2026 - Scottish music scene

Happy New Year.

Welcome to my first blog of the year. Read on to learn about;

• New bands/artists I'm excited about following through 2026 and beyond
• Emerging acts I continue to champion 
• Albums I am looking forward to
• Gigs I already have tickets for
• Gigs or festivals I am looking forward to

I hope that you might check some of the artists and shows out.

ENJOY!

5 new bands/artists

Fatale

The most exciting young band in Scotland? I think so. They are certainly my favourite. Fuzzy and scuzzy guitars, loads of songs (Moves You, Another Sunrise and Jesus Christ to name a few) that sounds like potential singles and choice covers of songs by legendary Scottish bands like Primal Scream (Velocity Girl), The Mary Chain (Taste of Cindy) and The Vaselines (Molly's Lips) as well as The Velvets Femme Fatale where they got their name from.

Fatale are a real gang who (literally) bounce off each other with natural ease and humour. Their taste and knowledge of music is exceptional and they have a thirst to discover all kinds of stuff - the influences of their influences. Like all good bands, Fatale have fantastic hair. As an added bonus, they regularly showcase a first class collection of retro band t-shirts and AC Milan (via drummer James) football tops.

Fatale are kicking off 2026 with a headline show at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut on Friday 9th January. Still in single figures for gigs, they then head out on the road with fellow faves of mine The Cords for dates in Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness in February. Teenage Kicks!

Yet to release a single, Fatale are focusing on building a following, while also hitting the studio to build up a string of singles and work towards an album.

Instagram  Soundcloud - demos

Introducing blog (June 2025)

Radhika

Citing The Pastels, Cocteau Twins and Strawberry Switchblade as inspiration, Radhika has played some choice gigs through 2025 and starts 2026 by playing London and Manchester shows with support from Gerry Love and Wor_kspace (Finlay MacDonald). Radhika's song Future Me on her Bandcamp is gorgeous dreamy indie pop, I hear a tinge of Belle & Sebastian (especially in the outro) in addition to her aforementioned influences. Starry Eyes (below) is swirling, swoony and sublime. 

Full INTRODUCING blog and interview coming soon.

Bandcamp  Instagram

Angelface

Described by my sister Carla as - the best new girl band in Scotland that you haven't heard of yet. Think The Sundays meets Big Thief with a massive dose of harmonies a la The Roches. 

The band themselves say - we're an all girl indie folk dream pop band.

Angelface play King Tuts on 29th January. 

Instagram

Supersun

3 siblings and their cousin, two twelve string guitars, a shared love of melodic guitar pop music, the introduction of their own regular night and the desire to become part of Glasgow's musical heritage and future. Supersun formed in the fall of 2025 and have only played one gig to date.

Their next is at Mono on 12th February with The Cords and a stripped back set by BMX Bandits. TICKETS 

Full INTRODUCING blog and interview coming soon.

Instagram

Other People's Leisure

Other People's Leisure have a studio/lock up with a bank of electronic equipment and lights. IT LOOKS AMAZING!  The duo released 3 singles within a couple of months at the end of 2025, mixing house beats, ambient and shoegaze textures with all kinds of synth goodness. Debut shows are booked at Leith Depot and The Hug & Pint in March.  Full INTRODUCING blog and interview coming soon.

Instagram

2 emerging bands/artists

Kerr Mercer

After a very busy 18-24 months on the road, supporting a vast array of artists, Kerr 'finally' released his debut single Alcohol at the end of 2024. I say 'finally', as his social media posts made it clear that he was chomping at the bit to get his songs out into the world. No wonder! 

Alcohol is a belter of a debut.Stripped back, leaving plenty of room for Mercer's rich and soulful voice, telling the teenage tale of going out drinking and falling for someone. Check the live video below - exceptional.

Kerr's voice is incredible and in addition to a busy time gigging, Kerr has also been writing constantly. Alcohol could open the floodgates. Still a teenager, Mercer is set to be around for decades.

Instagram

March 2025 BBC Scotland article

The Cords

Eva and Grace gigged hard through 2025 and released their eponymous debut album. With a 3-date tour with Fatale in February followed by an extensive tour supporting The Charlatans in spring, The Cords star is set to continue to rise. Infectious melodies, punky guitar, primal beats and honest lyrics that make observations and tell stories and feelings are winning fans everywhere.

Instagram

Introducing The Cords (Jan 2024)

3 albums I'm looking forward to

Gerard Love & The Magic Influence

2026 will surely be the year that Gerry releases the much anticipated solo album that he has been working on for a while. This has included time down in Liverpool with Bill Ryder-Jones. 

Given the members in his band, Gerry is likely to have to fit a release around Belle & Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub tours. My hunch is that if it happens, it will be a Spring or Winter release ... of this year! 

News of Gerry going into CHEM19 to mix leaves me extremely hopeful. But who knows?

Instagram

Carla J Easton

Solo album number 5 for my sister. 10-years since her Homemade Lemonade album and also Say It All With A Kiss by TeenCanteen. 20-years since she formed her first band - Futuristic Retro Champions.

