MusicMusic Interviews

Scotpop

Allan Glen

Music writer, author and journalist Allan Glen interviews the bands, musicians, songwriters, filmmakers, record label bosses and writers who create the best Scottish pop. Allan is the author of Stuart Adamson - In a Big Country, the critically acclaimed biography on the Skids and Big Country legend, and a former NME writer and BBC broadcaster.

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English

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October 28 · 26 min
Emma Dunlop interview: What are some of the challenges facing new artists in Scotland today?
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... If you’re interested in what it’s like for new artists in Scotland today, then you’ve come to the right podcast. Emma Dunlop’s been there, done that - and even got the (real) scars to prove it. Now she’s back – and starting all over again. This interview offers a fascinating glimpse into the challenges and opportunities for new acts in Scotland today. In the interview we discuss Emma’s inspirations, from French pop stars to Scottish legends. Emma also talks me through busking in Motherwell, supporting Midge Ure at the Kelvingrove Bandstand and her new album Somebody Call The Alliance, out on October 30, which she describes as “synth pop with melancholic hope”. With so many acts from the 80s and 90s reforming in Scotland today, it’s a timely reminder into what it takes for Scottish acts build – and sustain – a musical career today. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@scotpoppodcast If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
S1 · E19
October 14 · 38 min
Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub): The inside story of Kurt Cobain's favourite band – and what happened next
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... It can't be easy being Teenage Fanclub. One minute Nirvana's Kurt Cobain is on every radio station in the US describing you as the best band on the planet; the next your label boss is having a pop. One of the greatest myths about Teenage Fanclub – and one perpetuated by the man who signed them to Creation Records – is “they didn’t want to be big”. “It’s a Glasgow thing of wanting to be cool rather than big,” Alan McGee once told me. “There was an element of self-sabotage in the way they went about [second album Thirteen].” On this week’s podcast, Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake joins me to tell me the inside story of making Thirteen, the follow up to breakthrough album Bandwagonesque. “We’d spent a lot of time together in the back of vans before recoding Thirteen at CaVa in Glasgow and Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme,” he tells me. “There were tensions.” Norman also talks about touring with Nirvana, the departure of Gerry Love and the current mood in the band as they celebrate the release of their 13th studio album Do Not Dare to Dream. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@scotpoppodcast If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
S1 · E18
September 30 · 24 min
Sir Ian Rankin (author): 'Some of the greatest Scottish songwriters were Jekyll and Hyde characters'
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... As he prepares for the release of his highly anticipated standalone novel The Heights, Sir Ian Rankin joins me on the podcast this week to talk about the state of music in Scotland. As anyone who has read Ian's Rebus books will know, his writing is peppered with Scottish music references – from characters called Burchill to in-jokes about Mogwai, from tributes to folk heroes to homages to his own Cardenden punk band The Dancing Pigs. We also discuss the fragility behind some of Scotland’s greatest artists, from Alex Harvey to Stuart Adamson, Jackie Leven to Frankie Miller. This is the second, and concluding, part of our interview, which was recorded just after the Friends Again show at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow earlier this year. In the interview we talk about the impact of that show - and the surprise appearance of Lloyd Cole as support act – and the power of nostalgia on the wider Scottish music scene. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@scotpoppodcast If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
September 16 · 41 min
Clive Ford (Awrite Records/ex Skids roadie): The untold story of Stuart Adamson and the 'lost' Skids album
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... 25 years after the death of Stuart Adamson, secret recordings of his first band the Skids are emerging. They were recorded in Edinburgh in 1977 11 weeks after the band formed, with all songs written by Stuart, who died in 2001. What can they tell us about this mercurial talent? On this week’s Scotpop podcast I’m joined by Awrite Records founder and ex Skids roadie Clive Ford to talk about those early days of the Scottish punk legends. Clive also explains how he got his hands on the tape, and why it's being released now as '1977' on his Seattle-based record label. “The new album brings the story full circle,” he says on this week’s show. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@scotpoppodcast If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
#16
September 2 · 24 min
