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 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