Tartan Noir

The second Commercial Music Research Group seminar this year will take place in the UWS space at CCA Glasgow on Tuesday 13th November, from 5.30 - 7.00pm.

Lecturer in Music/Programme Leader for MA Songwriting and Performance David Scott will present

Classic Scottish Albums: Tartan Noir

I’ve presented and researched BBC Radio Scotland’s Classic Scottish Albums for 6 years and 6 series. In that time the production team have made around 32 radio features each dedicated to one classic album. My Commercial Music Research Group seminar will focus on the critical and practical factors that can be said to influence the construction of canon and will try to identify some strands of Scottishness that feature repeatedly across the series. James Ellroy coined the phrase Tartan Noir to describe an emerging genre of Scottish crime fiction that seemed to take some of its cues from his own L.A. underworld, albeit with a more guttural, weather-beaten tone. My talk will offer some examples of the same relationships within popular music, from Tom Waits to Bill Wells & Aiden Moffat and beyond.

Please bring your Tartan Noir vinyl to the party.