The Good Life: Glasgow's Radio Buena Vida

The Spanish phrase ‘buena vida’ directly translates to ‘good life’ – that’s what partners David Fleming and Suz O’Neill are trying to achieve. In October 2020, the pair decided to follow their dreams and set up an online radio station, intending to create their own ‘good life’ far away from mundane corporate jobs. Two and a half years have passed since Radio Buena Vida’s (RBV) first broadcast. Ambitiously, the station now hosts over 160 residents, with a multitude of genres across its DJs and selectors. What was once a holiday dream for David and Suz is a full-time job, bringing community radio not only to Scotland, but broadcasting to the world.

David, also known by his appropriate DJ alias Speedy RBV, has worked in music for over 20 years, always with a passion for Scotland’s scene. Suz, who’s never worked in music before, has been an avid gig attender and music connoisseur. Together whilst on holiday in Spain, admiring the culture surrounding late-night cafés and live music, they loosely formulated the idea for RBV. The pair came together sharing passions for what they both love; music and the ability to enjoy it in the small intimate café spaces often found in Continental Europe. Suz, with her extensive knowledge in hospitality, floated the idea of "how good" it would be to have a radio station and café in Scotland, "somewhere where you could get a cup of tea and a glass of wine whilst listening to music". With David’s prior experience in music, it was evident to the couple how they could both use their strengths to realise their dreams.

RBV offers up something unique to Scotland’s music scene, a chance for flourishing artists to learn, grow, and test new tracks before they’re necessarily ready for the club. "The cafe and studio are a place where people can develop as selectors, not just DJs," David states. "One of the most rewarding aspects of the job is seeing someone come in and be a little nervous, then a few months later they’re confident, thinking about promoting and playing in clubs. It’s fulfilling." Ultimately RBV is not just for those who are skilled in DJing, it offers a platform providing education for everyone who has a keen interest in music. Suz and David stress "it doesn’t matter if you’re into folk or club music – you produce radio content over at RBV, selectors are made here not just DJs".

For Suz and David, having the opportunity to see relationships between other artists connect and flourish organically is one of the most rewarding aspects of the station. Suz retells a meeting between T-Kidd, one of the station's volunteers, and Liam Shortall. "They were both chatting and crossed paths, as one was performing and the other volunteering. T-Kidd is a rapper whilst Liam produces pseudo-jazz in the band corto.alto. The ten-minute conversation turned into a collaboration, T-Kidd rapped on one of corto.alto’s tracks. It was amazing to witness this connection in person."

Over the past two years, RBV has moved twice on Victoria Road in the Southside of Glasgow. However, their new home is much more suited to Suz and David’s vision. Whilst being a fully functioning café, RBV prioritises making the space as accessible as possible. From a large open bathroom to a custom mixing desk with changeable heights, David and Suz want to ensure that the space can be used by everyone – the community is really at the forefront of RBV.

In terms of the future of RBV, Suz and David are keen to get back into hosting club events, allowing residents to showcase their talents. In collaboration with the Glasgow Film Festival, RBV will be presenting a night of Acid Tunes on 11 March. Running ‘til the early hours at Nice and Sleazy’s, this will act as a fundraiser for the station; the line-up is TBC. A second night on 9 March is being curated by Suz and David, which emphasises the sound of punk in Scotland.

Radio Buena Vida is an organisation which truly is grassroots. Suz and David have relied on the kindness of strangers to help build their new studio – "folk who share a common goal with the station, a platform for the community". The station is an independent and volunteer-run not-for-profit, something which Suz and David never intend to change. However, in the future they’d "love the chance to pay volunteers or even bring someone on to help curate the running of the programme better; this is, however, in the future". A Patreon has been set up for the station, with different tiers offering some perks relating to the station. "The Patreon is for anyone who likes what the station is doing and is in a position to support our continued work," David says. "The residents and volunteers make Radio Buena Vida, not me and Suz, without them we’d never have gotten past lockdown to where we are today".

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Band: The Music Show, 9 Mar, Nice N Sleazy; I Am Weekender's Acid House Night, 11 Mar, Nice N Sleazy (both part of Glasgow Film Festival)