Roaming Roots Revue present Born To Run - Springsteen at 70

Bruce Springsteen, AKA The Boss, turned 70 in September 2019. This landmark birthday inspired Roddy Hart to arrange this years Roaming Roots Revue in Springsteen's honour.

The annual bash, a real highlight in the Celtic Connections calendar, celebrated its 8th birthday by selling out their usual haunt at the Royal Concert Hall

For the first time in the events history, a second night was added, in the stunning Old Fruitmarket in the Merchant City area of Glasgow.

Reports from night one were euphorically emphatic and I was thoroughly looking forward to celebrating my birthday with family and friends to the sounds of Springsteen.

What a show!

The setting, song choices, artists, band and performances were just perfect. And we squeezed in right down the front at the side to have a brilliant up close view of performances.

Roddy Hart and The Lonesome Fire were on fire. I think the all standing venue made a difference and perhaps they were looser after playing the night before.

The guests who joined them on stage were exceptional; The Rails, Ryan Bingham, Phil Campbell, Lisa Hannigan, Karine Polwart, Jonathan Wilson and Craig Finn. They all brought something a little different, all teased something out of Springsteen's catalogue that made you appreciate his work as a songwriter and performer a little more and every artist showed their appreciation for the songs and artist that will make me go back and revisit songs and albums over the weeks to come.

Roddy Hart used the first half of the show to introduce his guest singers, with each performing a song or two. Phil Campbell chose to play a song called Western Star from Springsteen's latest album - it was stunning and will ensure I check the album out later in the week.

Roddy Hart and Phil Campbell

After the interval the show didn't let up. The tech team ensured swift changeovers and the show flowed like ... well like a Bruce show should!

The evening was one long beautiful feel good highlight. Although I guess I should note that the 4 songs I played first thing this morning were I'm On Fire, Brilliant Disguise, Hungry Heart and The Rising.

Lisa Hannigan's take on I'm On Fire was jaw droppingly beautiful. You could have heard a pin drop in the Old Fruitmarket. What a voice! 

Roddy Hart and Lisa Hannigan

Phil Campbell has an incredible voice and an infectious energy to his performances. He blew me away at the Abbey Road Roaming Roots Revue in 2019 and he did so again last night. I look forward to checking out his new band The Byson Family. His raw, rasping, soulful vocals were perfect for Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Campbell threw himself into the performance.

Karine Polwart led a charing version of The Rising that really got the place going. I found it really interesting to hear her singing in this way, I guess with more ferocity in the music behind her, it really suited her.

I loved the interaction between James Walbourne and Kami Thompson, AKA The Rails. Walbourne tore into his guitar and their harmonising was glorious. 

Craig Finn from The Hold Steady is a huge Springsteen fan and his love shone through, he looked super happy to be on stage and taken aback by the audience response. 

Look at the setlist below - stunning. Roddy and his band worked the set (see below for full setlist) order brilliantly, building to huge anthems Born To Run, Dancing In The Dark and Badlands. By this point everyone was on stage, playing guitar, singing lead or backing vocals, or just enjoying themselves.

It was fitting that Roddy Hart, the curator of these fantastic annual events, took to the stage with two of his band on piano to deliver a spine tingling encore of Thunder Road. Hart's voice was magnificent, strong and soulful, possibly the best I have heard him.

Last night left me buzzing all day. A truly fitting tribute to Springsteen.

I do hope that the demand for tickets in 2021 will ensure Roddy's Roaming Roots Revue keeps a second night at the Old Fruitmarket. I have to confess that earlier on today I was thinking of ideas what they could do. I thought of Carole King, she'll be 80 in 2022 so that is one to pipeline as a potential for then.

My friend Ian went both nights and nabbed a setlist from night 1. Ian noted that the set list had 3 changes on the second night (which, incidentally he said was best): Ryan Bingham and Lisa Hannigan did different tracks, and Land of Hope and Dreams was dropped. But what a show

Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 at Celtic Connections

 Photo by Bazza Mills

The pubs surrounding the Old Fruitmarket in the Merchant City area of Glasgow were sprinkled with yellow from around 5.30pm on Friday 17th January. There was also the odd disco ball style cap and plenty of people looking like they were dressed for a weekend at a festival rather than a Friday night out in Glasgow.

