Jason Small, editor:
Man, how time flies. Today, 22nd February 2016, we celebrate the first anniversary of Local Music Scene.
It all began as a humble live blog covering the finest gigs in Glasgow, then not long after, record and single reviews were thrown in the mix, and then in time it grew into a multimedia brand also comprising of a podcast, annual awards and – now just on the horizon – an online session series.
In the last 12 months, the blog alone has amassed nearly 20,000 views and covered almost 300 bands and musicians from all over Scotland, the UK and around the world.
The growth that Local Music Scene has experienced in so little time has been overwhelming, to say the least. The fact I’ve been able to collaborate with so many bands, promoters, managers, PRs and many others not just in my own country, but across the globe, is mind-blowing.
But most of all, it’s been humbling to witness so much appreciation and gratitude from many of the acts I’ve helped promote. It honestly makes me proud of the work I do and makes it all worthwhile in the long run. And for that, I say thank you to all of you for the support you’ve shown in return.
Now, being the one year anniversary of the brand, I thought I’d do something a little different and compile a list of my top 50 all-time favourite tracks from Scotland’s finest under-the-radar bands.
I first got involved with local music in the summer of 2010, and since then I’ve had the opportunity to discover and become a fan of a huge, varied array of talented bands that have produced some incredible music.
The following 50 tracks on this list I do not only love, but they have stuck with me in one way or another since I listened to them for the very first time; some of these I give a spin on a very regular basis, sometimes even daily.
Now let me be clear, the order doesn’t necessarily reflect my preferences of the bands themselves and doesn’t say I like one band more than the others that they rank above on the list.
Furthermore, just because a band is not featured on the list, doesn’t mean I dislike them. I think it’s safe to say, this list was a difficult monster to put together, and the honourable mentions would be far too many to count.
Now, without further ado after that meaty introduction, let’s kick off the countdown…
#50 | The Northern – Living Free
#49 | Foxbeef – Meat & Bones
#48 | GoodCopGreatCop – Write On Me
#47 | Coeur – Love In Our Home Town
#46 | Life Model – Lilt
#45 | Milk – Hey Calamity
#44 | Bear Arms – Courage
#43 | Tongues – Religion
#42 | Suspire – Dodos
#41 | Indigo Velvet – Juicy
#40 | 7 of 7 – Conflicting Reasons
#39 | Atlas Empire – In The Arms Of The Abyss
#38 | Black & White Boy – Miss Complication
#37 | Splintered Halo – Evolution
#36 | The Belafonte – Human Hands
#35 | Sixclose – Dead
#34 | Sacre Noir – It’s Too Late Now
#33 | The Ciazarn Affair – You Can’t Call Me A Freak
#32 | Foreignfox – Frostbite
#31 | Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 – International Sex Hero
#30 | Megalomatic – Progress II
#29 | Akord – Carry The Sound
#28 | Altered Sky – Songbird
#27 | Bloodlines – Love The Taste
#26 | Armstrong – Thursday Night Club
#25 | Herculean – Red Weather
#24 | From Sorrow To Serenity – i9
#23 | Donnie Willow – Alice
#22 | Halo Tora – Under The Surface
#21 | Banshee – The Landing Strip
#20 | Return To The Sun – Freakshow
#19 | Colours To Shame – Chocomeegah
#18 | Enemies Of The State – No Tomorrow
#17 | Twin Heart – Ghosts
#16 | Baethos – Cowboy Doom
#15 | Toy Mountains – Suspended Animation
#14 | Huxtable – Regimental
#13 | True Arcadian – Sertraline
#12 | Mickey 9s – Find A Thing
#11 | The Van T’s – Fun Garcon
#10 | Carnivores – Scottish Football
#9 | Our Future Glory – Battleheart
#8 | Our Lucid Reality – Hy Brasil
#7 | Divides – Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
#6 | Emilio Largo – Control
#5 | Vukovi – Thick Skinned
#4 | We Came From Wolves – Away To Live Forever
#3 | Flood Of Red – Throw
#2 | Felix Champion – Ropes
#1 | United Fruit – Red Letter
SMALL MUSIC SCENE 