Carla recorded at CHEM19 with Howard Bilerman on production duties. The two had previously worked together when Carla recorded her Impossible Stuff album in Canada at Howards hotel2tango studio. It's probably my favourite album of Carla's, I love the natural and live feel to it. 

What a shot of confidence to have Howard fly over! And to have so many friends answering calls to play on the album. I think it is Carla's best body of work to date. Her live show at the Old Hairdressers for Tiny Changes was brilliant - I loved seeing and hearing Carla play guitar with a huge beaming smile on her face.

Website   Instagram

Teenage Fanclub 

Touch wood. Teenage Fanclub will be recording an album in early 2026! Will it come out this year? Well, if it's mixed and mastered quickly, you just never know! Autumn gigs? You never know ;-)

Website

4 gigs I already have tickets for

Fatale at King Tuts - 09/01

Less than a year since playing their debut show, Fatale headline King Tuts. Expect new songs alongside early favourites.

Hen Hoose album launch at The Tramway - 30/01

Hen Hoose have really gone from strength to strength in the last couple of years. Tamara Schlesinger had a clear vision and along with her growing collective, she has paved a way for female and non-binary artists to gain peer support, confidence and community. 

12 of the community decamped to the Isle of Lewis in late summer of 2025 to write and record an album, suitably entitled The Twelve, due for release this month. I've been fortunate to hear the album and it's a super fresh mix of pop, reflection and joy.

Instagram

Geese at The Barrowland Ballroom - March and August

Photo by Tommy Krause

Instagram

Big Thief at The Barrowland Ballroom - May 

Photo by Michael Buishas

4 gigs/festivals I am looking forward to

• Summer Nights at Kelvingrove Bandstand

I already have tickets for Cast playing the Bandstand, but I always look forward to the Summer Nights announcement.

• Heather on the Hill Festival

Nathan Evans and the Saint PHNX Band are putting on a massive show in Edinburgh and it is all ages and family friendly. In addition to seeing friends Stevie and Alan headline with Nathan, my kids have their eyes on Ella Henderson.

• Teenage Fanclub tour

Teenage Fanclub are at a beautiful stage in their career where they are releasing and touring regularly, with a desire to play venues, towns and countries they have never played before. The band have played pretty much everywhere in Glasgow, but have yet to play Saint Luke's ... maybe a couple of nights there? Come to think of it, BAaD would also be brilliant for them!

• Tenement Trail

My friend Joe and I try to go to this every year. Can we last until the end in 2026?!

The area around the Barrowland becomes awash with exciting young bands and artists, full of fans mingling between venues, a real buzz. Madra Salach (below) were a highlight.

10 from Hot Chip

I first stumbled across Hot Chip at the Benicassim Festival in 2005. My girlfriend (now wife) and I camped out for a week in the sun, spending days on the beach in the cool breeze by the sea, then partying long into the night. Taking in the likes of Oasis, Mylo, Underworld, The Lemonheads, Nick Cave, Basement Jaxx, The Cure and LCD Soundsystem. I think LCD Soundsystem came on stage at 2am! Hot Chip might have been in a tent after that!

Despite the excess of Benicassim I managed to remember their name and track them down. They had released their debut album Coming On Strong on the excellent Moshi Moshi label in 2004 and I didn't have to wait long for their follow up, the exceptional The Warning.

Singles Over and Over, A Boy From School and Colours were incredible. I bought the singles on vinyl and played A Boy From School at a night my sister put on at Edinburgh School of Art and a number of people came up to ask who it was - always a good sign! 

I went to see them at King Tuts around this time and they blew me away. Visually captivating, Hot Chip are co-fronted by the diminutive Alexis Taylor in huge glasses and Joe Goddard. Both are incredibly playful with lyrics and melodies, Taylor with a high voice, Goddard with the low, both beautifully melancholic. Joined by Al Doyle, Felix Martin and Owen Clarke, the 5 bopped, danced and smiled behind synths, guitars and bass and looked like they were having the time of their lives on the King Tuts stage and this easily transferred to the audience.

Hot Chip continued to release an album every 2-years, all with excellent singles (and videos) to promote them; Made In The Dark (2008), One Life Stand (2010), In Our Heads (2012) and then a little longer in between to Why Make Sense (2015) and A Bath Full Of Ecstasy (2019), with solo albums and side projects in between, also notably Al and Felix playing and recording with great friends LCD Soundsystem.

I love how the band all have different personalities and styles that somehow just gel when they come together. And their genuine love of music pours out of everything they do. They have an incredible ability to mix melancholy with euphoria. 

Hot Chip are kind of the perfect size and set up for a band. Big enough to tour all over, cool enough & respected enough to be in with the likes of DFA and Optimo, solid enough to allow side projects and playing with other bands and known enough to pull good crowds at festivals.

Here are 10 of my favourite songs by Hot Chip.

Working my way back through Hot Chip's considerable back catalogue over the last month or so has been a real pleasure. They are fun, playful and unique. You can tell they love music and are great friends.

I'm conscious that there are 4 songs from The Warning, but the 3 singles + No Fit State are without question among my top 10 favourites. That was the album where I really discovered and fell for the band. I also have 3 songs from the One Life Stand album! Unintentional, but on reflection they are my favourite albums.