I wonder how many people have fallen for Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 (CMD5) as a result of seeing them at a festival over the last 5-years or so? Difficult to predict, but in that time the band have grown into a staple of the festive scene in Scotland and beyond.

If you have seen them, then it is easy to describe why. And that is why over 1,300 people descended on the Old Fruitmarket dressed in yellow, with painted faces, flowers in their hair, disco ball hats and looking ready for the weekend.

They came to laugh, to sing, dance, smile and forget about their worries for a few hours. And they did just that.

CMD5 are always quick to promote bands and artists they enjoy - see my previous interview with David Blair for substantial evidence. On this occasion they chose to promote my sister Carla J Easton by asking her to support.

Carla and her band played brilliantly. Wearing yellow to get into the spirit of the night, Carla played songs from her Homemade Lemonade (released under the guise of Ette) and Impossible Stuff albums, along with new material. Get Lost from the new songs is possibly my favourite song she has ever recorded. And she brought her pal Stina from Honeyblood on for guest vocals on new song Weirdo. It was a polished and confident set and I look forward to seeing what 2020 brings.

Photo by Stuart Westwood

On to the main act. I never did get round to counting how many people were on stage with CMD5. I was quite simply too busy enjoying myself.

Opening with International Sex Hero and going straight into festival favourite Dance Off, the Colonel and his merry band of yellow heroes had the place bouncing from the off. They barely let up, they seemed to just keep the beat and the groove going from start to finish.

Photo by Stuart Westwood

The band have so much positive energy it is unbelievable. New songs worked well; Disco Colin and the current single G.T. mixed well with the old classics.

Cross The Road is a FESTIVAL CLASSIC and even though it was packed we did manage to cross the road.  Dance Like Nobody's Watching might be the next festival classic, while Gay Icon took the roof off the place. At some point in all of this David Blair crowdsurfed - at least twice.

Photo by Iain Cochrane

Anthems like Peace, Love and Mustard demand crowd participation, smiles, laughter, high fives .... and all round good feeling. These Are Not The Drugs You Are Looking For is one of my favourite songs from the last 5-years, like the Beta Band produced by Andrew Weatherall, it is so clever, so funny, so socially conscious, so bonkers brilliant. 

There was time for one more, the surging pop of Ginger Girl had everyone with their hands in the air singing the chorus. The band quickly played a little bit of How Many Many's and Capturado and sent everyone off into the night with smiles. What a night!

Those with energy stayed to dance to DJ Amy Lame from 6Music.

Roll on the summer. And to Celtic Connections bookers - can you book them now to brighten next January please?! This is a special, special band who can transport you into a good place and make you forget your worries and the state of the world for a couple of hours.

Photo by Iain Cochrane

Never Ending Mixtape part 44

Well over 40 songs are added to my Never Ending Mixtape playlist on Spotify. There is loads of soul, indie guitar gems, classic songwriting from Bob Dylan and Elton John, The Stones go psychedelic, there is Tom Petty, a beautiful acoustic song from Noel Gallagher, classic indie bands like Sebadoh, Galaxie 500 and early R.E.M. and so, so much more. Ending with the truly stunning Holy Man instrumental by Dennis Wilson - pictured above.

Search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify, or use the web below, and then decide if you want to scroll down to the latest additions, or play from the start or just click on shuffle.

I hope you discover something you haven't heard before that you love, or rediscover an old favourite.

There are over 1,300 songs on the playlist, 86 hours and 47 minutes at the time of writing. New songs are added regularly and I do a round up blog with a list of them every month.

A full list of the latest additions are below.

