American singer Haley AKA Haley McCallum FKA Haley Bonar is in Glasgow to play the BBC Radio 6music Festival. She and her band were here last October touring her recent album, Impossible Dream. If you’re wondering about the change of name, there’s a blog about it here. TL:DR? A bunch of people were being dicks about her surname. Those people are obviously not Irish or Scottish. Packie Bonner is an Irish hero and he's a hero here in Glasgow where he played with Celtic FC. There are biographies of him downstairs in the Barras market. It definitely wouldn’t happen if she were a man. It's a shame.

“I don’t think it’s a shame” counters Haley, “I’m not changing my name because I’m ashamed of it. I’m changing my name because I want to take my mother’s name. It doesn't change anything about my heritage. I’m honouring the matriarchy over the patriarchy for the second half of my life. It's absolutely not a shame.”

She has worn an individual path, releasing records herself and through indie labels, “I like to keep things moving. I don’t want to stay on anything too long. I’ve released a record every other year for the last ten years but I don't usually tour for an entire year. This time it has been almost a year. So I find time to do other things and keep myself busy.”

“This tour is a little over two weeks. Not quite as long as the last time. But after this I’m going to continue working on a book of short stories. That's where my next project is.” She’s a keen writer but the book is new territory for her. “I’ve read at shows. I’ve put a couple of stories out on my Facebook page or my blog in the last few years but I’ve never published anything. I’m getting less terrified of it as it becomes a reality. I’m a writer and I’m familiar with it but I’m not a novelist, and I’m not about to be one, but it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’m working towards getting some kind of publishing entity involved, and an editor and all these things. It’s really exciting. I just need to find time to work on some of the stories. I try to get some done when I’m on the road but it’s not easy.”

Not content with her solo work, the book, and her band, Gramma’s Boyfriend (“We've made two albums and we're just beginning the third record now.”) Haley is eyeing a new direction for her music to complement the new moniker, “I’ve also been working on some pop music. I’m going to release my first ‘Haley’ record this year. It’s a goal, a loose goal. I’ve a lot of other irons in the fire and goals to accomplish. I’ve been working with this producer. His name is Lazerbeak. He’s with Doomtree, a big hip-hop label in Minneapolis. I’ve been sending him the stems for different songs that I’ve worked on with other people and my own demos. He’s been adding things. We're collaborating back and forth. I want to release something that’s completely different than the last few records. I’m not really sure if it will be a full-length or an EP, but I’m working on it.”

Haley is on tour now:-

Apr 03 The Cluny, Newcastle,

Apr 04 Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich,

Apr 05 Thekla, Bristol,

Apr 06 The Dome, London.

The sun is blinding today in Glasgow. Apollo shines his light on the 6music Festival. The blessing of the gods follows us to the Barrowland ballroom. The Barras Market is in full swing and American singer Haley is talking to us after lunch. The Minnesota based singer plays Saint Luke's around the corner tonight with Sacred Paws, The Lemon Twigs and Car Seat Headrest. We'll be at Barrowlands too for Bonobo, Thundercat, Loyle Carner and Songhoy Blues.

And that's where we'll start tonight's adventure, with Loyle Carner it the main room. Security is tight here and given recent events, we'll just have to tolerate it. The young English lad performs vocal gymnastics over the mellow but effective backing of his DJ. The bass makes the jelly in our eyeballs tremble. Carner lived in Glasgow when he was younger, he even owns a kilt.

His autobiographical lyrics are a million miles from the sparkle and bling of some of his American counterparts; particularly when he's dressed in slacks and a woolly jumper. He carries a towel like Vegas-era Elvis. From up front at the barrier, he’s an impressive performer too. I don't see much hip-hop but I could be converted.

Over to Saint Luke's for Sacred Paws and this place makes a great first impression. You come around the corner from Barrowlands and there it is; a standalone deconsecrated church with gothic ornamentation. Inside, the stage has been expanded to accommodate the BBC logistics. The drum riser sits at the foot of a set of organ pipes and between two stained glass windows, each about five metres tall.

The start is delayed and music plays over the PA. Sleeper’s ‘Inbetweener’ followed by REM’s ‘Don't Go Back To Rockville’, one could put up with this. Eventually Liz Kershaw appears to introduce the band. They play danceable music with tight harmonies that would make The Bee Gees sit up and take notice. The guitars and drums unleash rhythms that are somewhere between math rock, Bloc Party and Paul Simon's Graceland. There are moments of early Vampire Weekend punkiness blended with tribal beats and glimpses of The Raincoats. They’ve a debut album coming out and from this display it will be well worth a listen.

Barrowlands has filled up rightly for Californian bassist Thundercat whose latest solo album has taken the world by storm. He's known for his signature six string bass, 50% more than the average, and for his work with acts as diverse as Suicidal Tendencies and Kendrick Lamar. It's too jazzy and self-conscious for my liking. You'll pass fifty similar acts at Glastonbury without pausing for too long. Too much of it sounds like the satirical “Jazz Club” from ‘90s sketch programme The Fast Show.

So with that, it's back to Saint Luke's for Haley. The sun has set so the huge neon Barrowlands sign has been turned on. It's quite a sight. Saint Luke's is lit up in the festival livery too. We spoke to Haley earlier today. This is the start of a European tour for her and she's a big fan of Car Seat Headrest who play this stage later tonight. She's played NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert and Later...With Jools Holland so the 6music Festival will be familiar territory.

It’s difficult to categorise her music. She's creatively restless and mercurial. The set opens with a torch song sung to a drum machine and sweeping guitars while the second is up-tempo rock in the vein of her other band Gramma’s Boyfriend. She's working on the third album of that band as well as a collection of short stories, and that’s on top of her solo stuff. You can read that interview here later in the week.

Described as desert blues Mali's Songhoy Blues are going down a storm in Barrowlands. They've a heavy dub reggae influence making them reminiscent of The Clash. They have fans in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Strokes and it's obvious why. There are a lot of shared influences. Lead singer Aliou Toure dances hypnotically between verses, eliciting uproarious cheering from the audience. Three songs in they are joined by a brass section for a song from their new album. The rolling bass and the horns make it sound like Level 42 with Songhai lyrics. They sing in English too and Toure straps on a Les Paul for an old favourite. They've a following here in Glasgow and it gets a massive reception.

Across the way in Saint Luke's The Lemon Twigs are having an extensive warm up before starting their set. The New York four piece are suffering technical difficulties but manage to overcome them and deliver some infectious harmonies. They mix rock ‘n’ roll, doo wop, and musical theatre. There are moments when it is hard to believe that there are only four of them on stage. Jim Steinman could use these guys for Bat Out Of Hell 4, provided the songs were up to scratch. There's a touch of Freddie Mercury to it too.

Barrowlands is eagerly awaiting tonight's headliner. Bonobo's sixth album, Migration, came out in January. He's someone who has passed me by over the years so I'll be interested to see if he can win over a sceptic, as Future Islands did last night. Over a steady drone the band enter the fray one at a time over the course of several minutes, each adding their own contribution to the cacophony. The six players assemble in a semi-circle at the front of the stage, facing the audience.

After five minutes, there is a break and they begin the next song but there is too little happening in the tunes to hold the interest. This is headphone music being played in a cavernous room. Guest vocalist Szjerdene helps add some variety and interest but it just doesn't work in this environment. It's a pity to end the day in disappointment but with Loyle Carner, Songhoy Blues, Haley, Sacred Paws and The Lemon Twigs, this has still been a good day for music.