Jesse Malin – Cottiers Theatre

I had heard a few Jesse Malin songs from Uncut magazine CDs back around the time of his first two solo albums, The Fine Art of Self Destruction and The Heat. I had a downloaded copy of one of them which I remember really enjoying. His collaboration with Lucinda Williams on the 2019 album Sunset Kids put him back on my radar, and when I saw he was playing Cottiers Theatre in Glasgow on his 2026 UK tour, I knew I had to go.

For anyone unfamiliar, Jesse Malin is a New York City punk rock legend. He fronted D Generation in the 90s before launching a solo career that blends punk energy with heartfelt Americana songwriting. In 2023 he suffered a rare spinal stroke that left him paralysed from the waist down. His recovery and return to live performing has been nothing short of inspiring.

The support act Bason (David Bason) opened the night and has had an interesting career worth checking out.

I had an incident with my car before the gig where my mirror got knocked off, so after fixing that I was a bit late to get a front row seat. I got one at the side and done my best to hold the camera still.

He was a great storyteller in between songs and made light of the incident that left him in a wheelchair for the past few years. I picked up a few more of his albums afterwards and they are all fab.