The Bottle - Gil Scott-Heron
Love Is Gonna Lift You Up - Bobby Womack
Nowhere To Run - Earl Van Dyke
Love's Gone Bad - Chris Clark
You've Got Your Mind On Other Things - Beverly Ann
That's Not Love - Holly St James
Just Walk In My Shoes - Gladys Knight and the Pips
The Video Dept - The Radio Dept
I Am Not Willing - Moby Grape
I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations
Didn't You Know (You'd Have To Cry Sometimes) - Gladys Knight and the Pips

Feel The Pain - Dinosaur Jr
Coast to Coast - Twerps
40 Miles - Congress
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right - Bob Dylan
She Belongs To Me - Bob Dylan
Buzzsaw - The Turtles
River Man - Andy Bey
Point That Thing - The Clean
Anything Could Happen - The Clean
25 - The Courtneys
See You In L.A. - Mascara featuring Luther Vandross
Plateau - Meat Puppets
One More Chance - Shirley Lawson
She's A Rainbow - The Rolling Stones
Ong Ong - Blur
Ascension to Virginity - Dave Grusin and The Byrds
Turnin' My Heartbeat Up - The M.V.P.'s
A Day In The Life - Gabor Szabo
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
Dead In The Water - Noel Gallagher
Fall On Me - R.E.M.
If She Knew What She Wants - The Bangles
I Gotta Praise - Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott
Looking Forward To Seeing You - Golden Smog
Beauty Of The Ride - Sebadoh
Fourth of July - Galaxie 500
Sparky's Dream - Teenage Fanclub
(Do You Wanna) Come Walk With Me? - Isobel Campbell
It's Hard To Kill A Bad Thing - Isobel Campbell
Runnin' Down A Dream - Tom Petty
Leaning To Fly - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
These Are Not The Drugs You Are Looking For - Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5
Sparks - The Who
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - Neil Young

Tiny Dancer - Elton John
Looking At You - MC5
Holy Man (instrumental) - Dennis Wilson

Interview - David Blair

David Blair, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Summer 2019

Picture by Robert Adam

In these testing times we live in there is a band that always brings a smile to my face. A band that gets me singing, dancing and putting my hands in the air. Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 have become a firm favourite in Scotland and beyond over the last decade, with legendary festival performances playing a huge role. I decided to catch up with the bundle of energy that is David John Blair, D(ij)ancer and force of nature for the band.

The beautiful picture above, of David and his band uniting a festival, perfectly captures the energy and enthusiasm Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 generate when they play live with anthems like; Dance Off,  Cross The Road, Peace Love and Mustard and the anti-drugs song These Are Not The Drugs Your Are Looking For. That song ends with the mantra everyone is happy, everyone is smiling, no-one here is sad anymore. 

I look forward to seeing Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 getting the party started, celebrating the release of their new single G.T.,  in the beautiful surroundings of The Old Fruit Market in Glasgow on Friday 17th January. TICKETS HERE

Honestly, if you have the January blues, or if you just fancy a good night out, you won't regret it. Added bonus that my sister Carla is supporting and has some cracking new pop songs to play.

The band have just released their new single G.T. which is zooming up the alternative music charts.

I caught up with David for an extensive interview - should have done a podcast! Read on for loads of music recommendations and tonnes of positive energy.

EF - How are things with you and the band? What can we expect from your Celtic Connections show?

On a personal note, never better thanks! I started my actual Dream Job as Market and Ballroom Assistant for the Glasgow institution Margaret McIver Ltd, more famously known as The Barras Market (100 years old in 2021) and the Barrowland Ballroom AKA the Greatest Venue for Live Music in the World, on the 23rd of last month.

I've been going through an induction period of getting to know the role, buildings and area and the place is steeped in so much history it;s unreal. A truly humbling education and experience. It's genuinely my spiritual musical home and having played it five times, been to about 200+ gigs there and the band being inducted into the Hall of Fame in December 2018 makes it all the more special to now call it my place of 'work'.

Shout and MASSIVE thank you to the manager Tom Joyes for having the faith in me to offer me the job and for being such an amazing music mentor to me over the years. Tom's passion and knowledge for the business, area and music industry is unrivalled by many. What a man to learn from! As as are all The Barras Family working in there. We're really close knit, like a family. The banter is tremendous and it's great to have a laugh as much as possible in life. It's good for the soul.

CMD5 have a mass Dance Off in their favourite venue

There's a buzz around the East End Quarter at the moment and it's an honour to be spending so much time in an area so fertile with creativity. 2020 is going to be a BIG year for the East End!