Bubbling under are Baby Said, How Do You Do and the outstanding Hungry Child - which is really unfortunate not to make my 10. Special mention for their cover version of Springsteen's Dancing In The Dark which morphs slightly into All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem. I try to avoid including covers in my 10 from ... series. I've blogged on this before and you can check that HERE.

1. A Boy From School

Exceptionally cool synths, beats, melodies and lyrics. I played the 7-inch of this at Edinburgh Art School when I DJ'd a night my sister put on while studying and people were blown away. Fresh and vital sounding. Effortlessly cool. The bit where Joe comes in gets me every time.

I got, I got lost

You said this was the way back

Listen here

Live at Glastonbury 2015

2. Alley Cats

Tucked away in the middle of 2010's One Life Stand album is this warm melodic gem of a song. Flowing effortlessly, sung with care, I fell for it on first listen and it's charms continue to warm my heart every single time I listen. Alexis and Joe's voices dovetail and sound particularly dreamy on this song.

Watch/listen here

Live at Glastonbury

3. You Ride, We Ride, In Our Ride

From  the bands 2004 debut album Coming On Strong, You Ride, We Ride, In My Ride is a stunning early example of hot Chip weaving vocal melodies with electronic layers and beats. After discovering the band and downloading this album I just thought there is nothing else like this out there. Certainly nothing I had heard. One of Hot Chip's many strengths - beautifully different, soulful, playful and with nods to influences but 100% their own band. Just after 2-minutes this song goes off on a tangent, beats, synths, melodies ... brilliant.

Listen here

4. Colours

Simply sublime and the only song I have heard to mention stickle bricks! Synths bubble and Alexis croons softly and beautifully. At 50-seconds the disjointed beats are cut and it's just Taylor and synths before the real beats kick in and the song takes off. As we approach 2.5 minutes Alexis sings beautifully as his band mates continue to sing  Colours and colours and colours of colours. There are some cool mixes to check out with the Fred Falke one being my favourite.

I only wanted for to see

There's nothing in this heart but me

Everything you want is not free

I'm everything a girl could need

There's nothing in this heart but me

If everything you want is free

Listen/watch here

5. Over and Over

Hot Chip at their best laid back, laid back, laid back we'll give you play back sings Alexis Taylor over beats and playful synths. The chorus kicks in at 1-minute 20, mixing dirty synth sounds with Taylor's pure vocals. The video highlights the bands playful and energetic nature as they play in a green room, complete with helpers in green suits ensuring the band do all the right things. Taylor in over-sized red shades and hoodie is hyperactive in all the right ways. The instrumental section is  glorious and then Goddard's vocals come in at just the right time.

I started thinking what you wanted him to do

I got to thinking that I knew just what to do

Official video

6. No Fit State

The penultimate track of The Warning, No Fit State teases and eases in with Joe Goddard on super cool laid back vocals. Alexis Taylor takes the bridge, repeated a few times to lead to the chorus/mantra which is joined by euphoric synths

I'm in no fit state, I'm in no fit shape

Then Alexis comes in over the top and it is utterly divine.

To fall in love with you

To make a record of my life

To lose any more than I need

To watch my fingers bleed

To bust my body up

To drink out of your cup

To act a fool inlove

Acting hard's been tough

Listen here

Glastonbury 2007 - going into Temptation by New Order

7. Brothers

From 2010's brilliantly titled One Life Stand album, Brothers is as soulful an electronic song as you might ever hear. Goddard takes lead for the first verse and chorus, joined by Taylor for the second verse, their voices beautifully entwined. I just find this song utterly beautiful, it cuts me deep. Taylor takes lead on the third verse as the beats kick in further, the synths are more playful. Joyful and soulful.

Brothers, I would give my life for my brothers

When we're driving and it's late with my brother, sat next to me

It's a wild love I have, it's a wild love that I have

It's a wild love I have, it's a wild love that I have

For my brothers, for my brother

Listen here

8. One Life Stand

Humour and romance, total Hot Chip! The play on words for the title and chorus is genius, the Chic style guitar, bass-y synths leading to the chorus with Joe Goddard singing the beautiful keep on feeling backing vocals as Alexis pleads I only wanna be your one life stand, tell me stand by your man?

Official video

Live in Sydney

9. Melody Of Love

Utter brilliance from Hot Chip. A single and the opening song on their 2019 album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy, Melody Of Love finds the band mixing melancholy reflection with just the right dash of euphoria, complete with a sample of a gospel sermon. It's like Hot Chip have grown up, like we all have!

When I was standing next to you, I overheard the saddest news

What was just there was out of view, running out of love

I always seem to hesitate, too little always comes to late

There is a sound that resonates, melody of love

Official video

Live - Q Studio

10. Ready For The Floor

Nominated for a Grammy, Ready For The Floor is insanely catchy from the off, the repetitive do it ... now, say it ... now opening is classic playful Hot Chip. The verses lead to a chorus where Goddard plays off Taylor who ends up singing  the refrain you're my number one guy. The song was allegedly written for Kylie, a rumour sadly scotched by Taylor who confirmed they would love to wrote for her, but this song wasn't created with her in mind.

