Category: Music

  • We are trickster gods

    This superb piece by Niko Stratis is a must-read about the no-point-in-reading news stories telling you that some old rich guy or other thinks trans women are icky and probably murderous. We are trickster gods, barbed and poisonous, waiting to rip the seams of the tender fabric of this gentle world. But we are never…

  • T time

    I was delighted to be a small part of BBC Scotland’s new podcast, The Rise and Fall of T in the Park. It’s about more than just the festival itself; it’s about the impact it had on the Scottish music scene and on Scotland as a destination for touring bands. I’m in there talking about…

  • Not cancelled

    Earlier this week, the singer Lizzo released a record containing a word she didn’t realise was a slur against disabled people. When disabled people told her on social media that it was derogatory, she effectively said “Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” and re-released the song with the word changed. If you believe the endless…

  • Dreams that glitter

    I’m really sad to read about the death of Sarah Harding, who has died of breast cancer aged just 39 (please, please, please get yourself checked out whether you’re male, female or neither). Her band, Girls Aloud, were one of the finest pop bands we’ve ever had: they had the same crying-on-the-dancefloor thing as the…

  • SausageFest 2021

    My talented musical pal Becci Wallace made this. It’s funny because it’s so very true.

  • I’m braw*

    I’m delighted to be featured as today’s Woman of the Day by Braw Gals In Music: Jordan’s Instagram/Facebook/Twitter has highlighted some incredible women and non-binary people, and I’m very proud to be included. * Braw is Scots for fine, good or excellent.

  • It’s okay to cry

    Glaswegian musician and producer SOPHIE has died. She was an extraordinary talent and this is a very sad loss. Munroe Bergdorf: Our community has lost an icon, a pioneer and a visionary bright light. Heartbroken. SOPHIE you will be missed. “Thank you for sharing your talent with us. I hope we get to meet again…

  • Say a prayer for the lost and lonely

    My band released a Christmas EP last year, and I think the closing track is even more appropriate this year. It’s called A Christmas Prayer. Didn’t kiss you this Christmas by HAVR The lyrics are: I hope you have a good one I hope your christmas is fun I hope you’re with your family and…

  • “Maybe you haven’t found your people yet, but they will be there.”

    There’s a nice piece in Refinery29 by Robin Craig. It’s about chosen families, the networks of supportive people that can mean so much to LGBT+ people. A chosen family is, as the name suggests, a family that someone chooses for themselves. It blurs the lines between friends, siblings and parents. For trans people, relationships with…

  • “I wasn’t dreaming of a quiet Christmas”

    My band released a Christmas EP last year, and I wanted to make Christmas releases a tradition for us. This year there’s just one song, a quiet acoustic thing about being unable to spend Christmas with the one(s) you love. It’s a very simple arrangement and production but I think that fits the vibe of…