If It's Not Scottish...It's Crap.

Hello Friends,

In lieu of Scotland not being part of this World Cup, and in anticipation of their appearance in 4 years time (optimism) I have set my sites on Scottish bands. Some might not spring to mind - but there are some really amazing bands that have come from this damp green country over the years. I have fallin' in love with many of them and would like to share a few with you.

I grew-up in a family of Scottish descent and came to learn that the people are very much like Canadians. They have an amazing sense of humour and are not afraid to take the piss out of themselves. They have a great tradition of music in their past and it is a big part of the culture today.

The bands I've had the pleasure of meeting, that hail from this land, have been nothing short of amazing. They are willing to play just about any venue and travel to any location on this globe to have their music heard. It's a working class country with a deep seeded tradition and sense of pride. All you need to do is watch Braveheart to get a glimpse (Mel Gibson's not actually Scottish). Bad example - check out Trainspotting instead.

The music of so many of their bands have done wonders for me over the years. They've given me so much joy and so here's a quick list of some solid tracks to get you started.

• Belle and Sebastien - 'If She Wants Me' *one of my fav all time indie pop tunes
• Fratellis - 'Whistle for the Choir' *angelic anthems
• We Were Promised Jetpacks - 'It's Thunder and It's Lightening' *gritty complex ed rock
• Snow Patrol - 'Golden Floors' *sonic genius' (2/5 of the band are Scottish)
• Biffy Clyro -'Bubbles' *what a tune :)
• Travis - 'Turn' *great video concept (you'll like the accents)
• Primal Scream - 'Rocks' *legends
• Big Country - 'In a Big Country' *a classic

It's not all trainspotting, haggis eating, kilt wearing and sheep shagging - Scottish artists are amazing and know how to create some fantastic music too.

This is by far the toughest list of recommends I've ever given. These bands are all dear to me and they have such deep catalogues of goodness. I strongly recommend that you type in Snow Patrol to Grooveshark and stick the headphones on for a few hours. Then try it with Travis . I've actually done the work for you - just click it's good to go:)

Thanks for reading/listening.

Gregg Stewart