The last of our roundups of 2020 looks at the year in music, with Ali joined by Richard Bull, the producer of BBC Radio Scotland’s Roddy Hart Show. Using the podcast as a great excuse to catch up and talk music, something they usually do at gigs and other live events, they each pick 10 releases to discuss which have left their mark in the last 12 months. They do take a few detours and diversions along the way, with subjects including the quality and range of new music release

For the second part of our roundup of the Best Music of 2019 Ali joined Mark McNally and Gary Bannatyne on the Postcards From The Underground radio show to talk about their favourite albums and play tracks from them. It’s a great selection of songs which makes clear what a fantastic year it has been for Scottish music. If you missed it you can listen back to the show by clicking below, with the tracklisting underneath. See what you make of their choices and have a wee rant an

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. There’s been a lot of programmes looking at the life and times of Billy Connolly recently, so it seems apt to post a link to what is, in my opinion, the funniest hour of TV

The Gracious Losers, Starry Skies, Modern Studies, The Scottish Enlightenment, Carla J. Easton, L-Space, Kirsty Law, C.S. Buchan & Friends, Roberts/Skuse/McGuinness, Zoe Bestel, Kathryn Joseph, Aidan Moffat and R.M Hubbert, Vive La Rose, Errant Boy, and many more (some of which have tracks which feature below). Here’s hoping for a similar high quality return in 2019. But before we get ahead of ourselves – if you can fit in one more ‘Best Of The Year’ list, small but perfectly

A recent visit to the National Museum of Scotland’s Rip It Up: The Story Of Scottish Pop exhibition was a reminder, as if one were needed, that Scotland’s pop music heritage is deep and wide and tall. It’s a must visit for anyone interested in music, and it is also the place where you can pick up a copy of Vic Galloway’s book of the same name (a review of which will appear on these pages shortly). But, as nice as it is to look back, these reviews are all about the here and no