I love the performance from Glastonbury in 2008 (below) which highlights Hot Chip's infectious charm and their offbeat nerdy cool that wins hearts all over.

Official video

Live at Glastonbury 2008

Live on Later with Jools

SAY Award 2020 - the shortlist

During this crazy year, where there have been no gigs since March, music fans have had way more time than usual to go back through their record collection and to add to it by discovering new music.

Tim Burgess has helped shine a light on the art of the album, with over 500 listening parties to date! And over the last few nights he has held parties for all of the shortlisted albums for the 2020 Scottish Album of the Year Award, with the winner set to be announced tonight (Thursday 29/10).

With everything going on in the world, I think the SAY Award 2020 is the most important year for the award yet. It really does give us all a night to reflect on our creative and talented nation and appreciate the music, the art, the nights out and the friendships that often come through a shared love of music.

It's worth taking a moment to think of the artists, bands and labels across Scotland who are still getting music out into the world during current restrictions. Those that are still creating - thank you.

And my thoughts go out to venues, staff, promoters, sound engineers and all the crews that help to put on incredible events throughout Scotland; from stadium shows and festivals, through to modern venues like the Hydro and all the incredible small venues across the land. Your work alongside bands and artists brings so much joy to so many people and I can't wait to get out to gigs again. Imagine the atmosphere at those first shows where we can go wild! 

I can't begin to imagine how difficult things are for you, take care.

So the SAY Award 2020!

Over 300 albums were nominated for the award and the 10 remaining have a chance to win an incredible £20,000! 

That kind of money can make a huge difference to bands and artists; established or new. And speaking of new, I should highlight that eight debut albums make up the shortlist this year! 

The 10 shortlisted albums in the running are;

Blanck Mass - Animated Violence Mild

Bossy Love - Me + U

Callum Easter - Here Or Nowhere

Cloth - Cloth

Comfort - Not Passing

Declan Welsh & The Decadent West - Cheaply Bought, Expensively Sold

Erland Cooper - Sule Skerry

The Ninth Wave - Infancy

NOVA - RE-UP

SHHE - SHHE

Personally, I've really fallen for the Erland Cooper album and bought it on vinyl at the weekend. It's a truly beautiful and emotive album. And I'm also very fond of the Callum Easter album and wish I had followed up on recommendations from people to check it out much earlier than I did. It's got a real charm and warm feel to it and I love the variety throughout.

The eponymous debut album by Cloth has won many fans and their #timstwitterlisteningparty last night was very enjoyable and insightful. I think it might be the favourite to win.

I've enjoyed attending a number of SAY Award ceremonies over the years. This time people from all over the world can attend! Simply subscribe to The SAY Award YouTube channel.

The ceremony will begin at 7pm tomorrow night - Thursday 29th October.

Previous winner include; Auntie Flo w/ Radio Highlife, Young Fathers w/ Cocoa Sugar, Sacred Paws w/ Strike A Match, Anna Meredith w/ Varmints, Kathryn Joseph w/ Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I've Spilled, Young Fathers w/ Tape Two, RM Hubbert w/ Thirteen Lost & Found and the inaugural winner back in 2012 was Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat w/ Everything's Getting Older.

Read on for a little bit about the shortlisted albums for 2020.

Good luck to all and well done for making the shortlist.

