4 Projects in Scotland's DIY Punk Scene That You Should Know About! - Scene Radar

Welcome to SceneRadar, where we give you advice on how to get involved with your local music scene, as well as what you should be looking out for in terms with the latest DIY activity across Scotland! 

Today we're talking about 4 projects from Scotland's DIY punk scene that you should know about! These projects are keeping DIY alive through their respective genres and areas around Scotland, and can be useful in giving inspiration for you to start your own project! Please check out each project's social media to keep updated on what they're currently up to! 

1 - Hunk of Plastic 

Founded in 2021 and based in Fife, Hunk of Plastic have been one of the most active labels in the connection of US Emo and Skramz to the UK through physical distribution. Working from their small store on LimitedRun, they have been the distributer of choice for many artists within these genres, as a fan of Skramz and Emo myself I am aware that getting physical copies of Tapes and Vinyl from the US is very challenging due to extended delivery times alongside the increased shipping costs which prevents many fans from buying merchandise from overseas. Hunk of Plastic provides opportunities for US artists to have their physical products sold overseas by working with them and their record labels directly! 

Hunk of Plastic Links: 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hunkofplastic/ 

LimitedRun - https://hunkofplasticrecords.limitedrun.com 

2 - Heavenly Creature Records

Heavenly Creature has also found itself to be a growing part of the Scottish DIY scene through similar but different means to Hunk of Plastic, this label has been building it's online "Community" through releasing tracks from artists from all over the world, primarily in Scotland and across the pond in the US where such genre's are thriving. One place where Heavenly Creature has excelled since launching in 2021 has been it's charity compilation albums featuring covers by friends and fans of the label. Their latest release in collaboration with Gold Mold Records is a Modest Mouse Compilation titled Wherever You See Fit, with all profits being donated towards SFAD (Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs). 

Heavenly Creature Links: 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heavenlycrecs/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/heavenly-creature-records-109609961515648 

Bandcamp - https://heavenlycreaturerecords.bandcamp.com  

3 - Gold Mold 

Gold Mold is an older name within the Glasgow music scene, being active since 2013 providing DIY tapes, records and live shows for the bands involved with the local scene. More recently, Gold Mold has been  the Glasgow music scene with local Punk shows whilst also working to release tapes for bands such as Bleaks, Gossiper and Polly so far in 2022. Gold Mold has certainly engrained themselves as a staple project within the Glasgow DIY music scene. 

Gold Mold Links: 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/goldmoldrecords/  

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GoldMoldRecords 

Bandcamp - goldmoldrecords.bandcamp.com 

4 - Mutual Scum 

Launching in 2022, Mutual Scum are a brand new collective of DIY promoters who aim to create a friendly, fair and fun environment for the Scottish music scene. The collective involves: GoldMold, Heavenly Creature, Sunken Sofa, Struggletown, Make That A Take, and Toadstool. Whilst the collective is certainly in it's early days, it is clear that this is something that the DIY scene is in great need of and the collective has high hopes to restore and build the DIY music scene in Scotland to the best it can be. Mutual Scum have their first outing on Saturday the 18th of June, with US Emo Band "Riley!" playing Ushi's Coffee Corner with Support from Sheffield's "Slash Fiction" and Glasgow's own "Frog Costume" 

Mutual Scum Links: 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mutual_scum/  

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mutualscum   

BigCartel - https://mutualscum.bigcartel.com  

Thanks for taking the time to read, if you wish to keep updated with SceneRadar, you can follow Sunken Sofa on Instagram to be notified when there's a new post! 

Hosting an event: 4 essential tips to a successful first gig in Glasgow!

Today we are going to be discussing your first time hosting an event as a live music promoter in Glasgow's live music scene! 

As you might already know, breaking into your local music scene can be really difficult, especially if you have no experience with the live music industry or music scene's as a whole - if you're looking for how you can get your foot in the door, our last post showcased some local networking events in Glasgow for newcomers to the music scene! 

Tip 1 - Know Your Audience 

Our first tip for making sure you host a successful first gig is making sure you know your audience, this is particularly important when designing the poster for the show! Things to consider are, what genre are the artists you are putting on? Pop/Rock/Metal/EDM? Getting an idea of your lineup's genre(s) will be important in creating a poster that not only will attract people to the show, but also fit the tone of the artists playing so that those who may not know the artists will be able to guess the type of music without listening to them! 

Tip 2 - Know Where to Promote your Gig

Our second tip is to know where to promote your gig to! of course physical posters can be useful to let the local scene know about your event, but there are plenty of other opportunities for the free promotion of your event! Whilst many may see Facebook as an outdated source for promotion, posting your event on local musicians and live music pages will help get the word out to those who you know will be interested in the music you're promoting! 

