- Interviews: “What Should the Scottish National Anthem Be?” It’s Hogmanay and apart from Auld Lang Syne, what other songs will we be singing to celebrate Scotland? In 2009 we asked loads of great Scottish bands what they thought the Scottish national anthem should be. Answers below from Mogwai, Camera Obscura, The Phantom Band, We Were Promised Jetpacks and more:
- By the Time I Get To Greenock “When people hear good music, it makes them homesick for something they never had and never will have” – Edgar Watson Howe. Having been coaxed out of ‘self imposed exile’ by Dear Scotland, this was the first of many brilliant articles by Alec Downie on the joys of Scottish music . Happy Birthday Alec.
- This Week in SEAN – The Best of the Scots on Craig Ferguson This week in Scottish Entertainment / Actor News we look back on some of Craig Ferguson’s best Scottish interviews of 2009 featuring Gerard Butler, Robert Carlyle, Ewan McGregor, Billy Connolly and Peter Capaldi.
- Scotland on Tour with Vic Galloway : Vic Galloway at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay! Today Vic highlights one last gig of 2009, and it sounds like a cracker. We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit will join Vic Galloway on stage at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party on Thursday night. The music starts at 9pm. More from Vic including Frightened Rabbit’s session version of ‘Walking in the Air’ below.
- This Year in the Gloaming Each Sunday this year, we have presented some of the best new photos of Scotland in the gloaming, the magical time before sunrise or after sunset. Today we look back at some of the best images of 2009 featuring the Culloden Battlefield, Tobha Mòr, Oban and Dalbeg Beach.
- Toad Session : FOUND Earlier this year Matthew recorded a stunning session with Ziggy and Tommy from Edinburgh band FOUND. The inventors of the magnificent Cybraphon, which later won a BAFTA, were on top form and Matthew captured something really special on a beautiful summer’s day in Edinburgh.
- Alec Downie’s Top 10 Scottish Cover Versions Earlier this year Alec brought us his top 20 Scottish cover versions. 20 through 11 can be found here. His top ten included classics from Belle and Sebastian, Aztec Camera, Travis and Biffy Clyro.
- Ten Things You Just Don’t See These Days The full story can never be made public, but I had to leave New York in a hurry; angry people were looking for me. I left my apartment with just a few minutes’ warning carrying nothing except my passport, the Williamson cats, and Mrs Williamson (she didn’t want to go).
- Vote for Scotland’s Greatest Ever Vocalist Stuart Adamson on guitar. Paul Thompson on drums. Derek Forbes on bass. On vocals…? From almost a hundred suggestions we finally came up with this shortlist: Liz Fraser, Alex Harvey, Jim Kerr, King Creosote, Annie Lennox, Billy Mackenzie, Frankie Miller, Paolo Nutini, Bon Scott and Rod Stewart. Voting closes Jan 5, 2010.