ABOUT THE SHORTLIST Blanck Mass - ‘Animated Violence Mild’ Animated Violence Mild was written throughout 2018/2019 at Blanck Mass’ studio outside of Edinburgh. These eight tracks are the diary of a year of work steeped in honing craft, self-discovery, and grief - the latter of which reared its head at the final hurdle of producing this record and created a whole separate narrative: grief, both for what I have lost personally, but also in a global sense, for what we as a species have lost and handed over to our blood-sucking counterpart, consumerism, only to be ravaged by it. Bossy Love - ‘Me + U’ Glasgow-based, enigmatic, alt-pop duo Bossy Love - comprising Scottish producer, songwriter and drummer John Baillie Jnr (Dananananakroyd / BABE), and Indonesian/Australian vocalist and songwriter Amandah Wilkinson (Operator Please), released their highly-anticipated, debut, 12-track album, ME + U in November, amidst a storm of critical acclaim. Further developing their style for emotionally candid and confessional, yet anthemic, IDGAF lyrics, atop propulsive, rich, pop production, ME + U was selected by The Guardian in their list of Best Albums 2019, before highlighting Bossy Love a second time; in their list of Amazing Musicians To Watch Out For In 2020: “Me + U is the stuff fantasies are made of… best Scottish pop act since Chvrches.” Callum Easter - ‘Here or Nowhere’ Callum Easter’s dark poetic vision find its most compelling form yet on Here Or Nowhere – a sparse, stark, deeply personal and by turns hopeful, menacing and despairing clutch of intuitively retro-futuristic songs united, as he explains, by “a feeling that the world is fucked up and a belief that people can fix it together.” It’s entirely written, performed, recorded and even mastered by the artist himself between his flat and his studio, save for backing vocals from Sisters Jacqui and Pauline Cuff (Soho/Leith Congregational Choir), as captured by Tim London. Cloth - ‘Cloth’ Recorded at Scottish indie mainstay Chem 19 with engineer Derek O’Neill (King Creosote, The Phantom Band), Cloth is the self-titled debut album by the acclaimed Glasgow-based three-piece. At once hauntingly sparse and sonically grandiose, Cloth weaves a gentle spell over its 10 carefully crafted tracks. Minimal, chiming guitars, punctuated by deep electronic grooves, set a lush backdrop for Rachael Swinton’s soaring voice, as she recounts tales of lost friendships (‘Curiosity Door’) and melancholic reverie (‘Brooklyn’). The album artwork for Cloth was designed by Glasgow-based artist Jamie Johnson. Comfort - ‘Not Passing’ NOT PASSING All standards are falsehoods I am no less a woman than a cis-gendered runway model Prejudices are not opinions There is no debate Let them think i look like a man Let them think I am mentally deluded I am cultivating in the cracks of their disgust I have nothing to live for but myself My womanhood needs no permission This record is for the people who don't make it Who don't feel safe enough to live it Who will be Who are We deserve our beauty And the world will catch up to us Declan Welsh & The Decadent West - ‘Cheaply Bought, Expensively Sold’ Recorded at 7west and produced by Glasgow staple Chris Marshall, the album affirms the message that politics are always personal. They’re tethered to our every day and whether it’s through music, social media or conversations with friends, this need for collective comfort and camaraderie is more important than ever. As opener and single ‘No Fun’ cheekily asks in a London accent, who even listens to guitar music anymore? For Welsh and The Decadent West, it’s a need to create messages of solidarity to those that feel lost and unheard, providing an insatiable, refreshing contrast to the squawking suppressors. Erland Cooper - ‘Sule Skerry’ ‘Sule Skerry’ is the second album in a triptych by the contemporary composer and multi-instrumentalist Erland Cooper. Described by MOJO as “Sonic postcards from Cooper’s native Orkney”, the series examines the air, sea and land, as celebrated by Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown. Sule Skerry is bookmarked by Cooper’s solo debut, Solan Goose (an album of the year at 6Music, The Quietus, Music OMH and more) and by 2020’s Hether Blether. On Sule Skerry Erland Cooper takes inspiration from the sea, describing the album as “a nautical map, something to refer back to when you get lost at sea”. The Ninth Wave - ‘Infancy’ From explorations of self-torment and paranoia (“This Broken Design”) to not being accepted by society (“Flower Into Wounds”) and the overwhelming fatigue of living in a superficial culture(“Half Pure”), “Infancy” is, at its core, a mirror of the darkest facets of living in modern society. The Ninth Wave’s uncompromising message is delivered in a gargantuan, electrifying sonic style that can’t fully be likened to anyone who’s come before them. NOVA - ‘RE-UP’  «Re-Up» exists to replenish the underground and remind them what Nova is really about. DIY written all over the album’s DNA, Nova offers her unfiltered truth on crime, clubs, afters and getting money and self-growth. Bassy trap sits side by side with lo-fi hip hop and heavy grime features beats by $1000 Wallet, Inkke and Kami-O, AJM, T.Morgan & Evil M, all local producers based in Scotland, complemented with imagery of drunken street fights, a twisted game of Monopoly and sniper staring down the viewfinder. SHHE - ‘SHHE’ SHHE’s self-titled debut album is a sparse, evocative and atmospheric journey of introspection and exploration of identity that demonstrates her ability to capture movement, change and the light and darkness that haunt the human condition. It was impacted by her time in Iceland, where she began work on a project that explores the connection between sound, landscape and sleep. The album is an encapsulation of Shaw’s breath-taking gift for wrapping carefully constructed electronic soundscapes around delicate yet self-assured vocals and lilting melodies. SHHE has found herself on the precipice of unlimited creativity and she’s ready to dive in head first.

10 from The Charlatans

The Charlatans are one of my all-time favourite bands. I've been following them since the age of 15 back in 1991 when songs like White Shirt, Then and The Only One I Know would regularly get included on school common room mixtapes.

The band were prolific; releasing debut LP Some Friendly in 1990 and Between 10th and 11th in 1992. During this period there were also non-album singles like debut Indian Rope while in 1991 they released both Over Rising and Me. In Time.

Since then the band have matched quality with quantity, releasing 13 albums and 22 top 40 singles, many with fantastic b-sides like Title Fight, Your Skies Are Mine and Happen To Die.

Lets not forget some of the brilliant remixes from the likes of The Chemical Brothers/Dust Brothers, Brian Jonestown Massacre and the superbly named Luvdup and Van Basten take on Feel Flows.

The BJM remix of So Oh is like a lysergic lullaby, absolutely gorgeous. Check it out below.

I have easily seen the band more than 30-times. The Barrowland is like a home from home for them. Their shows through the 1990's in the legendary ballroom were like Cup Finals, Tim Burgess was the midfield playmaker, patrolling the stage in complete command, looking super cool and conducting his band and the crowd. I still remember people crowd surfing to tunes the warm up DJ played before one particular show, such was the atmosphere and sense of occasion.

