Under the Radar: Haiver

With a new album due out next month and a UK tour on the horizon, we should expect to hear a lot more from Haiver in the second half of this year, write Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon

Glasgow four-piece Haiver came about through former Frightened Rabbit member Billy Kennedy bumping into bassist John Bonnar in a gym changing room, with the pair promptly enlisting drummer Findlay Wallace Brown (an expert in Herringbone flooring) and guitarist Craig Brownlee.

Kennedy leads on songwriting duties, penning many of his lyrics on bus journeys around Glasgow, and describes the band’s sound as ranging from gentle to anthemic. They played multiple sell-out Scottish shows in 2025, as well as a European tour supporting The Boxer Rebellion, and have enjoyed radio play from domestic stalwarts Vic Galloway and Roddy Hart as well as international tastemakers like KEXP in Seattle.

The band’s next single, Crime, is out on 12 June and will be accompanied by a video, with new album The Ghost Dance due to be released the following month on vinyl, CD and digital. Produced by Paul Gallagher, it features contributions by Devin Casson as well as former Frightened Rabbit members Andy Monaghan and Simon Liddel. Haiver are also confirmed for the Made In Scotland Gigs showcase in Edinburgh on 17 August, which is set to be announced later this week, and a UK tour will follow towards the end of the year, see www.haiver.co.uk

Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run music industry seminar and social night Born To Be Wide, see www.borntobewide.co.uk

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