As for the band, there are, as always, lots of things happening and coming together. We're busy finishing our second album, provisional working title The Difficult Number 2, with Paul 'Gal' Gallagher at Glenwood Studio in Castlemilk. It's pencilled in for release on 5th May 2020. Just in time for festival season with some new festival season anthems on it for The Dijon Family to dance like nobody is watching to!

Last Sunday (5th January) BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Amy Lame gave our new single G.T. (single and album released on Button Up Records - Garry John Kane - The Proclaimers bassist - record label) it's international radio airplay exclusive! That was after we woke up to a three page spread in the Sunday Mail interviewing the Colonel and using our new space themes photo shoot images from the incredibly talented Lee Howell Photography. We were so impressed with his photoshoot and artwork for Bombskare's last album A Million Ways To Die, that we asked him to work with us too.

EF - What were your highlights from 2019? Did any festivals stand out in particular?

Festival season is usually my go-to memory bank when I'm asked for band highlights of the year. Kelburn Garden Party was our best one yet I think. Of maybe five or so appearances. Tom McGuire and The Brassholes were on the Square Stage before us. I think they're one of the best funk and soul and party bands around and we have a lot of audience crossover so it really got the party vibe going with us dancing away in the crowd and then continuing with the Dijon party vibes straight after them.

We played our fourth year in a row at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. The Highlands Dijon Family really, really go for it up there and we've seen our crowds go from a capacity Hothouse Stage tent (1,500 ish) to being moved up to the main Garden Stage and the numbers growing steadily to 15,000 in 2019!

This will be our fifth birthday party playing there this year. The main stage production team told us post-gig it was the largest EVER crowd they'd ever had at the main stage! Until one of Bathgate's finest exports, Lewis Capaldi, bettered that later the samenight. Fair play Lewis!

Boomtown Fair, in Winchester, is one of the biggest festivals in the UK now and one of my favourites. Their whole Movement there, philosophy (peace, love, creativity) and vibe is beautiful. Approx 70,000 mad revellers attend and the level of production is movie set material everywhere you look. The aforementioned Tom and The Brassholes played, our bezzie mates from The People's Republic of Merseyside, She DRew The Gun, were a highlight, along with an incendiary set from the Prophets of Rage to close the Town Centre stage on the Sunday. Tom Morello had a message for our Evil Empire 'leader' Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson on his guitar!

EF - The Scottish festival landscape has changes; no more T in the Park, no more Wickerman, no more Electric Fields .... you are probably more well placed than most to comment. What is working? And are there any gaps?

The festival landscape seems to always be evolving in it's own way, as you would expect. We were lucky enough to tick T in the Park off the bucket list at the last one ever at Strathallan and then DF Concert's came back with TRNSMT in our home town on Glasgow Green with no need for camping. I have had some amazing days at TRNSMT and for someone who doesn't drink alcohol (11 years aff it on 4th May 2020), I can leave the site, drive straight home and be in the shower or bed in fifteen minutes!

My heart belongs to Glasgow so I LOVE to see Glasgow's music scene thriving. TENEMENT TRAIL moving East last year was an amazing day of live music between the Barrowland Ballroom, Barras Art and Design, Saint Luke's The Winged Ox, Creative East End, Many Studios and more.

I'm always excited to play new festivals and we've announced one in the Black Isle, outside Inverness, called Woodzstock, that we've been asked to headline and are playing with our Highlands hip hop brothers and sisters, Spring Break. Their MC (The Badger Sized Rat) and DJ (Butterscotch) - both the same person - normally joins us onstage at Bella and we love them and their music.

Closer to home, I love the look of Playground Festival in Rouken Glen Park and with Underworld announced already I have a really good feeling that is going to be an incredible and not to be missed festival for the Central Belt.

EF - You have an incredible thirst for music - which artists and bands in Scotland are you particularly fond of at present?

