Wha’s Like Us, the all-Scottish Progfest, The Drygate, Glasgow, 30 August 2025
Wha's Like Us, a new name in festival land. Is there place for a new festival? Why not?! Is it blocking any access to other festivals? Why would it?! People around Glasgow are lucky with this new festival in August and PB4X in November! An all-Scottish line-up is something special, of course. No surprise that the main person behind this is DPRP's own Scot, Béla Alabástrom. She will start with a disclosure here to explain the situation of her writing the following article.
An Organiser's Perspective
Full disclosure from the outset. I wear a number of (figurative) hats: as a reviewer and podcaster for DPRP, as a photographer, a podcaster, reviewer and co-administrator of Facebook group Bedside Yellow Foam (BYF), as an equally amateur cataloguer of live performances for my YouTube channel Guinea Prog, and, more recently, as manager of my all-time favourite band, Comedy of Errors, the greatest honour and privilege of my life bar none.
Before I assumed that role, however, I was their fan, and that is what I remain. This review is not some cynical promotional exercise on my part, either for the band or for the festival.
For the record, I do not make a single penny either from the festival (everything above the overheads went to the bands) or for any of the other work I do for prog, Scottish or otherwise. What I write, I write from the heart with no ulterior motive. The trip up to Glasgow for a festival being held for the first time was always going to be a big ask for other reviewers who already make a substantial unremunerated investment in attending as many gigs as they can, and sadly, none were able to join us. Hopefully, the word of mouth feedback will be enough to entice some of my fellow scribes north of Hadrian's Wall (not originally intended to keep them out…) in 2026.
Béla Alabástrom
Wha's Like Us
Wha's Like Us was born in a post on social media, in which I lamented the lack of opportunities open to Scottish prog bands afflicted by the “geographical penalty” of remoteness from the heartlands of prog in the south. This is very real and deters promoters and festival organisers from booking Scottish bands, and the bands themselves from travelling, as they incur untenable financial losses for the privilege of playing live. This puts them at an unfair disadvantage compared with their peers further south.
Charlie Kilgour of The Wizards of Progg rose to the call, naming the festival after a toast in which Scots celebrate their uniqueness in a statement of bravado ladled with self-deprecating irony:
Here's tae us, Wha's Like Us?
Gey few and they're a' deid!
(Here is to us, Who is like us? Very few, And they are all dead).
Mike Whitfield, Roger Marsh and Buzz Elliott of Progzilla Radio, Ian Moyes of Heartland FM and BYF, Russell John Morgan of BYF, Scott McArthur of the Access All Areas podcast and Cotswolds Radio, the best stage manager in the business Graham Harris, event photographer Marc Auger and many others lent invaluable support to the ambitious undertaking aimed at compensating for the challenges faced by Scottish prog musicians (no promoters in the traditional sense were involved, simply a fan and a musician joining forces to realise a dream). Our best efforts would all have been dead in the water without the amazing support of the prog community who wholeheartedly embraced the event. Stanley Mooney deserves special mention as leafleteer-in-chief, who tirelessly distributed flyers across the length and breadth of the UK. He was the best possible ambassador for the festival.
I embarked on the task of organising a new prog festival from scratch with the cheerful naivety of the uninitiated. And I had the best possible right-hand man in Charlie, whose skill sets perfectly complement my own, as well as the most incredible mentor, Mike Stobbie, a true inspiration in every sense. The wonderful participating musicians, however, have to take the credit for making the festival a resounding success. They were fully invested in the idea underpinning it and gave their all. No matter what fate decided to throw in our general direction, they showed enormous flexibility and channelled their creativity into finding solutions. I hope we were able to convey to them just how immensely grateful and humbled we were by their response and their unstinting generosity.
The line-up was very quickly agreed on, as was the venue. Festival organisation 101: you have to pay attention to the details. Although sometimes procuring honey cake from Glasgow's finest bakery distracted from other essentials, such as music stands. Lessons for next year: smoke machine, festival lanyards for the artists, festival name printed on the wristbands, raffle for the teddy, publicity materials in portrait format rather than landscape, pre-order for T-shirts to be collected at the venue (Charlie's beautiful design was a master stroke in branding, but we genuinely had no idea whether there would be any demand for dedicated festival merch), in addition to hiring the backline equipment.