Clare Grogan (Altered Images) - "The music press in the 80s was vitriolic – particularly to women'
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... In the summer of 1981, Altered Images exploded on to the post-punk scene in the UK in a blaze of chutzpah, charm and chiseled cheekbones – and that was just the boys. That posters of the band’s frontwoman Clare Grogan were already pinned on bedroom walls following her breakthrough performance in Bill Forsyth’s classic growing-up movie Gregory’s Girl the previous year seemed to seal their fate as the nation’s favourite new band; even the London-based, hypercritical NME loved their brilliantly bright pop tunes and street-urchin antics. (Well, for a bit anyway …) For many, the arrival of the Glaswegian punk upstarts on Top of the Pops looking like the ultimate gatecrashers – with Clare wearing a bamboo hat the size of a small country – signalled the moment pop switched from black and white to colour. The 80s had arrived. On this week’s episode of Scotpop, Clare relives the highs and lows of being in Altered Images, who are back on tour in the UK. She also talks about: - Travelling the world with “the boys- which was fun. Until it wasn’t.” - Recording with superstar producer Mike Chapman (Suzi Quatro/Smokie/Sweet/Blondie) in America. “Were we subservient? Nah. We were a bunch of gobby Glaswegians.” - Her blossoming friendship with [future husband and MMMBop producer] Stephen Lironi who joined Altered Images for third album Bite. - And - it’s TRUE - what it REALLY feels like when you inspire one of the biggest hits of the 80s. (Altogether now: ‘Ah, ha ha, hahhh … ha”.) - Plus, so much more. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@scotpoppodcast If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
S1 · E15
August 19 · 47 min
Chris Thomson (Friends Again/The Bathers) interview - Bathers, break-ups and bailiffs
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... Everyone loves a music business survivor – and few have survived the vicissitudes of the exploitative music business quite like this week’s guest. Dumped by his friends and former Friends Again bandmates when they decamped to form Love and Money in the mid-80s, Chris Thomson thought he had had weathered that perfect storm with a new Phonogram record deal. Until it was pulled. (The more observant listener may hazard a guess at who may have been behind that particularly ruthless move.) Undeterred, he later released several albums as The Bathers - including the implausibly perfect Kelvingrove Baby; all of them signalling the revival of a rare talent; all of them failing to “do the units”. Then came the bailiffs. “They were a couple of friendly bailiffs, lovely, “ he tells me at one point in our interview. “Nevertheless, they asked if I had 30 grand in my bank account. I said, ‘I’m overdrawn by about a thousand’.” Huge thanks to Chris for this interview. It really is a tale like no other. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@scotpoppodcast If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
S1 · E14
August 5 · 50 min
Davy Henderson (ex-Fire Engines/Win Pt 2) - 'People in the music business in the 80s were like politicians today - clueless'
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... As anecdote-tellers go, few can match Davy Henderson. This week’s podcast picks up where we left off last time with the Scottish cult hero talking about his band Win, which he formed after splitting Edinburgh-based act Fire Engines. If you heard the first part, you’ll know Davy called time on Fire Engines after he accepted a publishing deal – with an advance of £2,000 – from Pop:Aural label boss Bob Last. As Davy candidly explained in last week’s interview, the split – and the way he handled it at the time – remains one of his major regrets. What I enjoyed about interviewing Davy is he offers a fascinating insight into the mind of a songwriter in a way that many are unable to articulate (at one point in Pt 2, in an attempt to explain why he loves music and the art of songwriting he flip flops between the genius of Miles Davis and – oh yes! – the wigs of Carl Perkins). Fascinating stuff. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@scotpoppodcast If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
#13
July 22 · 30 min
Davy Henderson (ex-Fire Engines/Win/Sexual Objects/Nectarine No. 9) – 'I just wish we'd told some people to f*** off'
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... From sonic adventurers Fire Engines and Win to industry-baiters Nectarine No. 9 and The Sexual Objects, Davy Henderson remains one of Scotland’s greatest cult heroes. Yet the story of the Edinburgh-born raconteur – who grew up living next door to the Bay City Rollers and BCR-nearly rans Bilbo Baggins in Clermiston – has never been fully told. Until now. Davy's also back with a new band, Bubbles, featuring guitarist-about-town Douglas MacIntyre and former Orange Juice and Josef K legend Malcolm (now Dr) Ross – so it's the perfect time to hear how it all began. This interview with Davy was originally conducted for a magazine feature but there was so much additional fascinating insight into the integral struggles within the music industry that I thought it would be great to include the interview in its entirety raw and (largely) unedited - with a bunch of noisy seagulls making an appearance at one pivotal moment. (Ah the joys of podcasting.) The interview was supposed to last 20 minutes but overran – by more than an hour. With Davy’s permission, I’ve split it into two parts. This is Pt 1. Don't forget you can sign up for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
