Glasgow band Gun on their new album The Calton Songs and playing the Barrowlands

Brothers Dante and Jools Gizzi, who grew up in The Calton just a few streets away from the iconic music venue, will play their annual Christmas show as part of Gun’s The Calton Songs’ Tour on Saturday, December 11.

After Covid restrictions meant they couldn’t play the gig last year, the band say this year’s event will be “really extra special”.

Lead guitar player Jools said: “Every year for about the past six/ seven/ eight years, we’ve been playing the Barrowlands around this time of year and it has become the annual Christmas bash for all the Gun fans and ourselves.

“To be playing it after the two years that we’ve missed, it’s overwhelming, we’re really looking forward to it, it’s really exciting, it’s a great great night for the fans and ourselves.

“Obviously Covid has had a massive part to do with us not playing it and we’re just so super excited to be playing it again and we’re going to try and make it extra special.

“It’s just a gig that more than any other gig we’re looking forward to playing right now.”

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Jools and Dante

Lead singer Dante agreed: “We’re really excited for the whole day, not just the show, but actually the whole day we’ll definitely be savouring,”

Jools added: “Being brought up here, as kids we used to hang about down there just at the Barras in general and the markets.

“We knew all the traders and the hawkers and everything like that and as kids, we used to walk by the Barrowlands every day but you know, what a dream it would have been to us back then to be actually playing it to a sold-out audience, it is pretty overwhelming and we’re so looking forward to it.”

At the start of the summer, the band had to postpone getting back into the studio and rearranged their tour after the whole band came down with Covid.

“That was a struggle, every one of us got wiped out with it,” Jools said.  

“When I got it I was absolutely floored, I had every symptom it possibly gives you.”

Dante added: “I just had a fever, it was kind of controllable.

“I didn’t have the coughing at all whatsoever, I mean I was stuck in my room, that was the only problem.

“But I had plenty of gin, smoked a lot of cigarettes, it was fine, but it’s definitely out there.

“Jools had it really bad and our manager Brendan had it really bas as well to the point where he couldn’t actually talk on the phone so I was lucky, I was fortunate.”

Although everyone has now recovered, both brothers still have problems with taste and smell, and Jools says he’s not 100% the way he was before.

 “Sometimes I get a lot more tired than I normally would,” Jools shared.  

“I’m one of those, I stay up to like half two/ three in the morning playing guitar and listening to music and lately since I’ve had that I just feel really tired and need to go to bed.

“So it’s definitely left an effect on us.”

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During the pandemic, the band found it difficult to write new material so decided to redo some of their old songs and make them more acoustic.

The Calton Songs will feature some revamped versions of some classics as well as some new tracks and is due to be released in March or April of next year.

Included on the album is a reworked version of their song Better Days, originally released in 1989, which will also be available on Friday, December 10 via Cherry Red Records.

Dante said: “It’s such an iconic song, I was talking in an interview yesterday to someone who said it just seems very timeless and it’s so poignant the song.

“This year we’ve went properly back into the studio and did a revamped version with like soul singers performing on it and other bits and pieces that have just given it a wee bit of a facelift.

“But it sounds great and we can’t wait to let people hear it.”

And for people living in The Calton, the new album’s name may also sound familiar.

Jools explained: “We’re from The Calton born and bred, but there’s a famous gang here called The Calton Tongs.

“It’s a play on words, so we just thought we’ll take the tongs and we’ll make that songs.

“Everybody knows here but some people have been hearing what we’ve been calling it and they’re like ‘wow, that’s amazing’.”

Included on the album is a new track called Backstreet Brothers that they say they can’t wait for fans to hear, and lucky concert-goers may get to hear it on Saturday as they plan to “give it a bash” in rehearsals.

To purchase tickets for Saturday's show click HERE.