Each year I think our music community gets stronger and the talent within it even better! I don't see 2020 being any different. I am particularly looking forward to the Return of The Odd, being Stanley Odd - one of my favourite bands EVER and MC Solareye AKA Dave Hook AKA Dr Hip Hop, one of the soundest folk in the music community at the ever excellent Neu! Reekie! night organised by Michael Pederson and Kevin Williamson for Burns and Beyond on 25th January in the Freemasons Hall in Edinburgh.

Medicine Men have a new album coming out I'm looking forward to. The level of creative talent coming out of Glasgow's Last Night From Glasgow record label is outstanding and I doff my disco cap to Ian Smith and everyone involved there. Keep an eye on everything coming out of Chris Blackmore's excellent Holy Smokes Records - The Hoojamamas, Awkward Family Portraits, Quiche and more.

Ones to watch our for this year are The Rain Experiment - like a cross between Catfish and The Bottlemen, Blossoms and Sam Fender. Have a watch of the Be My Angel video.

Have Mercy Las Vegas, Bombskare, Yoko Kwono, Feet of Clay's debut album, your sister Carla J Easton (our Celtic Connections gig Special Guest), Scotland's most talented teenagers Connor Fyfe, Robin Ashcroft and Emi V, Free Love, Stara Zagora, DopeSickFly, Flew The Arrow, Deni, Zoe Graham, Freakwace, Vanlves, Megan Airlie, kitti, Cara Rose, Zoe Bestel, BLair Coron, hip hop from the aforementioned Spring Break, Steg G and The Freestyle Master, Loki, Kayce One, GASP, Shotgun, Physiks, Kamihamiha! Mosta Bohze, Empress, Delivery Room, The Twistettes, Mickey 9's, Melisa Kelly and The Smokin' Crows and so many more! So many sources of inspiration around us.

Last year I started 23 Music Management and Promotions with Andy Anderson and with help from his brother Frankie roo and the first artist I am managing is the outstanding John Rush. Check him out, he really is amazing. Solo, singer-songwriter, acoustic guitar, stomp box, harmonica and incredibly soulful voice with a Scottish brogue. He's been drawing comparisons somewhere in between Ray LaMontagne and David Gray.

One of, and possibly my favourite band right now are HENGE. A four piece (three of whom are intergalactic aliens and one Homo Sapien) who are on a Universal mission called The Cosmic Dross Experiment to spread peace, love and music - from prog rock to techno and cosmic gestures unknown to us Ravelings here on Planet Earth.

EF - We entered 2020 with right wing leadership, climate emergencies and the threat of war. What gives you hope?

What gives me hope in these mad, bad, crazy times? Us. Power to The People. It's ALL happening on OUR watch so the only people that can do anything about it is ... US! From a creative standpoint I am very much inspired by the Dadaists response to the horrors of WW1. We need to continue and increase the use of arts to imagine, create and inspire. We need more civil disobedience and mobilising the masses to, borrow some Primal Scream lyrics, come together as ONE, to agitate, protest and resist the Evil Empires, corporations and backed by right-wing billionaire owned gutter press/propoganda. We need system change.

And that means facing up to capitalism and it's greedy illusion of perpetual growth/GDP on a finite planet. We don't inherit the planet from our parents, we borrow it from our children. In the immortal words of Zack de la Rocha, 'Anger is a gift' and we DO need to get angry at what's happening and channel that into positive non-violent direct action to affect, demand and make positive change.

Rage Against The Machine are hitting the comeback trail again this year, it is very timely and much needed. To use their lyrics from Take The Power Back

The Movement's in motion with mass militant poetry

The rage is relentless

We need a movement with a quickness

Youa re the witness of change and to counteract

We gotta take the power back

EF - Post Celtic-Connections, what does the rest of the year have in store for you?

The new album on 5th May 2020. Festival season. Announced so far for us are Woodzstock Festival, Speyfest and Bella. More to follow ... Getting out and about and playing more of the new album and old songs, spreading the peace, love and Mustard and partying with the Dijon Family again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Idles and their album title Joy As An Act Of Resistance is like a mantra to me.

EF - Any New Year Resolutions?

I don't really go for anything too specific. Every day is the start of the rest of your life. Focus on the positive changes we can make in our Eternal Nows. For myself, I hope each year is a healthy, happy and prosperous one filled with peace, love and music and those are the main things I wish for all my family, friends and all the world really.