#12
July 8 · 35 min
Steven Lindsay (ex-The Big Dish) – The Nearly Man of Scottish Pop
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... With a mop of wavy blonde hair, a voice melding the best bits of John Foxx and Bryan Ferry and a canon of critically acclaimed tunes, Steven Lindsay was destined to be a pop star. The Big Dish, the band he formed at the Glasgow School of Art in the mid-80s, toured with Scottish heavyweights Big Country and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and came tantalisingly close to cracking the Top 30 with hook-laden singles Prospect Street and Miss America Yet without that elusive hit track and the accompanying Top of the Pops appearances that might have catapulted the band into the big league, self doubt crept in – and record labels started to ramp up the pressure. In this week's Scotpop, Steven opens up about the pressures of being on the road with The Big Dish, touring with Lloyd Cole and Big Country and the "ruthlessness" of the music industry in the 80s. It’s a fascinating story and a great insight into an artist unafraid to be anything other than himself. You can sign up here for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
#11
June 17 · 27 min
Erin Reidy (Brontës) interview – 'We write our best songs when we're at our most vulnerable'
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... Erin Reidy joins me this week to talk about life in Brontës, who have built a steady buzz since bursting on to the Scottish scene in 2022 with their double A-side debut single, featuring life-affirming indie anthem First Hand Arrogance. (It’s a track I included when compiling the best 45 singles from Glasgow acts for Record Collector; yes, it’s that good.) Several line-up changes – and a critic-flooring, self-titled debut album later – the tight-knit four-piece are once again on manoeuvres, a mini-UK tour scheduled for later this year. In this week's episode, Erin talks great gigs, bad dates and the joys of being in one of the best new bands in Scotland. You can sign up here for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.
June 3 · 47 min
Bruce Watson (Big Country) interview, pt2 – 'Stuart [Adamson] was like Jekyll and Hyde; on Monday, a brilliant guy, on Tuesday, your worst nightmare'
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... This is the second and final part of the interview with Bruce – and this week the mood and conversation take a turn: to pressure, alcoholism, depression and the death at 43 of the guitarist who, in Bruce’s own words, “made an amazing sound that I loved”. It’s October 1984 and Margaret Thatcher is in No 10 Downing Street, overseeing the most destructive deindustrialisation policy ever inflicted on the UK. The industrial heartlands of central Scotland are particularly hard hit. Not that you’d know it from a Top 30 awash with bright suits, big drums, synths and yachts. In the past year, Big Country have broken big around the world with debut album The Crossing and three agenda-setting singles but now the record label need a follow-up. “We had absolutely nothing to give them,” says Bruce, in this week’s episode. You can sign up here for the Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠ If you have guest suggestions or queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers.
#9
May 27 · 24 min
Bruce Watson (Big Country) interview: 'Touring the world in the 80s was amazing – but you had to be on all the time'
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... There’s, rightly, been a lot of attention on Stuart Adamson in recent months with the publication of another biography on the Skids and Big Country legend and news of a forthcoming documentary that will hopefully bury for ever the image of the band as merely “bagpipe guitars and checked shirts”. For now, though, it’s time to hear Bruce Watson’s side of the story – and it’s not always an easy listen. Success, failure, alcoholism, suicide, redemption and resurrection all feature in a 45-year career that spawned three classic albums, including, arguably, the best album and single of the 80s (East of Eden and Steeltown, if you’re asking). As a teenager – and fan of Stuart’s punk band the Skids – Bruce had a major part to play in the development of Big Country, who sold more than 2 million copies of their debut album, The Crossing, and influenced a new generation of songwriters such as the Manic Street Preachers, Blur, Oasis, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon. In a brutally frank two-part interview, he talks about dealing with Stuart’s alcoholism and the disintegration of the band. But first, we go back to the beginning: Dunfermline, 1977, and a band called The Delinquents. You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ Have any feedback, guest suggestions, general comments or queries about sponsorship opportunities? Great; you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers.
