Absent Dreams: Alternative Folk
Absent Dreams are a Glasgow alternative folk group carving out a distinctive place in Scotland’s contemporary music landscape, grounded in honest storytelling and evolving creative expression.
2025 was a defining year with the release of our debut album Straight from the Limbic. As we move into 2026, we’re entering a period of creative shift: exploring new ideas, reshaping our sound, and preparing for a year of fresh music, festival appearances, and the early stages of our second album.
With renewed momentum, Absent Dreams continue to evolve, grounded in folk tradition yet drawn toward new textures, tones, and emotional spaces. Our music centres on emotional clarity and narrative, inviting listeners to lean in and connect with every shift in mood and meaning.
Happy New Year 2026 from Absent Dreams
Absent Dreams invite you to lean in, listen closely, and discover alternative folk.
Be Someone’s Santa – A Night of Music & Giving
Join us at Bossa on Friday, 21st November 2025, for a festive evening that blends harmony with hope. Glasgow’s own Absent Dreams will take the stage, performing tracks from their debut album Straight from the Limbic, a collection rich in emotional storytelling and sonic warmth.
Alongside DJ Dave and special acoustic guests, expect a night 'Straight from the Limbic' to under the tree.
Entry is free, but we ask you to bring a gift for a child in need or make a donation on the link below. All donations will be distributed through the charity 'Be Someone's Santa' to support Glasgow’s weans this Christmas.
Note: To avoid disappointment, get down early as it's shaping up to be a full house.
Venue: Bossa, 69 Nithsdale Road, Glasgow, G41 2A
Date: Friday, 21st November 2025
Time: 8pm–12am
Click Here to donate
Bossa gig review 17th October 2025
Absent Dreams Triumph at Bossa Showcase Despite Early Technical Setbacks
Glasgow alternative folk outfit Absent Dreams delivered a powerful 14-song set at Bossa last night as part of the venue’s monthly showcase series. Performing between two other acts in a packed bar, the band faced early technical challenges, with poor sound and a faulty guitar lead disrupting the first five songs. The issue, traced to a failed connection into the on-stage tuner, visibly unsettled the group, but their response was nothing short of exemplary.
Demonstrating calm professionalism and unwavering focus, Absent Dreams pushed through the disruption. Once the sound was resolved, the band reclaimed the room with emotional clarity and musical precision. The audience responded with rapturous applause and calls for more, affirming the band’s ability to turn adversity into connection.
Absent Dreams continue to build momentum across Glasgow’s live scene, known for their lyrical depth, ritualistic presence, and commitment to storytelling. Last night’s performance was a reminder that resilience is as much a part of artistry as the songs themselves.
Sweet Child O’ Mine: Reimagined by Absent Dreams
We took a rock anthem and stripped it back to its bones, what’s left is raw, tender, and hauntingly familiar. This cover isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about rediscovery. With folk-rooted instrumentation and emotionally paced vocals, we’ve reimagined Sweet Child O’ Mine as a quiet ode to memory, longing, and the beauty that survives change.
Listen now and hear what happens when a classic meets a different way of being.
Absent Dreams: A Different Way of Being
A Different Way of Being invites you into the stillness between moments. A reflection on identity, disconnection, and the quiet resilience that follows. Crafted with ritual and intention, it embodies Absent Dreams’ commitment to emotional clarity and authentic storytelling.
Absent Dreams: Ta May
Ta May is a quiet tribute to the love that steps in when it’s needed most. A song shaped by presence, resilience, and the quiet architecture of belonging.
"Ta May" is a quiet, slow-burning ritual of reassurance from Absent Dreams that gathers sorrow and turns it toward something steady and lasting; its spare arrangement and reverent vocals carve a space for careful attention where small gestures carry the weight of salvation. The song centres on the steadfast presence of someone who chooses to love without condition, offering sanctuary and shaping a life by the simple, necessary work of being there, and Absent Dreams present "Ta May" as an act of witness and gratitude that traces how kinship can repair and remake, how a single, devoted presence becomes the architecture of belonging, each intentional note and silence holding memory tenderly so it can breathe and reveal the quiet, transformative force of love given freely and the resilience that grows from it.
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