Even for those stuck in bad ruts, negative feedback lopps, misguided, hurting themselves and others. Just stop being a c**t to yourself and others and then maybe the world will be as One

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

Think peace, act peace, spread peace, imagine peace.

Scottish music scene in 2020

Happy New Year

Thanks for taking the time to visit Everything Flows Glasgow. 2020 is my 13th year of writing the blog. I hope you discover some new music or rediscover an old favourite if your continue to visit.

The start of January usually sees DJ's, blogs and media name their 'ones to watch'.

Rather than do that I'm going with a list of artists I will be keeping my eye on. Some I love, some I am keen to see how they develop and others I wonder if they will live up to the hype.

Read on for stars, those making the next step and old favourites. There is so much more than this going on in the Scottish music scene though - this merely scratched the surface.

Stars

Scotland enters 2020 with 2 young stars flying the flag in pretty spectacular ways. Gerry Cinnamon keeps smashing it out the park and is gearing up for the release of The Bonny, his second album, in April arenas, castles and a huge summer hometown show at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

It has been genuinely mind blowing to watch the meteoric rise of Gerry, the only thing I can compare it to is the heady rise of Oasis. Cinnamon's song have made an incredible connection with people.

Gerry's Hydro shows in December were unbelievable, the place went crazy. His songs have connected with so many. Cinnamon is the real deal and I look forward to hearing his new album.

Lewis Capaldi couldn't have asked for a better 2020, a year that included becoming the first Scottish artist to hit the American number 1 spot since 1981 when Sheena Easton (no relation) topped the charts with Morning Train (Nine To Five). Winning fans with his songs, charm and humour, Capaldi has lit up social media, venues and festivals across the world.

I watched his Glastonbury set and was blown away with how at ease this young lad was with such a huge crowd. He was acting with total confidence and cheeky charm like he was playing in his local pub.

What does 2020 have in store for Capaldi? Well he'll be headlining the Sunday at TRNSMT but apart from that, hopefully a good break as he has been hard at it. In terms of new material, I would personally love to hear Capaldi collaborate with Calvin Harris or Mark Ronson.

Personal faves

Teenage Fanclub
I've never known my favourite band to be so busy over such a prolonged spell. They don't seem to have let up since the release of Here in 2016 and I for one am not complaining. Norman Blake recently posted on the Fanclub forum that they have been recording an album in Hamburg and are going back in to finish soon. As the Fanclub self-release, there shouldn't be any hold up in the album coming out in 2020 along with more shows.

Lightships
2019 saw the return of Gerry Love's Lightships with a show at the Maryhill Community Central Hall. 2020 should see Lightships play more shows - although given that the band feature Dave from TFC and (and Bob from) Belle and Sebastian; Lightships will have to fit around other other projects. I'm not sure if we'll see an album in 2020 or not but I wouldn't be surprised by a single or two.

The Pastels
The Pastels never give too much away, so when they recently tweeted that they were in Abbey Road cutting an old single for a new old project, many indie hearts fluttered. The love and affection for this band is unbelievable and although they are not traditionally a band to look back, I think they might find they enjoy it once they start and also be surprised by the reaction to it. New generations of indie music fans and bands (like The Orielles for example) always seem to find The Pastels - a good sign.

BMX Bandits
Recording and reissues look set to shape 2020 for Duglas T Stewart and the BMX Bandits, including the release of a couple of albums on vinyl for the first time. The band are scheduled to play the 100 Club in London in March, so look out for some more shows if you are a fellow Bandits fan like me.

Breaking - big strides and the next steps forward

Twilight Sad
This band have an incredible surge of support behind them in Scotland. Their most recent album It Won't Be Like This All The Time received exceptionally positive reviews but it seems to be live shows where the band make an unbreakable bond with their fans.

I'm going to be honest, I'm not a fan, but I do like to see them doing well and I am intrigued to see where this band go next. It feels like there is a lot riding on the next album - where could it take them? Could they get a crossover hit? Do they even want to?

