Spotlight On... Grow Up

When Glasgow outfit Grow Up released their first single Beach earlier this year, they celebrated with their debut live outing, playing a sold-out show at McChuills. Leaning into the theme of the song, beach balls, inflatable palm trees and flamingos were a large part of the aesthetic. "The crowd loved flinging them about and got really into the set," frontman Dale McPhail tells us. "It was class – a lovely, cathartic, chaotic release.”

Making their stance on the state of the world clear from the off, the show doubled up as a fundraiser for Scottish Artists Stand with Palestine, an organisation McPhail set up alongside Megan Black. “We have put on shows in the past and will be looking to do more of the same, showcasing more bands whilst raising as much as possible for our partners at Operation Olive Branch. I’d like to take a second to thank Sam Small, Aurora Engine and Night Caller for performing for free, and to McChuills, who had such passion for the project and made the night so easy.

“In the next couple of weeks, we’re going to be releasing a compilation album with some fantastic names on there, including Declan Welsh, Martha May and the Mondays, Full Fat, Linzi Clark, Bovine, Juan Laforet, Calum Baird, Vickie Paxton, ourselves and many more. Speaking for Grow Up, we will continue to raise funds and awareness as much as we can; the public interest and interaction seem to be dropping more and more every day, especially since the so-called ‘ceasefire’ has come into play. I would love it if the readers would consider following Scottish Artists Standing with Palestine and helping out in whatever way they’re able to.”

Their second single, All Inclusive, arrives today. A peppy rock’n’roll number steeped in charisma, think The Bug Club but with a thick Scottish accent and you'll be just about there. Alongside its release, the band have recorded a live session at Stone Dead Studios, also out today, which you can watch further down this page. But first, let’s get to know Grow Up a little better on the way there with a chat with singer and guitarist Dale McPhail.

You’re a relatively new band, having only announced your very existence on Instagram at the end of July. How did the five of you meet and what inspired you to start a band together?
We’ve been busy behind the scenes for a while, gathering everything we need to go public, and we’re delighted to finally get moving now. Chris Stewart (drums) and I work together and have always enjoyed each other's company and love for music. Once I saw his videos, heard about the projects he’s been part of, we got to talking and both were keen to work together. That’s when I enlisted Mungo Carswell (guitar), who is a close friend of mine. I love the way Mungo plays and the bands he’s already part of (Night Caller/Scorpio Leisure). I feel like Mungo brings legitimacy to the band, and I love having him around. We struggled a bit finding a bass player – my go-to-guy, Hamie (who’s my bestie), got a big boy job, and we couldn’t make our schedules work.

One very messy night at a Dirty Faces gig, I bumped into Kiah Douglas (synth), who I knew through my pal Sam Small (The OnYonYon). I’d always loved her voice and energy, so I immediately asked her to join. We get on like a house on fire. That same night, I ran into Kirsty Irwin (bass), who’d given me a couple of class tattoos before, and I was buzzing when she agreed to come aboard. Kirsty’s a great laugh, a total pro, and her enthusiasm and artwork have brought so much to the project. I woke up the next morning with a boggin’ hangover and a full band.

Who are some of the bands/artists that help inform your sound and the music you make together as a band?
As you’ve said, we’re a new band, so we’re still finding our sound. I have been performing as a niche solo artist for the last few years – I was really starting to get bored with myself. All I knew was that I wanted the opportunity to start making a lot more noise with talented people. I wanted a bigger, catchier, mega-fun sound like The Hives, Cheekface, DEVO, and Amyl and the Sniffers. We’ve picked a good time to start, I feel like the Glasgow scene is the strongest it’s been for ages – we want to be part of it.

Do you ever have disagreements on how things should sound and if so what’s been the hardest thing to overcome so far?
So far, the only disagreement we’ve had is what songs to record and when. Our solution is just to record them all. We are all experienced performers and share a vision for what we want to achieve with Grow Up, so disagreements have been few and far between. Sorry if that’s a cop out, maybe ask me again in a year?

How did you settle on the band name Grow Up?
We went through A LOT of names – some absolute stinkers – and Grow Up kept resurfacing. It’s a very fun thing to say to someone, especially with a bit of faux anger, especially when they’re being sensible. ‘You’re going home? At midnight on a school night? Grow up.’ ‘You can’t make practice because it’s your mum's birthday?’... You get the idea.

Your second single, All Inclusive, is out today and I’d love to know more about it. What was the inspiration behind the song and what was the process like for writing and recording it?
All Inclusive is a song about trying to keep it together when everything feels too much. It’s the mix of love, exhaustion, humour and guilt that comes with wanting to make someone (or yourself) happy but not really knowing how. It’s about learning to accept that life’s a messy package deal – pleasure, pain, worry and hope, all included.

One of my favourite things to do as a songwriter is figuring out how to celebrate life in all its forms; a big inspiration for me while writing this was the Eels song, Hey Man (Now You’re Really Living). ‘Do you know what it's like to fall on the floor and cry your guts out 'til you got no more / Hey man now you're really living’ is such an amazing opening line and was the jumping off point for me when writing All Inclusive. Just like that song, I want to spread as much joy as I can while telling the truth about how hard life can be at times, and I hope people can relate to that and come dance their anxieties away at a Grow Up show. We recorded it at the beautiful La Chunky Studios with engineer Iain Stewart. Iain was an absolute joy to work with, so we’re returning to the studio very soon.

The release comes alongside a live session filmed at Glasgow’s Stone Dead Studios. What was the session recording like for you as a band and how did that idea come to fruition?
I LOVE live sessions. Like many music nerds, one of my hobbies is sitting up all night watching Tiny Desk Concerts and KEXP sessions. We rehearse at Stone Dead Studios, and when CJ (Stone Dead John) offered us a session, we couldn’t refuse. Unfortunately, the studio got flooded! So we all squeezed into Michael’s (Paper Sailor Productions) room, which was such a tight space and made for a really fun session.

What’s next for the band? Do you have anything else planned for the rest of this year? And how is 2026 looking for you?
Our books are WIDE OPEN for 2026. At our core, we’re a live band, so to all those bookers and promoters out there, we’re ready when you are. One of the best things about being in a band is touring, so we’re dying to hit the road. We’re eyeing up Scotland, Ireland and the north of England. We’re also excited about festival opportunities.

We will be releasing loads more singles and an EP next year. As a new band, it’s hard to navigate what third-party services are the least evil, so we’re trying our best to take back a bit of creative and financial control too by encouraging people to support us directly, getting a limited edition T-shirt and keep up to date with our mailing-list at growup.band

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All Inclusive is out now

Follow Grow Up on Instagram @growup.band