#8
May 20 · 12 min
Is there a crisis in Scottish music? - Scotpop investigates
The podcast that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music ... The Beta Band. Big Country. The Skids. Friends Again. The Rezillos. The Bluebells. The list of recently reformed Scottish bands goes on and on. As fans, we’re excited to have these bands back, of course, but having worked on music business magazines for 15 years, one thing I learned was promoters and venues like safe bets. Increasingly, with record sales collapsing, the music business is the live music industry. Yet as more and more bands who had their heyday in the 70, 80s and 90s reform to play live where does that leave Scottish music industry today? It’s a question I put to Sir Ian Rankin in the second part of our interview (the full interview will be coming shortly). It’s also a subject I discussed with James Grant (Friends Again/Love and Money) and Douglas MacIntyre, boss of the Creeping Bent record label. All three guests offer great insight and analysis into what is going on in Scottish music today. The importance of the live music industry on new music acts is also a subject I discuss this week with Erin Reidy, guitarist with Brontës, one of the most talked-about emerging bands in Scotland. This episode also features an introduction to four new bands you’re going to be hearing a lot of in the next year (and, yes, the Brontës are one of them). It would be great to hear what you think of the current state of music in Scotland; those who susbcribe to the Substack newsletter will be able to read about reports this week of the “deepening crisis” in the Scottish festival scene, with six promoters postponing or pausing their events this year. Add in the cultural evisceration with music programming at BBC Radio Scotland - Nicola Meighan is just the latest presenter to be axed – and suddenly the idea of a “crisis” in Scotttish music doesn’t seem so wide of the mark. Let me know what you think. You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on ⁠Substack⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠X⁠ Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? Great - I’d love to hear from you at the links above, or you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers.
May 13 · 56 min
Mike Scott (The Waterboys) interview – 'Simple Minds and U2 copped stuff from The Waterboys - especially U2'
Thrilled that Mike joins me on Scotpop this week. After finding new fans with the soundtrack of the latest hit Netflix show Something Very Bad is Going To Happen, Mike and co are finally getting the attention they deserve so there’s lots to talk about. He joins me just days before the band tour Australia to discuss everything from humping gear up three flights of stairs at Terry Pilley’s infamous Barclay Towers studio in Edinburgh in the late 70s to what it feels like to blow up on TikTok today. He also talks about growing up in Ayr and Edinburgh, moving to London, Findhorn and Dublin, playing shows all around the world – and the inspiration behind the The Whole of the Moon. If you have any opinion/interest on the ongoing Waterboys v U2/Simple Minds debate that’s raging online you’re in for a treat. It’s a fascinating insight into one of Scotland’s best songwriters and the longest episode of Scotpop to date. You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on Substack - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the best new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: Instagram LinkedIn Facebook X Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? Great - I’d love to hear from you at the links above, or you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers. Pic credits this episode: Paul MacManus
#6
May 7 · 37 min
John Niven interview – 'I turned down Coldplay and Muse – and signed The Mike Flowers Pops'
Before he was a successful author with books such as bestsellers Straight White Male and Oh Brother, Irvine-born writer John Niven, the special guest on Scotpop this week, ran with the London A&R pack in the 90s. He joins us to talk about turning down Coldplay and Muse because he “didn’t think we needed a couple of more Radioheads” and how he used his time in the music industry to write Kill Your Friends and The Battle, the recent stage production that captured the rivalry between Blur and Oasis as they fought it out for the coveted No 1 spot at the height of Britpop. As well as being a successful author and writer, John is also a former musician and a huge advocate for Scottish music. He is also one of the best storytellers I’ve ever heard. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to subscribe to Substack for a free newsletter featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news, new music tips, track of the week, scurillous gossip ... and so much more. Instagram LinkedIn Facebook X Stuart Adamson – In a Big Country Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? You can contact me at the links above. For sponsorship opportunities, you can email me on scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers John Niven’s latest book, The Fathers, is out now on Canongate.