The Cure rate this band very highly, so highly that they have covered one of their songs and had them out on tour. As an outsider looking in I would love to see James co-write with Robert Smith from The Cure, or consider getting Robert to produce their next album, which might just see them move to the next level.

Sacred Paws
Sacred Paws energetic live show at Maryhill Community Central Hall in November blew me away. It has made me reevaluate the band and their albums. They do make more sense live, but the energy also leaps out on vinyl and I hope to see the band live again in 2020.

Joesef
This youngster looks set to be a popstar that goes from bedroom to festivals in 18-months. Joesef seems to have got everything lined up for a 2020 that will see him take huge strides. 2019 already saw him sell out his debut show at King Tuts and then one at SWG3 later in the year.

Finding the right producer might be key to the next steps forward for this youngster and he also needs to be given the time and support to develop.

Comparisons have been made to Amy Winehouse (I don't hear it ... yet).

West Lothian
There must be something in the water sings Lewis Capaldi. In the case of his hometown of Bathgate, there may well be! Look out for The Snuts, Luke La Volpe and Mark Sharp and the Bicycle Thieves. Capaldi rated them all highly enough to include them on his Edinburgh Princess Street Gardens show in 2019.

The Snuts in particular seem to be building an ever increasing army of support and backed that up with the release of their single Maybe California.

Cloth
Minimalist, melodic and magical, Cloth released their eponymous debut album on Last Night From Glasgow in November, but spent the entire year in 2019 quietly picking up a lot of love. That love is likely to spread through 2020 with more live shows. A real contender for the 2020 SAY Award.

Dylan John Thomas
Young Dylan John Thomas has had a storming 2019, touring extensively with Gerry Cinnamon has boosted his confidence and fanbase. Expect more releases in 2020 to keep the momentum going before an album drops.

Saint PHNX
Big budget videos, big streaming figures and increasingly bigger shows including American and European tours with Youngblood and Lewis Capaldi, Saint PHNX look poised to move forwards in 2020. The Wishaw brothers, Stevie and Al, had a good grounding in blog favourites Vigo Thieves and have worked incredibly hard on their new stuff which is absolutely geared towards charts, streams and winning fans. Stevie has always had an ear for a chorus, hook and melody and now he has the budget to really go for it.

Carla J Easton
My wee sister never fails to amaze me with her work rate and ongoing development. 2018's Impossible Stuff generated a SAY Award shortlist, coming on the back of two well received albums in 2016 - Say It All With A Kiss with her band TeenCanteen and Homemade Lemonade under the alias of Ette.

A new album is almost complete. And without wanting to give too much away, it is really POP. Recorded with Stephen Watkins in La Chunky Studio in Glasgow.

Carla plays The Old Fruitmarket as special guest for Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 on 17th January and Sneaky Petes on 31st January for Independent Venue Week.

Domiciles
Domiciles debut album, This Is Not A Zen Garden, on Last Night From Glasgow has been a rip roaring success, matching acclaim with sales. The initial pressing sold out and demand forced a repress. Everyone I know who has see the band live seems to take friends the next time they play. They don't tend to play live too much but like the repress, demand could force that to change.

Moonsoup

I caught Moonsoup live at the Olive Grove Records 10 anniversary show in November and I was blown away, buying the last copy of a DIY CD EP and also the 12-inch split release with Pocket Knife. I was reminded of a young PJ Harvey crossed with Courtney Barnett - real raw qualities and a good sense of humour, playful with riffs and melodies. I definitely intend to catch her full band show when I can.

Luna The Professor

My friend Gordon has been watching this band develop for a couple of years and they enter 2020 ready to make some real strides forwards after a string of singles. Evidence to date is of a band with an ear for melody and hooks, a band aiming for the stars.

Youngsters for the future

Kerr James
Kerr James made it to the semi finals of Britain's Got Talent and outwith that he is playing regularly on the excellent Glasgow circuit for under 18's and also co-writing with more established artists. This youngster is an exceptional talent with a voice that can soar. Keep an eye on him.

Connor Fyfe
Another very young teenager who is getting out and playing to build up experience. But many have caught on to Fyfe's talents and are tipping him as one to watch over the next few years.