Ross McKillop

Music In Scotland

A Distant History?

The Progression of Scottish Music

What Will Be Looked At:

The Myths Of Scottish Music - Where its born is not necessarily where its ‘from’Is ‘Scottishness’ in Music Definable?Is Music Blind?

Case Studies (To Tie In With Themes Of The Module):

Scottish Celebration - IdlewildScottish Self-Loathing – Flood Of RedScottish Identity – Twin Atlantic

Is Scottish Music More Than The Stereotype?

“If you find Scottish music sold as ‘ethnic’ or ‘world’ music, its focus may turn out to be extremely narrow. In 2003, The Rough Guide To Scottish Music ignored classical, rock, pop and electronica in favour of 100 per cent folk music, reducing Scotland to the ‘ethic’ flavour of the national objective...”“For The Rough Guide, bagpipes, fiddles and drums are ‘Scottish music’, but tabla, bass guitars and laptops are not.”

“Fortunately, Scottish music itself provides the antidote to this nonsense, all you have to do is listen to it.”

(Gardner, Modern Scottish Culture, 2005:192)

BBC Radio 1 – Introducing Scotland

Genres: Dance

Electronica Experimental

Hip HopRnB

DancehallRockIndie

Drum and Bass

Is Music Blind?

Is Scottish music stereotyped in the same way as Scottish film?

Is there the same barrier to overcome?

Popularity vs Proudness

82% of Scots are proud of Scottish music.

79% of Scots are proud of tartan

(McCrone, Understanding Scotland, 2001:147)

Scots may be proud of traditional music, but it does not make it popular or the authentic voice of the Scottish people.

The Voice Of The People?

...”The idea of folk music has had an extremely powerful hold on the imagination, for unlike pop music, it is held up as the authentic voice of the people.” (Barker, Faking It,

2007:65)

What exactly is the authentic voice of the people?

How can we relate music to a place?

• Spatial distribution of musical form, activities and performers.• Musical home locales and their extension, including relocation• The identification of the character and personality of places as gleaned from lyrics, melody, instrumentation, and the general ‘feel’ or sensory impact of the music. • Pertinent themes in music, such as the image of the city.

(Shuker, Understanding Popular Music Culture, 2008:197)

A Celebration Of Scottishness

- Ballad of the Book“It’s a pretty good idea on paper – great Scottish writers and poets providing lyrics for great Scottish singers and bands to turn into their own kind of song. The fact that it actually became a record is a testament to the enthusiasm, talent and originality of everyone involved.

These songs are all rooted in their own kind of Scottishness, and they sing out in their own way.” (Roddy Woomble, Scottish Artist)

It isn't in the mirrorIt isn't on the pageIt's a red-hearted vibrationPushing through the wallsOf dark imaginationFinding no equationThere's a Red Road rageBut it's not road rageIt's asylum seekers engulfed by a grudgeScottish frictionScottish fiction

It isn't in the castleIt isn't in the mistIt's a calling of the watersAs they break to showThe new Black DeathWith reactors aglowDo you think your securityCan keep you in purityYou will not shake us off above or belowScottish frictionScottish fiction

A Celebration Of Scottishness

- Idlewild / Scottish Fiction“There's a red road rage,

But it's not road rage It's asylum seekers engulfed by a grudge”

- Red road flats, where many asylum seekers stayed, met with profound racism. Is this a symbol

for the whole country?

“It isn't in the castle, it isn't in the mist”

- It is not in the “Tartanry” elements that makeScotland what it is, its in all of us,

and our social constructs.

The ideas behind Scottish Friction, are indeed Fiction

Scottish Self Loathing?

Glasgow is arguably not the best city, with Sectarian violence and voted murder capital of Europe.

Solution: Lets all leave!!!

Flood Of RedLeaving Everything Behind

• Whole album based on leaving Glasgow.• How do we know it is Glasgow referred to and not anywhere in the world?

“Sleep, sleep, slip away,these Glasgow city streets

have never been so cold before”

(Little Lovers)• Everything is upbeat, until ‘All Balance is Lost’ in the USA• Then comes the ‘Home, Run’.• Album ends on same song as beginning, but with extra verse.“Mother and Father at ends of the town”

Flood Of RedLeaving Everything Behind

Ultimately, we can leave and hope to find something better elsewhere, but we will always value our background, our heritage. That is something we can never find elsewhere, and thus,

we really would need to “Leave Everything Behind” if we left our

home town and nation.

Twin Atlantic – Still Scottish?

Band come from Glasgow, wrote all songs in Glasgow, however, what is your take on the following clips?

Are they keeping their Scottish identity? Or merely pushing it to the side to be more mainstream?

Forgetting Your Identity

“The country’s most famous bands and exports

have had to leave Scotland to find success.” (Cloonan, Williamson and Frith, Mapping the

Music Industry in Scotland, 2002:12)

Scotland does not have the population or economic sustenance for an artist to make it

big by staying in Scotland.

Forgetting Your Roots

“On becoming a megastar, he [Rod Stewart] relocated to Los Angeles and got more

highlights in his hair” (Gardner, 2005:201)