Industry news & advice blog

Image credit: Mike Bean

This month we head way north of the border and bring you the lowdown on Glasgow and what the city has to offer its emerging musicians. To help make sure we didn’t miss a trick we enlisted the help of some of the city’s musical informants in the form of the man known as “the voice of new music in Scotland” Jim Gellatly, Ally Gray, Toni Malyn and Stuart Stenhouse from Glasgow based digital distributors EmuBands and online editor Iain Dawson from Glasgow music blog Ravechild.

Glasgow is famed for its rich, vibrant and cutting edge music scene. Catering for all tastes in offering something for everyone, it consistently proves to be a must-stop on any touring acts schedule with many bands claiming it to be their favourite city to play. But why? Well, the city is renowned for providing a mercilessly honest crowd. Glasgow is still largely borne from a working class, labouring neighbourhood and if they’ve handed over their hard-earned cash to be entertained, they won’t be afraid to show you if they’re not.

A recent UK wide poll of the best places to discover new music included 3 of the city’s venues in its Top 10, reinforcing the idea that there’s a prosperous emerging scene in the city - an idea which was fortified by our contributors who told us that it’s always been a flourishing musical hub:

Ally (EmuBands): “Glasgow’s always had a good emerging scene. I think that’s maybe down to it being a great city for live music – people love going out and watching live music, and that’s always going to help emerging talent.”

Iain (Ravechild): “…you only need to look at the acts that have come through the Glasgow scene in the past to prove it – Primal Scream, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, The Fratellis, Paolo Nutini, Glasvegas, Biffy Clyro, Twin Atlantic, CHVRCHES…..”

Jim Gellatly: “Historically Glasgow's always been a place for creative types to head. The School Of Art in particular has spawned many a band. We used to lose a lot of artists to London, but that doesn't seem so common now.”

So what’s available to the hoards of emerging musicians that frequents the city? We did a bit of digging around and, with the help of our oh-so-knowledgeable contributors, came up with some recommendations for you. Read on!

Gig Venues in Glasgow
Unsurprisingly Glasgow has a plethora of live music haunts, ranging from tiny little cavernous dens to hefty world class arenas. But with so many places to choose from it can sometimes be hard to know where to start. Glasgow oracle Jim Gellatly suggests: “Nice N Sleazy, Broadcast and 13th Note are good starting points, especially for putting on your own gig. Box is also a good starting point as it's free entry. King Tut's has legendary status, but you probably want to build up to that, rather than trying to get your first gig there.”

Other venues worth checking out for an opportunity to play or even just to catch some local talent are the Kinning Park Complex, The Glad Café and Mono who occasionally put on shows. And not forgetting the bigger venues (think possible support slots); there’s the exquisite Barrowland and Oran Mor, as well as the O2 Academy.

Also have a browse through the Venues section of The Unsigned Guide for venue specifics and details of who to contact for gig bookings.

Gig Promoters in Glasgow
“With such a thriving live scene in the city it’s no surprise that there are many, many promoters operating in the emerging scene in Glasgow. Instinctive Racoon, Synergy Concerts, DF Concerts (for gigs at King Tut’s) and PCL Presents (for gigs at Broadcast) deserve special mention.” Ally (EmuBands)

You can also look to PMCJ Events, MILK and Cry Parrot, all promoters who regularly host gigs and offer slots to unsigned bands and artists. The Unsigned Guide directory can provide contact details for these promoters and many more besides.

Recording Studios in Glasgow
So you’ve penned the tracks and now you’re itching to get in the studio and get them recorded; Glasgow has a wealth of studios ready to help you lay them down. The likes of The Audio Lounge and Blue Cat Studios offer affordable rates and have rehearsal facilities too. Cava Sound Studios specialise in HD mastering and boast past clients including Twin Atlantic, Ed Sheeran and Paolo Nutini. The Carlton Studio, Glasgow Music Studios and Stealth Recording Studio also come highly recommended and again offer competitive rates.

Don’t forget, you can search more than 50 recording studios in Scotland in The Unsigned Guide directory. We’ll provide you with details of the desk, monitors and other gear they provide, the rates they charge and other facilities available, to help you find the perfect location for recording your material.

Record Labels in Glasgow
Refreshingly, Glasgow seems to be thriving in terms of record labels taking an interest in and pushing local talent. Top of the recommendations is Olive Grove, formed in 2010 and championing innovative and new music in Scotland. There’s also the likes of Twin City Records, Creeping Bent, Fuzzkill Records and Electric Honey who work largely with local acts.

Obviously we couldn’t talk about record labels in Glasgow and not mention Chemikal Underground Records – one of Scotland’s most successful and respected alternative independent record labels having launched the careers of Interpol, Mogwai, Arab Strap, The Phantom Band and Bis, to name a few.

If you’re looking to contact record labels from Glasgow, Scotland or the across the UK, you will find plenty to target listed in our online music industry directory. Search The Unsigned Guide by genre too to find the record labels most suited to your sound.

Record Shops in Glasgow
Toni Malyn from EmuBands tells us “for me, it's got to be Love Music or Mono - both have hidden gems and the staff are so helpful.” Love Music are keen supporters of the emerging local scene and will stock material from unsigned acts. Similarly, Monorail off King Street will stock unsigned material and come highly recommended for specialist music fans. 

Apollo Music also offer limited rack space to unsigned acts, as well as space for your gig posters. Despite Lost Chord specialising in second hand stock, they too provide some rack space to local acts so it’s worth popping in and asking if they can help in any way.

Radio Stations in Glasgow
When it comes to the city’s radio stations EmuBands’ Stuart Stenhouse advises: “…university radio stations are worth targeting for bands starting out. For example, Ally McCrae, now at BBC Radio 1, started off with a new music show at Stirling University station Air3. Jim Gellatly releases a new music podcast featuring artists from across Scotland every week and hosts a show on Amazing Radio which generally features a large range of emerging Scottish acts and a show on In:Demand Scotland. Vic Galloway also regularly plays emerging acts from across Scotland on his BBC Radio Scotland show and will also invite bands in for live sessions”.

Jim himself also recommends: “…community radio stations like Pulse and Sunny Govan play a lot of local music, and another one, Camglen Radio is set to launch in the next few months”.

And hot off the press, we’re delighted to hear that XFM Scotland is set to return next month, another portal for Scottish emerging acts.

Music press & blogs in Glasgow
Printed publications such as The List and The Skinny provide great coverage to artists from the area. Both distribute free magazines across central Scotland and feature release reviews, gig previews and listings, not to mention features and interviews.

The Ravechild blog is also a great online spot to keep abreast of Glasgow’s emerging and unsigned scene - covering events and gigs in the city including reviews, up to date gig listings and featuring new talent. Scottish site Podcart produces weekly podcasts showcasing the best in grassroots and unsigned artists, and is well worth getting in touch with for possible inclusion.

Be sure to also check out the Regional Press & Magazines section of The Unsigned Guide which currently lists over 140 titles from across the UK who provide music coverage to new and emerging acts.

Emerging Talent in Glasgow
Last but certainly not least, here’s some hot tips of the talent that’s currently rocking the city and setting tongues wagging: Prides, Honeyblood, Evil Edison, Pronto Mama, Bear Arms, Carnivores, The LaFontaines, Washington Irving, Randolph’s Leap and Hector Bizerk.

Next month our City Focus blog will be about that beloved seaside town on the South coast, Brighton. So are you playing or working in amongst the Brighton music scene? If so, we want to hear from you with your tips and recommendations for our Brighton blog. Just drop us a line here.