Scotpop

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:⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠If you have any queries about sponsorship opportunities, you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com.

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:⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠Have any feedback, guest suggestions, general comments or queries about sponsorship opportunities? Great; you can email me at scotpoppodcast@gmail.com. Cheers.

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:InstagramLinkedInFacebookXHave 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

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:⁠Instagram⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠X⁠Have 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

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:⁠Instagram⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠X⁠Have 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. CheersPic credit this episode: Angus Whyte/Alastair McKay

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.ShownotesIn 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:⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠Have 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

If you've just discovered this podcast you're probably thinking "who, what, when, why now?"Well ... it's a show that celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish music with journalist, author and broadcaster Allan Glen who interviews the bands, songwriters, musicians, filmmakers, record label bosses and writers who create the best Scottish pop because Scottish pop is brilliant just now.Here's a quick introductory episode; Episode 1 featuring an interview with Sir Ian Rankin is out April 2. 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 and podcast and music updates, make sure to follow Scotpop on:⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠Have any feedback, guest suggestions or general comments? Great - I’d love to hear from you at the links above. Cheers.