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This episode was recorded live at Glasgow’s Civic House a few weeks back, as part of the brilliant Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival…
I was joined by three of Scotland’s most vital songwriters and musicians, for an evening of live music and conversation that reflected on the ways in which music and creativity can have an impact on mental health - for better, and worse - both on a personal level, and with regard to bringing about wider social change, and kindness, and understanding…
Emma Pollock's a founder member of hugely loved Scottish band the Delgados, and the revolutionary label Chemikal Underground. She led the Music Like A Vitamin and Fruit Tree Foundation projects alongside Idlewild’s Rod Jones, which grew from previous work with the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, in association with the Mental Health Foundation.
She’s just released an absolutely glorious new album, it’s called Begging The Night To Take Hold, and its release follows a period of huge personal upheaval, and an autism diagnosis…
Jo Mango is a musician, songwriter and academic whose work ranges from touring with Vashti Bunyan to her involvement with incredible initiatives like Vox Liminis’ Distant Voices and A Giant on the Bridge - which explored experiences of the criminal justice system from various perspectives - and Listening To Voices, which engaged creatively with people who hear voices - often those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia…
Jo’s forthcoming album, The Lightswitch, has a strong focus on mental health - exploring the ‘ghost voices’ of women who have left the music industry because of harassment, abuse or toxic environments…
Amy Duncan, meanwhile, is a musician, singer and songwriter who I first met when she played in punk-folk outfit Swelling Meg with Cora Bissett in the late 1990s - and I loved them so much I put out their album… Since then, you might have seen Amy onstage brandishing her double bass in the National Theatre of Scotland’s awesome June Carter Cash show, or marvelled at her solo albums…
She’s gearing up to release Greetings From Gartnavel, her third collaboration with lyricist David Paton, which is an album of songs shining a light on David’s experiences with schizophrenia - and this episode is bookended by Amy and David’s songs together, to let their music do the talking. Their album’s out via Last Night From Glasgow in January…