On the day, everyone arrived early at the venue's car park to take delivery of the hired equipment and set up. This was my first time going backstage to help keep everything running smoothly, and I have not had as much exercise in months as on Saturday running back and forth in focused troubleshooting mode (though some prog dancing might also have contributed). It could not have gone more smoothly on stage, thanks to the almost intuitive cooperation between the bands and stage manager, Graham Harris, whom we were truly privileged to have on board.
And so to the main event: the Scottish bands, to whom the day was dedicated.
The Wizards of Progg
Setlist: Side 3, Adventures on Other Worlds, The Clock/Clockwork and the Cowboys, White Fire, Nine/No Problem, Straightjacket News, Doctor Who.
Line-up: Mike Delaitre: guitars and percussion, Charlie Kilgour: keyboards, Laurence MacDonald: guitars, Stuart Nicol: drums, Carey Walton: bass.
The Wizards of Progg gently eased us into proceedings in characteristically mellow fashion, with a selection of Charlie's compositions, alternating between the funky and laid back and the truly epic prog suite of White Fire. Charlie had dressed for the occasion in a kaftan and striped nightcap. This was their final performance in this line-up, to the great sadness and dismay of those who had only just discovered them, as well as their more established fans.
Ever since meeting Charlie virtually, when he sent me his back catalogue, I have had a soft spot for his take on jazz / prog fusion laced with psychedelia, much of which was written over 40 years ago. The debut album, Dooking for Apples (named after a Scottish Halloween tradition), was released in time to be featured on Keith Quinnell's Scottish prog special on Progzilla Radio.
Alan Reed and Very Special Guests
Setlist: Kean on the Job, For The Greater Glory, Sanctuary, Shock Treatment, Arrive Alive, Crown of Thorns.
Line-up: Alan Reed: vocals, Jen Clark: bass, Tudor Davies: keyboards, Martin Jakubski: vocals, Euan Lowson: vocals, Mark Mitchell: guitars, Gordon Roberts: drums, Neil Winton: acoustic guitars.
Scottish supergroup Machinary had been scheduled to play, but were forced by circumstances to withdraw. They timed the release of their excellent new self-titled EP to coincide with the festival. Alan Reed very kindly agreed to step in at short notice and succeeded in assembling a star-studded array of special guests, including Machinary's Euan Lowson.
It was Alan's first performance since his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease, and he informed the audience about his planned hike of the West Highland Way to raise funds for research to combat this cruel and devastating disease. Opening with Abel Ganz classic Kean on the Job, which Alan sang accompanied by Neil Winton on acoustic guitar, as Alan is now unable to play himself, it was always going to be an emotional set and Alan poured his very soul into it. Reclaiming his rightful place on stage, his passion and fire, incandescent and undiminished, in total command of the audience.
The remainder was dedicated to songs from Pallas. Martin Jakubski (The Steve Rothery Band, Stillmarillion, Maiden Scotland) fulfilled a life-long ambition to sing Sanctuary, and this proved a pivotal moment. It rippled through the audience like an electric current: we were witnessing musical history in the making.
When Euan came on stage for Shock Treatment, the years since he had sung with Pallas melted away. This was the legendary front-man of cherished memory, charismatic and compelling. The bonds of mutual affection and respect between Alan and his fellow musicians were plain to see. The cliche “not a dry eye in the house” for once justified. Raw, pure emotion, raw, pure joy.
With Arrive Alive and Crown of Thorns, everyone present knew they had been privileged to experience one of the greatest prog performances of all time. A cheer like no other and a standing ovation were never more deserved.
Long Earth
Setlist: A Guy From Down The Road/We Own Tomorrow, Wanderlust, Summer, Life, Moon and Mars, Sand, Colours, Breathless, Winter, Moscow, The Astronomer.
Line-up: Mike Baxter: keyboards, Kenny McCabe: drums, Renaldo McKim: guitars, David McLachlan: bass, Maaike Siegerist: vocals.
With vocalist Maaike Siegerist, Long Earth have truly blossomed. Their brilliant set blended older material with songs from their forthcoming album and included the debut performance of Breathless. Combining the ethereally melodic with killer hooks, Maaike's input as a songwriter has been a genuine inspiration.
The immaculately structured Colours, in particular, Maaike's soaring vocals bookending the middle section with its vividly contrasting extended rock riff, is sheer bliss. An Ordinary Life was my album of the year in 2024, and on the strength of the new material, the upcoming release is definitely set to be a contender.