#5
April 30 · 48 min
James Grant interview – ‘Our label spent millions on us - when we left we were £7 million in debt'
In the mid-80s, the London-based music industry was, says Love and Money’s James Grant, this week’s special guest, “awash with cash”. As bands such as Orange Juice, Simple Minds and Altered Images racked up Top 10 hits, much of it flowed north to Glasgow. One of the “jangletastic” acts perfectly placed to capitalise on the A&R stampede to the city were James’ first band Friends Again, fronted by Chris Thomson, now of The Bathers. This week’s episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of the most underrated songwriters in the UK today, and a man who - by his own admission - has never had a “proper job”. He also has the inside story to one of Scotland’s greatest indie-pop tales and in this episode we find out what really happened when he walked out of Friends Again to form Love and Money. “When you’re 20 you don’t really care about hurting people”, gives you a flavour of what you’re about to hear. In this episode James also opens up about: - The “buzz” of being a teenager in a Glasgow band in the mid-80s as London’s A&R mob decamped to the city. - The two sides of working with legendary A&R boss at Phonogram Dave Bates – “the enemy and the facilitator”. - How the label's demand for hits affected Love and Money – and the the label's effect on Stuart Adamson of Big Country. - Recording with acclaimed producer Gary Katz – and Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor. - The growing struggles in Love and Money in the late 80s as the record label started to demand “hits”. - The solo years and the joy of working with Donald Shaw and Karen Matheson from Capercaillie. - The “excitement and nerves” that kicked in just before Friends Again’s reunion concert at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow earlier this year – and what comes next for the band. - How touring and recording with Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake and ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler allows him to “take a break” from himself. - And so much more … You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on ⁠Substack⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the hottest new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠X⁠ Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? You can contact me at the links above. For sponsorship opportunities, you can email me on scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers
#4
April 23 · 32 min
Grant McPhee interview - the post-punk upstarts who created the Scottish music industry
Be honest now; if I were to say to you “Scottish punk rock in the 70s”, what would you think? If you replied the Skids, The Rezillos, The Jolt, The Valves, Johnny and the Self Abusers - maybe Matt Vinyl and the Decorators - I’d probably think, “Yep, that’s about it”. But if you shot back with The Exile, 8 Miles Out, Ths Zips, The Drive, The Pencils, The Trendies, The Hormones – Scotland’s first female punk band – or the brilliantly named Beez Neez I’d think either, A, you were in one of these bands, or, B, you’ve read Caledonia Screaming, the new book from this week’s very special guest Grant McPhee. The cultural force behind acclaimed music documentary Big Gold Dream, Grant interviewed more than 200 stalwarts of the emerging punk and post-punk scene in Scotland for the book and joins Scotpop this week to tell us the inside story of the music-obsessed upstarts who blazed a trail across Scotland in the late 70s and paved the way for Scottish globetrotters such as Simple Minds, Skids, Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, Edwyn Collins, Texas and Big Country. Effectively, they created the Scottish music industry we know today. Other topics under discussion in this episode include: - The unlikely tartan-clad Scottish pop group that inspired the Sex Pistols (spoiler alert - the Bay City Rollers). - The tragic story of the enigmatic SAHB and Nazareth manager who was on the verge of taking on the London music industry when he was killed in a plane crash. - The Scottish band who have done more to promote a positive image of Scotland than any tourist office. It’s also worth pointing out that while Grant heroically battled traffic jams, failing batteries and irate car park security guards to come on the show this week we were ultimately beaten by technical gremlins so the interview is audio only. You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on ⁠Substack⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the hottest new bands. For the latest podcast news and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠X⁠ Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? You can contact me at the links above. For sponsorship opportunities, you can email me on scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers
#3
April 16 · 49 min
Douglas MacIntyre interview - Creeping Bent, Love and Money, The Bathers, Lloyd Cole, Friends Again
You can listen to the Top 10 songs in Episode 3 at this playlist. Following on from last week’s episode on the evils of the music business in the 80s, this week’s show jumps a decade and features Douglas MacIntyre, one of the most likeable record company bosses you’re ever likely to come across. As he prepares to wind up his label, Creeping Bent, after 30 years, he joins Scotpop to talk about working with artists such as The Leopards, Adventures In Stereo and Spacehopper. He also tells us about raising more than £50,000 for Down’s Syndrome Scotland and what the global success of Lewis Capaldi means for Scottish music. He has a a fascinating story to tell, from launching his world-famous label in the 90s with a fax machine from a flat in Mount Florida, Glasgow, to releasing seminal records from artists such Alan Vega, Gareth Sager and The Nectarine No. 9, and curating a memorable night for John Peel’s Meltdown in 1998. Douglas is perhaps one of the most well-connected figures in Scottish music; as a top session guitarist he’s also strummed, plucked and thrashed for The Secret Goldfish, Love and Money, The Bathers, James Grant and Lloyd Cole, and the recently reformed Friends Again, as well as his own bands, including Article 58 and Jazzateers. To top it all, his wife's in a band, his daughter’s in a band and his in-laws are Clare Grogan of Altered Images and the producer of multi-million global smash MMMbop by Hanson. Birthday parties round Douglas's house must be bloody brilliant. You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on ⁠Substack⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the hottest new bands. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠X⁠ Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? You can contact me at the links above. For sponsorship opportunities, you can email me on scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers Pic credit this episode: Angus Whyte/Alastair McKay