At a scorching hot T in the Park in 1995 they whipped up a dust storm from the dry ground as they blasted the Main Stage. I caught them a number of times at the festival through to 2004/5 and the Up At The Lake album when Tim then joined The Chemical Brothers at the Slam Tent the next day, still wearing the same clothes after partying hard.

I was down at Knebworth to see Oasis in 1996 and The Charlatans played an absolute stormer of a support slot, emotions and adrenaline were running high as the band played only weeks after losing Rob Collins in a tragic car crash. I was so proud of the band that day.

Tim arriving at Knebworth

The raw emotionally charged performance was exceptional

Their appearance on The White Room from this time is my favourite Charlatans TV performance. Look at Jon Brookes on the drums during Crashin' In and Tim looking on in complete admiration at Jon and the rest of his band as they really go for it. Outstanding!

I fell big time for the band, queueing to get records signed at Tower Records in 1994, tracking down vinyl, buying all their released and going to see them whenever they played in Glasgow. 4 albums from 1990-1995! So many great singles and b-sides.

Burgess was (and is) my favourite front man. His infectious cheeky smile, glint in his eye, up for a good time vibe, his t-shirts, his jackets, super cool hair and on stage groove made me and others gaze up at stages across the world wanting to be him for a night. His belief and energy lift his band and audience.

Backed by Mark Collin on guitar (who I think is personally very under-rated as a guitarist), Martin Blunt on funky bass, the sensational Jon Brookes on drums and the wizards Rob Collins and then Tony Rogers on hammond and keys, The Charlatans could lock into grooves and take their fans on a trip.

They have rarely paused for breath. And if the band have, Burgess has busied himself with solo albums, books, running a record label and his #TimsTwitterListeningParty that is bringing music fans together during these unprecedented times when we can't go to gigs.

Looking back over their discography, the run of albums and singles from 1994-97 in particular was sensational, they all kind of blurred and merged together. 3 albums and 10 singles! Up To Our Hips, The Charlatans and Tellin' Stories; rammed with singles and other gems.

I was 18-21 during this period and it was never long between a Charlatans release or a gig. I always had something to look forward to with the band, they were with me, I was with them.

And that is true to this day with the band and through Tim ... there is always something going on with them ... a book, a street takeover, listening parties, solo albums, shows ....

In the summer of 1997 I played Tellin' Stories constantly. I'd have it on my personal CD player for the train to work and then walk through Glasgow city centre fantasising that I was Tim walking about like he did in the video for North Country Boy, a song I played non-stop. I'd arrive in work and urge people to buy the album. How good is the new Charlatans album? became a catchphrase.

Us And Us Only (1999) is one of my favourite Charlatans albums, I really love the playing, the feel and the space on this particular album. Sunshine vibes and Tim's falsetto on Wonderland (2001) mixed things up again, Right On from that album is a real favourite of mine.

Up At The Lake (2004) was pretty loose, Try Again Today is a beauty of a song while my wife quoted Loving You Is Easy in our wedding vows. I have fond memories of watching the band at T in the Park around this time and my brother turning to me and my sister as the band launched into As I Watch You In Disbelief and shouting I f**king love this song! So I always think of him when I hear it.

The Simpatico album in 2006 is my least visited album from the band, although it does contain the outstanding Blackened Blue Eyes.

You Cross My Path in 2008 was (for me) a resounding return to form. A sober and straight Burgess seemed re-energised as the band initially released the album as a free download via XFM before bringing it out in physical format a few months afterwards. The stomping Oh! Vanity through to the glorious BIRD fading into This Is The End is the sound of The Charlatans on fire.

The swift follow up of Who We Touch (2010) highlighted that the band were in a rich vein of form, armed with lots of ideas and materials. Revisiting the album for this blog caused me to remember what an excellent song Trust In Desire is.

Modern Nature (2015) was released following the death of Jon Brookes after he bravely fought a brain tumour. It was a triumph of an album with strong singles and excellent album tracks like Emilie which is a real gem. Again the band were rich with material and the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition are excellent, for me We Sleep On Borrowed Time and Walk With Me should have been on the album

Different Days (2017) came out with the band bursting with ideas. They had a very different day to promote it, taking over Manchester's Oldham Street for a day and continuing to do things differently by holding their own small festival in Northwich. Plastic Machinery is classic Charlatans, the title track is beautiful, as is Hey Sunrise and the closing Spinning Out. There is a calmness to them, mellow reflection.

What a journey! What a band! What an exceptional back catalogue! How on earth do I only choose 10 favourites when I have so many?

Well I've mentioned quite a few in this blog already and I'd also like to add in Happen To Die (long version), Get On It, Tellin' Stories, Weirdo, Can't Even Be Bothered, Feel Flows ... in fact there is too many ...

Here are 10 of my favourite Charlatans songs.

Come Home Baby
I was so happy when The Charlatans backed up the excellent So Oh single with this. What a tune! The way the song lifts to lead into the chorus always brings a smile to my face. This became a bit of a tune for me and my eldest daughter Zoe who was 3 when it was released and her sister was just a baby. I have so many happy memories of playing this song in our house and car and me and Zoe singing along.

