50rpm

11/06/2026

The music community in Scotland for all its size, is actually a small and closely interwoven one. The sudden passing of Brian McFie is a heartbreaking one that is felt so deeply.

I was lucky enough to have known Brian for over 40 years, and have lost count of the amount of times I saw him stand on a stage and play guitar. From Valerie & The Week Of Wonders to The Big Dish, JJ Gilmour to Lola In Slacks and The Countess Of Fife to Marianne Faithfull. It was always a joy. With both being from the same town, there was a huge amount of pride in seeing a fantastic local musician, especially someone you know, being on TV on shows like Top Of The Pops.

Reading all the heartfelt tributes to Brian, shows the standing and respect he is held, as a musician, artist and person. A funny, talented & uncompromising human being. I always enjoyed Brian's company and chats, and had huge admiration for the changes he choose in recent years.

Brian played for us three times in the last year, twice with Valerie and The Week Of Wonders & with The Countess Of Fife, and he never looked happier than when he was on stage.

Since we heard the news on Tuesday, Brian and his family and friends have never been far from our thoughts. It is hard to take in.

Thanks 'Flash' for the music, the stories, the support & the friendship. x

(The picture is of Brian at Airdrie Town Hall with Valerie & The Week Of Wonders, opening for JJ Gilmour in August 2025. Photo by Alan McCormack Photography)

06/06/2026

We are down to the last couple of places for the legendary songwriter, punk raconteur & dj Tom Robinson (& Adam Phillips) gig on the 5th August. Nice bonus is that Scottish singer songwriter Tom Houston will be opening the show.

Can't wait for this one.

Grab the last couple of tix at https://wegottickets.com/event/696921

05/06/2026

Our friend Jj Gilmour has announced the line up for this October's Butesong 2026, a boutique festival held on the Isle of Bute that JJ curates.

What a line up he has for this year... the wonderful iconic Edinburgh singer songwriter Hamish Hawk will be performing, as will Chris Helme (formerly of indie legends The Seahorses). The absolutely brilliant multi award winning Irish singer songwriter Gareth Dunlop is also there, as is the brilliant Swiss Family Orbison (featuring members of Danny Wilson & Deacon Blue).

Canadian songwriter & producer David Celia bring some international flair, and the wonderful all-female Scottish trio Alma will bring their amazing harmonies.

Your host JJ Gilmour will also be performing, both solo, and with the ambient duo Caezar, alongside former Silencers bassist Joe Donnelly.

Tickets are on sale now at www.butesong.co.uk

05/06/2026

We find it really disheartening to see the amount of generic identical poorly generated AI images that venues, bands & artist are using to promote themselves and shows.

As a small community music club actively trying to support creatives, it is sad to see those who invest time, money and talent into creating music & putting on shows, deciding that the best way to promote themselves is by using something that has zero creativity, doesn't support other creatives, requires no talent, looks absolutely awful and can only work by stealing the creative talents of real artists. Please stop.

02/06/2026

Nice to see that our show with the legendary Tom Robinson & Adam Phillips on the 5th August is a staff recommended gig of the week with We Got Tickets.

Tix and info at https://wegottickets.com/f/16910

01/06/2026

The legendary Robbie McIntosh having some fun with the guys from Andertons.

Catch Robbie & John Goldie for a very, very special night of music & stories from two of the world's finest guitar players on the 1st Oct at the Georgian Hotel, Coatbridge.

Tix and info at www.50rpm.co.uk

01/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who came along to the My Darling Clementine gig last evening. It is a real joy to have such fantastic musicians come to our wee town.

It was an emotional evening of outstanding songs, old and new, from Lou & Michael. An inspirational couple for sure. Hopefully they will come back and play for us again.

Thank you Brendan, Colette & the team at the Georgian for looking after everyone.

Photos pinched from Alan McCormack.

31/05/2026

Tonight!!! The wonderful multi award winning duo My Darling Clementine will be playing at the Georgian Hotel, on the last night of the Scottish leg of their European tour.

Highly recommend anyone who is a fan of great songwriting to get along to this one.

Tix and info at https://wegottickets.com/f/16309

30/05/2026

As a small independent promoter of acts & artist that play original music that would be out with the generic mainstream that fills the Bauer Media commercial radio stations, the only airplay we could get these artists was with our publicly funded national broadcaster on shows like the Iain Anderson show, and occasionally on the afternoon arts shows, but with the changes made by former Bauer Media Director of Content for Scotland and Northern Ireland Victoria Easton Riley to BBC Radio Scotland, making it a clone of the faceless bland generic playlists stations she managed, Scotland has lost a vital platform for the arts, especially as an outlet for new music from Scottish artists. It is a cultural disaster for the arts in Scotland.

They will tell you that they are still supporting new Scottish music, but the stats and the airplay show that is simply not the case.

Despite the calls from some of the biggest names in the Scottish music industry and from the Scottish public, our publicly funded state broadcaster isn't listening to those who fund it.

Since the Iain Anderson show was taken off BBC Radio Scotland, only one act we work with has been able to get any kind of airplay on the station, and they are from Northern Ireland.

Despite all the outcry, the media exposure of the false narratives and outright lies, nothing has changed with those in charge, as they bring in more management from the commercial sector. Shame on them.

Changes are part of sweeping shake-up by Victoria Easton Riley, BBC Scotland’s new head of audio and events

28/05/2026

Catch the amazing multi-award winning duo My Darling Clementine this Sunday evening at The Georgian Hotel. Quite simply one of the best country/americana acts anywhere in Europe.

Grab a tix and join us: https://wegottickets.com/f/16309