Community Radio in Glasgow

If you’ve landed in Glasgow because of its UNESCO City of Music status, or you’re just here, well, because, and you happen to be a big ol’ fan of music, then a great way to throw yourself into the local scene is by checking out its independent record shops and by listening to its community-run radio stations.

Monorail Music (12 Kings Court, King St), housed in cafe, bar and gig venue Mono in the Merchant City, is a good jumping off point; the shop is run by The Pastels’ Stephen McRobbie, with its core staff made up of various local band members and indie record label owners. In complementary fashion, you’ll find glorious vinyl of every genre here, with a strong selection of Scottish artists, past, present and future.

The staff of Some Great Reward (520 Victoria Rd), a record shop and cafe in the city’s Southside, can also be found playing in bands or running club nights, and if you’re looking for a Scottish record to add to your collection, they can help with that too. What’s more, online radio station Radio Buena Vida has been broadcasting from the shop's front window since October 2020.

With a strong focus on the local community, Radio Buena Vida co-founder Suz O’Neill tells us about the shows you can expect to hear on the station: "From the outset we wanted to ensure that the music we play on the station represents the diversity of music being made, played and listened to across the city, so you will hear a wide range of genres, from amapiano, gqom, post-punk, new wave and techno to hip-hop, dubstep, breaks, bass, jazz, rap, soul, Jersey club and more.

“Shows from rap/production duo Washington and Papi Moses and hip-hop/grime producer/musician duo Praize 4G and Rosái shine a spotlight on Scottish independent artists.” O’Neill continues: “Sound designers Anna Pluto and Kairogen’s shows deliver a series of sonic journeys; DJ Pearl Necklace brings his signature vogue and club, DJ Superherb features leftfield dub releases from his Glasgow label Full Dose, DJ Farnaz hits hard with techno, ISO YSO explores computer game and orchestral scores, and Faye from Some Great Reward has a metal show.”

DJ Superherb

As is to be expected, a lot of the station's show hosts also run their own club nights and put on their own gigs in the city. For an out-of-towner, it can be hard to know where’s best to go out, especially if your goal is to ‘live like a local’ while you’re visiting. Based on the station's programming, we ask O’Neill for some city centre recommendations on where to check out for gigs and clubs. “That’s a tough one to answer,” she says, “there are so many! Bonzai Bonner’s programming at The Berkeley Suite (237 North St), including Optimistic Soul’s Africa Is Now night, and VAJ.Power’s programming at Stereo (22-28 Renfield Ln), including the A Cut Above nights, stand out as being particularly exciting and diverse right now. We’re also excited to see what resident Joe Unknown will do in his new programming role at Nice N Sleazy (421 Sauchiehall St).

In the coming months, Radio Buena Vida will continue broadcasting to passers by in the Govanhill area, however soon it will be from their own cafe and event space across the street from their current home. “We are eternally grateful to Some Great Reward for their generosity in allowing us to broadcast from their window,” O’Neill says. “Thanks to their incredible support we are now moving onto our next adventure.”

Further community radio can be found in Glasgow at Clyde Built Radio, Govan's Sunny G Community Radio and Subcity Radio, which has been broadcasting in the city since 1995. 

For more info on Radio Buena Vida, head to buenavida.co.uk