Within Glasgow there are a variety of groups that are ideal for this particular type of promotion, such as Glasgow Music Scene and Glasgow Gigs, Musicians, Promoter's and Venues which can be ideal for finding a general audience to attend your show! It is also important to refer back to our first tip from this blog, as there are also many Facebook groups for more niche genre such as Scottish Pop Punk and Ecoss[emo] for those who are into more alternative types of music, it's definitely worth looking out for a group that suits you best! 

Tip 3 - Remember, things go wrong! 

It's an important thing to mention that everyone's first gig goes wrong in some way, whether a piece of equipment is missing/forgotten about or one of the bands are running late and won't make it to soundcheck. 

Whatever may happen, we recommend to take a deep breath and improvise as much as you can, a lot can happen in the space of a few hours but it's unlikely that unless the issue is show-stopping (literally), the chances of anyone noticing any minor issues (such as the door time being delayed, or a band having to do a simple line check rather than a soundcheck) is very small. Issues happen to even the biggest promoters, so it's completely normal to have a few spanners in the works at your first show, just keep going and try and work through it! 

Tip 4 - Pay before Profit! 

The Ethos of SceneRadar and a vast majority of DIY practitioners agree that profit should never be a priority or even an expectation when promoting live music. Hosting a live event involves a lot of costs, paying the venue, the graphic designer for your poster, any instrument rentals, and most importantly - paying the band that you have booked for the show. 

From ticket sales you should expect to cover all of the above before you see any cash yourself, which is sometimes the case but at times it just doesn't happen and you will lose out on money. It is always important to be upfront with anyone expecting money from the show (e.g. the band), especially  if you intend to pay them only from the tickets sold rather than a guaranteed advance payment.

Letting the band know in advance how you intend to pay them will prevent a lot of awkward conversations post-gig, and help maintain your own reputation as a live music promoter. A lot of bands will be understanding and won't mind too much if you are upfront with them from the start, but always make sure the artist gets paid before you see any profit! 

Thanks for taking the time to read this week's addition of SceneRadar! Remember that for the most part, putting on DIY gigs is meant to be enjoyable and the more you put in, the more you get out of it - take the opportunity to meet new people, chat about music, make friends and connections and enjoy yourself! 

How to get involved with Glasgow's live music scene!

So, you're new to the Glasgow live music scene and you want to get involved, but you don't know how to get your foot in the door? Here is a quick list of events that you should know about to help you get started with your journey into Live music in Glasgow! 

Step 1: Get to know your Venues 

It's obvious that Live music venues in Glasgow are the core of the city's live music scene. However, it's important to know which venues are creating the most buzz around the scene, whilst large scale venues such as the OVO Hydro, The Barrowlands and King Tuts may be what you see the most of online, Glasgow has a fantastic range of small scale venues to check out for your live music fix! 

This is especially important info when getting involved with the local music scene yourself! If you wanna find out more about some small venues that you should be checking out in Glasgow, we have the post for you!

Here are 3 venues that will show you the true live music scene in Glasgow. 

Step 2: Getting to know the events that you should be attending! 

It's important to understand that getting involved with live music is more than just going to gigs! There are a number of organisations that are hosting networking events that will help you meet other newcomers and aspiring people looking to get involved with their scene! Below I've listed two active organisations that are running networking events for Glasgow's music scene, aimed at grassroots participants! 

Sunken Sofa 

Sunken Sofa is a DIY Live Music Promoter that has been running since 2018, hosting gigs, live music sessions over lockdown and more recently, a DIY networking night based around Glasgow's alternative Music scene! 

This networking night is aimed at getting newcomers to the Glasgow music scene involved with starting their own projects! With their first successful networking night hosted on the 13th of March 2022, Sunken Sofa provided a space to meet new and likeminded people, learn from DIY practitioners via their hosted panel, and take in some of the best live music that the Glasgow alternative scene has to offer! They have plans to continue this in the coming months at a larger scale, so keep an eye open! 

Girls Just Wanna 

Girls Just Wanna is a Networking Night directed towards women within the Glasgow Music scene (However, it is open to all genders!), their first event in March showcased some fantastic artists and is a fantastic opportunity to meet new people and get involved and learn about the music industry in a more general way (as Sunken Sofa's networking nights are aimed towards DIY and Alternative Music, Girls Just Wanna is aimed towards the music scene as a whole with women's empowerment being a key theme! 

Resonate 

If you're feeling a bit more confident with getting involved in the music industry, Resonate (ran by local publishing company, 23rd Precinct) is a fantastic organisation to follow! Whilst Resonate Music Conference is a larger scale event aimed at music industry professionals, a great place to begin your journey into the music scene is by attending Resonate's monthly networking nights, which aim to get people chatting about the music industry, have a drink and listen to some fantastic live music through their DJ sets and open mics! 

Step 3: Why not put on your first DIY gig? 

Next week we're going to be talking about some of the essentials of putting on your first gig as a promoter in Glasgow! keep an eye open and we'll make sure you're well prepared for your first event within the live music scene! 