#2
April 9 · 19 min
'Alcoholism and the music business are brutal; mixed together, they're explosive' – the tragedy of Stuart Adamson
You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠Substack featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the hottest new bands. Shownotes In John Niven’s engaging music business novel Kill Your Friends, loathsome A&R man Steven Stelfox slashes and burns his way through a 90s music industry awash with cash, cocaine and conmen; if Stelfox had been operational in "the biz" a decade earlier he would've been eaten alive by a breed of major label record executive who would think nothing of remixing one of the world’s greatest singers out of a track on a whim because they could; who would ban a guitarist from their own recording session and add trumpets to his band's classic rock sound because they could; or who would, in a move Machiavelli would likely have dismissed "as a bit off", buy all the worldly rights to your band's music for a paltry sum in a rushed deal that even your battled-hardened lawyer would later describe as “less than satisfactory” because they … well, you get the picture. This was the toxic environment that awaited Big Country’s temperamental Stuart Adamson, the former Skids guitarist who had a reputation for “liking a bevvy” and walking out of bands, and the subject of Scott Rowley’s Stay Alive, one of three books reviewed in this episode. You can also hear a review of A Leap Into The Void by Douglas MacIntyre, the likeable artist-turned-record label boss of fascinating Scottish label Creeping Bent, who’s played with everyone from his own post-punk Lanarkshire band Article 58 to the recently revived – and brilliantly received – Scottish indiepop heroes Friends Again. Douglas’s contacts book reads like a who's-who of Scottish music (spoiler alert: his wife – and daughter – are in bands and his in-laws are Clare Grogan of Altered Images and Stephen Lironi, the latter also once of that same great parish, as well as uber-producer of the multi-million selling Mmmbop by Hanson. And that’s not a joke.) In this episode, Douglas talks about working in the studio with Malcolm Ross (Josef K/Orange Juice) and Postcard Records supremo Alan Horne, while there’s also a review of the brilliantly niche punk read Caledonia Screaming by the ever-creative Grant McPhee, an author, curator and filmmaker whose 2015 documentary Big Gold Dream thrust Fast Product and Postcard Records into the international limelight and made a breakout star of cult hero Davy Henderson (who also makes an appearance here). Scotpop is already ranking at No 6 in the UK Apple podcast chart for Music Interviews so thanks for all the support (though I suspect that may be more to do with the insight and eloquence of last week’s guest than any interview "style". ). I hope you enjoy it. If you do, please tell your friends and consider following/subscribing. It would also be great if you could leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts; it really helps others find the show. Cheers. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠X⁠ Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? You can contact me at the links above. For sponsorship opportunities, you can email me on scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers
#1
April 2 · 21 min
Sir Ian Rankin interview - how Scottish punk rock inspired one of the UK's most successful writers
You can sign up here for the new Scotpop newsletter on ⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠ - featuring extended shownotes, behind the scenes info, Scottish music news stories and the hottest new bands. Shownotes In this debut episode I’m delighted to be joined by Sir Ian Rankin, one of Scotland’s most successful and best-loved writers. Ian’s Rebus novels have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and it was a great honour for me personally when he wrote a brilliant introduction to my own book, Stuart Adamson – In a Big Country, the critically acclaimed biography of the Skids and Big Country legend. Ian’s always been a huge fan of music and his knowledge on the subject – and Scottish music in particular – is well-known and encyclopaedic. So sit back, relax and listen – or watch – as two Fifers get overly emotional about the enduring legacy of Stuart Adamson, and Ian recalls the “thrill” of seeing the Skids play live in Fife, watching The Ramones, Pere Ubu, The Human League and more tear up stages in Edinburgh venues while he was a student at university in the capital and a brilliant tale involving the novelist, the late Scottish troubadour Jackie Leven and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. As will happen on every show, though, I start by asking my guest one very simple question: what was the first Scottish band you saw live and what impact did it have on you? You can watch or listen to part two of my interview with Ian in a few weeks, as he discusses the current state of music in Scotland and talks about his favourite Scotttish band, album and new act, another regular feature of Scotpop. For the latest news on the podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on: ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? You can contact me at the links above. For sponsorship opportunities, you can email me on scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers

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