I can't wait, don't hesitate

Let's be together

Crashin' In
I've already mentioned this song and please watch the White Room performance video from earlier in the blog. The energy leaps out immediately from Mark Collins guitar, there is an urgency to Tim's voice and the rest of the band drive things along. The band are on fire. I love the change in pace after 90-seconds with Tim just shouting oh yeah, and the band just get lost in a jam. They do it again later in the song and I love the looseness and the energetic vibe to the song.

See me, I can feel it coming around

Complete Control
I remember Tim posting a demo of this song on the old Charlatans forum. I fell for it instantly and a full version appeared as a b-side to Oh! Vanity. Complete Control is kind of like Tim fronting his beloved New Order. There is a very strong melody as Tim talks of being tired of used, tired of being told what to do, by idiots like you

Could perfectly tie in with The Charlatans taking complete control through the self release of their You Cross My Path album. I love this song, sounds like it came together really easily.

The Blind Stagger
The Charlatans played the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow on 22nd October 1999, the night before my brothers 21st birthday. We spent the night in McChuills bar and then at the show before getting back to our local pub just in time for midnight to celebrate.

Coming on stage the band played the long intro of Forever, with Tim coming on after a few minutes to rapturous applause and they delivered one of my all-time favourite Charlatans shows. I really love the Us and Us Only album. Tim's love of Dylan comes through and we see a different side to the band.

The Blind Stagger is such a beautiful song. Guitars are to the fore, Burgess is in full flow. There is a brilliant instrumental, things break down before lifting euphorically

Oh let the light shine

Could you for once be strong

I bleed a little too

Sproston Green
The closing song from debut album Some Friendly and the traditional set closer, Sproston Green is a monster of a song. The band often stretch it out to 10-minutes when they play live, jamming a slow groove into the song, teasing the crowd, building up, creating tension before finally exploding into life.

This one knows, she comes and goes

And when she goes, she goes

This live version from 1995 at the London Astoria perfectly captures the heady atmosphere of Charlatans shows from this time (I describe them as cup finals earlier in the blog). Audiences were up for it, this was a night out to dance and sing.

Burgess is on one here, looking and sounding super cool and his band whip up a storm.

The Only One I Know
A monster of a tune that I have seen many a gig and dancefloor explode to. The bass, drums, wah wah guitar and stabbing hammond chords immediately create a funky and welcoming vibe and then Burgess comes in talking about the only one I see, has found an aching in me

The chorus is pretty remarkable for such a young band to write;

Everyone has been burned before

Everybody knows the pain

The breakdown instrumental at 2-minutes 46 seconds is glorious. This is 4-minutes of The Charlatans at their best, locked in a groove, reaching euphoric heights and taking the listener with them.

North Country Boy
This song totally reminds me of walking to work in the 90's in glorious sunshine. This is perfect pop,

What are you sad about?

Every day you make the sun come out

 North Country Boy lifts me and puts a smile on my face every single time I hear it. There is a groove, a swagger, sunshine and warmth seem to burst out of it.

I can't remember

I don't know how to tell you

But I love you just the same

Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over
I love the looseness to this song, it's got a Stones Exile On Main Street kind of vibe to it, a groove. Burgess is in full flow and the you look good when your heart is on fire lyric is one of my favourites.

Check the band ripping through it at an early sun soaked T in the Park that I fondly remember. The ground was so dry and people were dancing so much during the bands set that a dust storm was whipped up.

Oh Vanity!
 A stomping Motown/Northern Soul beat drives this song from start to finish. The chorus is a keyboard solo that you can't help sing-a-long with and it is an absolute belter of a song.

It came out while I was traveling around the world and I played it relentlessly whenever I was in internet cafes checking out the band on MySpace!

So I have many happy memories of traveling around South America and checking into The Charlatans forum that I visited regularly for news and chat with other Charlatans devotees.

I love this Later With Jools performance. Martin Blunt is grooving on the bass and Jon Brookes is flying at his drum kit. Also check this T in the Park performance to a packed tent.

Oh promise me, oh promise me

You'll save me one last dance for me

One To Another
My favourite Charlatans song. No question. The power of this song still astonishes me all these years down the line. The first single following the death of Rob Collins, this was a big statement.

In fact The Charlatans put out a short statement. It ended with something along the lines of We Are Rock. It meant something, The Charlatans mean something, this song means something.

The intro, with a loop from Tom Rowlands from Chemical Brothers, exploded into life with a heavy riff from piano, guitar, drums and bass leading to Tim coming in;

One to another

A sister and a brother

Changing the way that you feel

And one of my all-time favourite lyrics is be my spider woman, I'll be your spider man so much that a poster with those words is at the top of our stairs.

Justice for believers and love can keep the faith

There is a brief pause for breath before the band go at it harder than ever, the riff is ferocious and Burgess is in full flight - love is hard to leave and it's hard to never have and on and on they go.

This song never fails to lift and inspire me.

10 from The Vaselines

I always enjoy lists of bands, songs and albums. So welcome to a new feature where I'll choose a favourite band or artist of mine and then list and discuss 10 of my favourite songs from their career. 