3 venues that will show you the true Glasgow music scene in 2022!

Welcome to SceneRadar, where we discuss the many great features of Glasgow's music scene, today we are going to be looking at three iconic venues that are ideal for someone looking to experience the true Glasgow music scene. 

This post is ideal for those travelling to Glasgow and looking to just see what Glasgow nightlife has to offer, or even those who may have just moved to the city and want to get their foot in the door in regards of where to look to find some really great artists and nightlife! 

Here are our top picks for venue's that will show you what the Glasgow Music Scene is really like! 

Bloc+ 

Bloc+ is a fantastic example of a Live music pub in Glasgow that caters to a younger generation of music fanatics. The small restaurant provides a fantastic range of beer and has a dedicated fanbase for their comfort food dishes that cater to both meat lovers and the Glasgow vegan food scene. Bloc+ is also known for their free-entry gigs from 9pm, which are a must see for anyone trying to get a real look at the Glasgow live music scene. 

 

The venue space itself provides a small area next to the restaurant that has become a home for live music promoters and record labels to host the best artists from Glasgow’s music scene and has become a staple of Glasgow nightlife with its regular club nights running from 11pm to 3am! 

 

Get a glimpse of an average gig at Bloc+ below:  

Teose - Live at Bloc+ 

 

The Hug and Pint  

For fans of Scottish music trivia, the iconic ‘Hug and Pint’ named after Arab Strap’s 2003 album “Monday at the hug and pint” is the place for you, however this venue is far from being stuck in the past. 

 

The Hug and Pint, owned by one of Scotland’s largest promoters 432 Events, is one of Glasgow’s most active small venues. Hosting live music from Glasgow’s live music scene all the way to giving touring artists from the USA a place to grow their Scottish fanbase, The Hug and Pint creates a friendly atmosphere in it’s venue space located in the basement of their restaurant that provides small dishes that cater best to the Glasgow vegan food lover (but delicious enough to be loved by all) looking for a light scran before a good mosh downstairs! 

 

Get a Glimpse of live music at The Hug and Pint here! 

BLEAKS [Full Set] Live at The Hug & Pint

 

 

 

The Flying Duck 

 

My final entry is for those in dire need of a dance and a good meal. The Flying Duck provides both as one of the most iconic vegan restaurants in Glasgow, whilst also operating as a nightclub/music venue after hours. This venue caters to lovers of the Glasgow Hardcore scene as well as the Glasgow Nightlife scene, which despite being at two very different ends of the music spectrum, shows that this venue is far from being uniform in the audience it caters to. 

 

For those interested in exploring the Glasgow clublife scene, Proxima Glasgow, described as “a brand new Glasgow club night specializing in Funk, Disco and House Music”, is the organisation to look out for, with their next club night at the Flying Duck being the 20th of May 2022! 

 

And for those interested in kicking it in the moshpit, the most active organisation in Glasgow’s hardcore music scene Northern Unrest can be found hosting shows at the Flying duck from time to time, so definitely keep an eye out! 

Get a Glimpse of a night out experiencing Glasgow's Hardcore scene at the Flying Duck here!

Mortality Rate (Canada) - Live at the Flying Duck 

Thanks for taking the time to read through our top picks for live music venues that will get you loving the Glasgow music scene as much as we do! 

We've got another exciting post coming up very soon so keep an eye out! 

 

An Introduction to SceneRadar!

So, Who is SceneRadar? 

My name is Ryan and I am a fourth year Commercial Music student at the University of the West of Scotland. I currently run a DIY live music promotions company under the name Sunken Sofa, which operates within the Glasgow alternative music scene. I am also currently working as a label assistant on a placement with the record label 'Iceblink Luck'. SceneRadar will be run under Sunken Sofa as an additional project, so you can find any updates to do with this blog on Sunken Sofa's social media pages! 

 

So, content can you expect to see from SceneRadar? 

SceneRadar is an informative but laid back Blog, with its objective to give those new to the music scene in Scotland information about what's going on and encourage newcomers to get involved and become a part of the music scene!

 

I have planned a content calendar for the next upcoming posts which will revolve around the venues you should check out, the organisations and projects you should be following to support the scene, and some tips on how you can get involved with the Glasgow music scene! 

Do you need to be a music expert to get involved with the scene? 

Absolutely not! The reason I have created this blog is to show people that getting involved is easy, and that you don’t need to know anything about the music industry to become an active and supportive member of your music scene! 

Where can I find this blog?  

You can find updates on this blog through Sunken Sofa's social media accounts (Just click the link attached to 'Sunken Sofa'!), this way you can keep up to date on blog posts as they are posted throughout the coming weeks! 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my first post! I’m excited to get started and provide a platform to encourage people to get involved with the Glasgow music scene! 

 

Any ideas you have for posts, or if you want to give any feedback, please feel free to comment below!