A version of this article first appeared in PRODUCT magazine Music fans of a certain vintage are likely to have first encountered Talk Talk in their early post-punk synthpop stage, contemporaries with the likes of Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, and China Crisis; Top of the Pops semi-regulars complete with fretless bass, sharp suits, and a hint of eyeliner. The first two albums The Party's Over (1982) and It's My Life (1984) were very much of that time, and there were singles,

Graeme Thomson For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to returning guest, music journalist and writer Graeme Thomson to talk about his new book In Another World: The Four Seasons Of Talk Talk which is out now, published with New Modern. Graeme explains why he wanted to write about Talk Talk, the structure of the book, why he focuses on four featured albums, and what they mean to him, and the challenges in writing a book about a band who refuse to, or simply can't, t

Zoe Alba Farrugia For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Zoe Alba Farrugia, who is the Head of Programme for this year's Solas Festival, which is at Errol Park, 19th–21st June. Zoe gives some background and history to the festival, stressing that it is so much more than a music festival. She then talks about the different strands, which include Wellbeing & Spirituality, Literature, Poetry & Spoken Word, Children & Families, and much more. The two then discuss the

Scottish Opera's revival of The Marriage of Figaro works as the perfect gateway opera for those who are unsure if it's an art form for them. The storyline will be recognisable from books, film and TV in terms of style and structure - literally a comedy of errors, as individuals are manipulated, lies are told, identities are mistaken, and just when it looks like it's all going wrong, it resolves before the final curtain falls, with hopefully lessons learned. Set from dawn till

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to musician and composer Kenny Inglis. Kenny was a recent artist of the week on the Scots Whay Hae! Show (which is on CamGlen Radio every Sunday between 7-9pm, and available to catch up with after that) but we thought he had so much more to say, and that this was the place to say it. Kenny spoke about his unusual road into making music, working in record shops, setting up his own studio, playing in bands, life on the road, and

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Ali spoke once again to Ann Campbell who is the Festival Director of the Dunoon Film Festival which this year runs between 8th - 10th May, and has the themes of 'Film, Food & Fun. Ann talks about those themes and how the programme relates to them before the two go through just some of the highlights of this year's festival, which include The Orkney Dive which celebrates the sustainability and value of scallop diving and low-impact seafoo

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Frances Crawford to talk all about her debut novel A Bad, Bad Place, which is published on the Bantam imprint of Penguin Books. Frances gives a brief description of the book (avoiding spoilers), before talking about why this was the story for her first novel, and the long and winding road to publication. The two then discuss the two central characters of 12-year-old schoolgirl Janey and her Nana Maggie and how the nat

Grant McPhee For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with writer and filmmaker Grant McPhee to talk about his latest book Caledonia Screaming: Year Zero Vol 1 - Scottish Punk 1976 - 1977 which is published with Into Books . Grant has been a previous guest when he talked about the books Hungry Beat: The Scottish Independent Pop Underground Movement (1977-1984) and Postcards from Scotland: Scottish Independent Music 1983-1995 and the two talk about how his proc

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali headed to Stirling to talk to writer Donald S. Murray about his new novel The Loch Of The Bees , which is published with Saraband Books . The two met at the lauded venue the Tolbooth as Donald is a member of the Metagama Ensemble who are behind Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey , a piece of theatre which mixes music, song, and spoken word, and which was playing the venue on the last night of its current tour. Donald tells us all about

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to musician, and journalist, Callum Baird to talk all about his band Elgin & The Marbles , and the debut album The Sun Never Sets , which is out now with Last Night From Glasgow . Callum explained the reasons behind the name Elgin & The Marbles, the striking album cover, and how both link to the overall concept. The two then discuss the themes and ideas more thoroughly, Callum's various inspirations, working with Last Night Fr

Penny Kiley 1977 For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer and journalist Penny Kiley about her new book Atypical Girl: Punk Rock, Liverpool, and Trying to be Normal which is published by Polygon Books. Penny talks about why now for this book, her formative years in Liverpool, being in the right place and the right time, the local music scene in the late '70s and into the 1980s, the importance of the legendary club Eric's, and some of those musicians (famou

📸 - credit Chris Leslie For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to writer Alison Irvine to talk about her fascinating and insightful new book about Glasgow's famous Barrowland Ballroom . To give its full title, the book is called Barrowland: The Inside Story of Glasgow’s Beloved Ballroom and it's published by Luath Press . Alison explains that the book's origins are in a previous publication, and the importance of her regular collaborators Chris Leslie and Mitch M

📸 - credit Christopher Bowen For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to Lesley Davidson, who is the co-director of the Beacon Arts Centre , to talk about the inaugural Beacon Book Festival which runs from Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd February. Lesley tells us why now is the right time for the Beacon Arts Centre to host a book festival, and what the challenges were in programming, before talking about that programme - who is on, and when, and taking us through the vari

📸 credit - Ruari Barber-Fleming For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali spoke to composer and sound designer Oğuz Kaplangı to talk about his new album RESIST . Oğuz talks about the inspirations behind the project, the themes of resistance, solidarity, and human connection, the narrative which runs through the album, and his future plans for RESIST , which are very exciting. The two also discuss the importance of collaboration and how he worked with a number of other ar

It doesn't feel like the year has actually got going until Celtic Connections begins. This year it's on between the 15th Jan and the 1st Feb, and it once again has a varied, vibrant, and eclectic line-up to suit most musical tastes. The festival is a joyous celebration of live music which is as precious and important as ever. To get involved further you can become a Celtic Rover which supports Celtic Connections and its Education and Outreach Programmes. With so much going

For the first Scots Whay Hae! podcast of 2026, Ali spoke to writer and musician Peter May to talk about his new album Towards The Light , but so much more. Peter admits that despite his fame as a writer of crime fiction (31 novels to date), music was always his first love and he goes on to talk about his early years playing in bands, running away to London to make their fame and fortune, and just what the musical landscape was like at the time. He then talks about the new al

Once again Montgomery Scott raises a glass to see out the old year and ring in the new, and that means it’s time for Scots Whay Hae!’s annual selection of New Year’s Eve treats. It’s an alternative to the Hogmanay telly, so if there’s little you fancy on the box there might be something here to your liking. We kick things off with some music, and last month saw the publication of Grant McPhee's new book Caledonian Screaming (published with Into Books) which looks at Scotland

There were some fascinating non-fiction books published over the last 12 months, and it was a tricky job to whittle a list down to a handy top ten, but we just about managed it. The list below features, music and song, memoir, travel, film, sport, philosophy, sociopolitics, religion, faith, food, and so much more. I was lucky enough to talk to some of the writers whose books feature, and you'll find links to those interviews below, along with links to the books themselves and

For our latest roundup of 2025 we look at the year in music, with Ali joined once again by musician and righteous supporter of Scottish music, Gefahrgeist 's Fiona Liddell . As is now customary, they each pick 10 tracks to discuss which have left their mark over the last 12 months. As they make clear, they could easily have picked many, many, more examples from what was another incredible year for Scottish music, (and on another day possibly would), but we hope you enjoy the

In what was another incredible year for Scottish music we have somehow managed to whittle our favourite releases down to a manageable Top Ten Albums of the year. Below are videos of tracks from each pick, and we hope you find something to pique your interest. If you do then please purchase directly from the artist or their record labels ( all the titles in orange should take you where you want to go ) because the world, which is difficult enough as it is, would be intolerable