Interval
During the interval, the multi-talented Scott McArthur of Cotswolds Radio and the Glasgow Apollo Facebook group recorded his first-ever live podcast in the wonderful Access All Areas series, interviewing none other than The Godfather of Rock himself, Tom Russell, a legendary figure in Scottish music circles since his days at Radio Clyde where, in its heyday, he was the first to give airplay to Scottish prog bands, including Comedy of Errors and Abel Ganz.
EBB
Setlist: The Mirror, No One's Child, Cuckoo, Take to Stars, Tension, The Animal Said I, Revenge of the Fifth, Silent Saviour, Day 19, Reason, Cost and Consequence, Geneva.
Line-up: Erin Bennett: vocals and guitars, Kitty Biscuits: spoken word and vocals, Suna Dasi: keyboards, Bad Dog: bass, Nikki Francis: keyboards, flute, Anna Fraser: drums.
The evening session began with EBB, whose beguiling stagecraft is second to none. Their constant inventiveness is astounding and new characters were evident in abundance. As an audience you never know quite what to expect, which only ratchets up the excitement. Kitty Biscuits descended from the stage during The Animal Said I to the huge delight of all present.
We had planned to surprise Kitty in her capacity as Mistress of the Bubbles (for those unfamiliar with the show, Kitty comes armed with twin guns, with which she gleefully launches hundreds of soap bubbles into the crowd). We had purchased guns of our own to retaliate, but the risk assessment precluded it. Too great potential for slips and short-circuits. Perhaps we should have welcomed her to the venue with a guard of honour forming an arch for a 21-bubble-gun salute. Now there's an idea!
Although there was not enough time to include Nieu, Jenny's newest iteration as an insect serenading Kitty with an accordion put in an appearance at the end. It is impossible to predict what form she will assume next. Kitty ringing the bell to summon her was the original pin-drop moment. Now the “what next?” comes from the literal manifestation of the musical insecurities which bedevil the band members in an inspired visual pun.
The spectacle never detracts from the quality of the music, however, and this is the bedrock. Erin Bennett deserves far more acclaim as a lead guitarist in end-of-year polls. EBB are consummate professionals quite rightly in the ascendant. Another incredible performance.
Comedy Of Errors
Setlist: Tachyon, Ever Be the Prize, The Student Prince - Part Two, The Answer, Carousel, Prelude, Riff and Fugue, Going for a Song, The Student Prince, Part Three, Threnody for a Dead Queen, Disobey, House of the Mind, The Student Prince - Part One.
Line-up: Joe Cairney: vocals, John Fitzgerald: bass, Colin Fraser: drums, Jim Johnston: keyboards, Mark Spalding: guitar.
Headliners Comedy of Errors brought the inaugural all-Scottish prog-fest to a triumphant close. Performing for the first time with their new line-up featuring Colin Fraser (formerly of Pallas) on drums, this was classically infused neo-prog at its majestic and breathtaking best.
Photo by Ryan Dall, used by kind permission
With only one rehearsal prior to the festival, it was nothing short of miraculous. Colin's assertive and flamboyant style never for a moment jarred. On the contrary, it brought renewed power and dynamism to the music, and he radiated confidence and assurance against the backdrop of sumptuous projections not seen since RoSFest.
With a set spanning their 41-year career, Ever Be the Prize last played in the 1980s, Joe Cairney once again showed why he surely ranks amongst the finest vocalists Scotland has ever produced, with his beautiful high range at its entrancing best. Other rarities Carousel, instrumental Prelude Riff and Fugue and House of the Mind permitted everyone to put their awe-inspiring musicianship on full display.
In Threnody for a Dead Queen, Mark Spalding extended his heart-rending and sublime guitar solo in a forceful demonstration of why he is the most criminally underrated guitarist in prog.
It would not be Comedy of Errors without The Student Prince - Part One, and this provided a culmination worthy of a day of superlatives, with Joe's trademark visitation to the enraptured audience, which never fails to raise the roof. The standing ovation was a testimony to the incontrovertible fact that Comedy of Errors remain at the height of their powers.
Conclusion
With the overwhelmingly positive reception given to the initiative and for which Charlie and I will forever be grateful, Wha's Like Us will be back in 2026!
