again. And, I also appreciated that they played new material – some of which was as recent as being completed last week I believe. It really does takes guts to headline on opening night and courage to play new material. This was an emotionally-driven set and they had the full support of the audience from start to finish.
If you missed opening night last week, you’ve got until the 29th of August to catch some more emerging talent at King Tut’s. Be spontaneous – pick a random date and get yourself down. You may just end up finding your new favourite artist…