First up - The Vaselines

I remember going into Missing Records on Oswald Street in Glasgow to buy The Way Of The Vaselines, a compilation of all previous releases by the band. It came out in 1992 when interest in the band was reignited thanks to Nirvana, one of the biggest bands in the world, covering Son Of A Gun and Molly's Lips on their Incesticide album. I was a mere 16-years old and the cool girl that served me seemed pretty impressed that I even knew who The Vaselines were, never mind that I was asking after their album. If Kurt Cobain and this cool girl in Missing were into the band then they must be good! The Vaselines had a new fan.

The Vaselines had already broken up by the time I got into them. Eugene went on to form and lead Captain America/Eugenius and release a brilliant solo album, Man Alive (definitely need to do a blog on that at some point) before getting The Vaselines back together with Frances in 2006. Since then they have released two new albums and played shows all around the world.

A number of years after buying the album I went looking for it in my then alphabetised CD collection and it was missing! I hated my brother or sister taking stuff without my permission but I was pretty impressed to find that the CD was in my sisters room along with some other great albums she had 'borrowed'.

Somewhere along the line, a few years later, my sister Carla emailed Eugene out of the blue to ask if would contribute to a dissertation she was doing at Art School on pop music and pop art. She was amazed that he replied and since then they have become really good friends, playing numerous shows together and recently Carla JOINED THE VASELINES as their keyboard/synth player.

AMAZING!

The Vaselines are such a fun band. There early material is pure punk pop. Some songs sound like they were almost made up on the spot and that has helped their songs sound fresh decades later. Their post reformation songs and albums definitely keep the fun and innuendo at the heart of everything, but there is a more mature sound to songs like the gorgeous Single Spies. Live, the bands warm guitars and onstage banter between Eugene and Frances can't help but bring a smile to my face.

So The Vaselines are one of my favourite bands and here are 10 of my favourite songs that they have released to date;

Teenage Superstars
All 4 songs from The Vaselines 1988 Dying For It EP released on Stephen Pastels 53rd and 3rd Records feature on this blog. They are raw, pure and in many cases, including this one, they are electrifying. The beat is primal, Eugene lets rip on his guitar and sings lyrics mixing sex, religion and youth rebellion leading to an incredible closing 80 seconds of  Frances and Eugene yelling I'm a teenage Jesus superstar with the energy leaping out and grabbing you. This is brilliant punk pop that sounds raw and dangerous.

Molly's Lips
The great thing about early Vaselines material is that they really sound like they were in their own world not giving one f**k about anything else going on in the world. Molly's Lips is well under 2-minutes yet there is time to pack in 3 verses, 3 or 4 choruses, a horn and a great break to a guitar solo.

High Tide Low Tide
The lead single from 2014's V for Vaselines album. This is so catchy. I love Eugene singing about playing hard to get, there are bah bah bah bah bah's, warm noisy guitars, a video with Eugene and Francis in leathers, on scooters, hoola hopping and playing crazy golf. Pretty much everything I love about the band in song and on film!

Single Spies
With Single Spies The Vaselines capture something quite beautifully in a way I don't think they ever have before. Absolutely sublime. Almost mature - in a Vaselines way of course! Eugene and Frances voices combine and entwine so naturally.

Stop denying

That it meant nothing

You're lying

Sex With An X
The Vaselines 2010 comeback single and album. Frances dressed as a nun and Eugene as a vicar in the video! This is a delicious romp of a song with The Vaselines innuendo and sense of pop pushed to the fore. It's like it is just one big long chorus with a glorious guitar solo and handclaps. Brilliant. Their comeback show at the ABC in Glasgow around this time was a joy.

I Hate The 80's
From the aforementioned 2010 comeback album, Eugene and Francis display their knack for catchy punk pop by filling it full of brilliant observations with pure cheek. You put a bullet in a Beatle, started beating on the people is an incredible lyric! The where did that girl go, what did that boy know hook is infectious, as is the it wasn't all Duran Duran Duran Duran line.

Check this great live version - live on KEXP.

Dying For It
I kind of like to think of Dying For It as a garage nuggets pop punk tribute to Motown....by way of Glasgow. I'm not sure if anyone else thinks of it like that but the way Eugene and Francis sing the hook I'm hanging out, baby I'm hanging out really does make me think of the kind of hooks Motown would produce. A glorious racket with pop melodies. The sound of a band having fun.

The Day I Was A Horse
Possibly my favourite live Vaselines song. They fizz through it and the kiss off line on the chorus I think I'm on a f**king trip is sheer brilliance. This is 90-seconds of catchy punk pop brilliance that sounds fresh, energetic, fun and vital.

Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
For me this is one of the most beautiful songs ever by a Scottish band. The handful of chords, stunning vocal, the imagery in the lyrics, the cello and the whole feel to the song - just perfect. Listening back to some of the early Vaselines material, they really captured something on the recordings - there is a rawness and purity to them, beautiful.

Son Of A Gun
Eugene and Frances at their very, very best. The way this song flows is perfect, so perfect that I think I could listen to the chorus on repeat all day long. The whole song is super catchy, the verse is like a nursery rhyme, but that chorus ... with Frances singing;

The sun shines in the bedroom when we play

And the raining always starts when you go away