Sarah Mengede

Although I love Newcastle, it is great to get out of the city occasionally, and even out of England, to see what’s happening elsewhere. And I reckon there is no better place to go for a musical enthusiast than Glasgow – Scotland’s vibrant, culture filled city, and the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music. This time, I went to watch singer/songwriter from Dumfries, Scotland, Zac Scott launch his debut single ‘Fox’ at The Old Hairdresser’s pub.

With their new single ‘Hide and Seek’ the Leeds-based folk-pop duo Sunflower Thieves, made up of Amy Illingworth and Lily Sturt-Bolshaw, have released a song that feels like a warm hug in times of social distancing and solitude which reminds us of the carefree life of pre-pandemic times. Similar to their previous singles ‘Two Halves’ and ‘Heavy Weight’, the duo’s new track is made up of dreamy harmonies, gentle guitar riffs and an overall calmness which invites the listener to sit back, relax a

I met the Glaswegian electro-pop duo Ophelia Lies, a collaboration between the producers Eugenio Dubla and Thomas Brumby, on Zoom two weeks ago to chat about writing and producing new music in Scotland while the world is on pause. We also spoke about their new single ‘Isolation’, which perfectly captures the zeitgeist of a global society that is currently reinventing itself. image: Ophelia Lies