Scottish Music in 2022

'All Correct At Time of Writing' was the get-out-of-jail card coverline we emblazoned across the front of our January 2022 issue as we unsurely readied it for print in the middle of December 2021. Sadly when we returned in 2022 our fears had become a depressing reality with many of January’s music venues and festivals facing yet more hurdles and financial uncertainty, as government advice forced temporary closures, cancellations and postponements in abundance.

But towards the end of January, things started to look up as Dan Snaith and co of Caribou rolled into Glasgow to play a sold-out Barrowlands show, with things continuing to pick up after that. In April, we tentatively launched our Music Festivals special with breakout stars of the year Wet Leg on the cover, and much to our delight, most of the festivals we covered in that issue – Knockengorroch, Kelburn Garden Party, Hidden Door, Jupiter Rising and Riverside Festival to name a few – went ahead. Not all returns were a success, however, with Doune the Rabbit Hole currently in a spot of trouble that we quite simply do not have the time or energy to get into here, but Doune, please pay your performers. The same could be said for the newly launched in June 2022 Junction 1 venue, with a source close to The Skinny telling us they've yet to be paid. 

There were new glimmers of hope to celebrate in the Scottish festival calendar this year too with new music, art and culture festival Otherlands making its debut at Scone Palace in August (recently nominated for Best Festival in the DJ Mag Best of British Awards 2022) and the excellent, not to mention the surprising return of the much-missed Connect festival. We have to admit we were pretty sceptical about its return, and the fact it was taking place right next to Edinburgh Airport did have us confused, but we doff our hat to you as Connect truly did exceed our expectations and we’re genuinely looking forward to its return in 2023.

Following a pretty much back to 'business as usual' summer of festivalling, October brought with it the annual Scottish Album of the Year Award, now in its 11th year, which took place at Stirling’s Albert Halls for the first time. While The SAY Award did make its return to the live format at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall in 2021, this year everyone was a lot more at ease, with fewer people hiding behind masks or afraid to hug one another. On the night, Cocteau Twins’ Heaven or Las Vegas won the second-ever Modern Scottish Classic Award, with the Seonaid Aitken Ensemble paying homage to the record on the night, while Berta Kennedy was dubbed The Sound of Young Scotland for her exciting brand of slick, r’n’b-infused pop. 

Of course, the big winner of the night was jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie, who took the title of Scottish Album of the Year for his masterful third studio album, Forest Floor, which saw his beautiful piano compositions heavily influenced by Scottish traditional music. The record entered the official UK Jazz and Blues Chart in the top spot, and also saw the 25-year-old musician receive a nod from the Mercury Prize.

The Skinny's Scottish Albums of the Year

It’ll come as no surprise, then, that when we asked our Music Team what Scottish albums they’d been loving this year, Fergus McCreadie's Forest Floor appeared on many a list, placing in pole position on several. But, the return of Hudson Mohawke struck a chord with many Skinny contributors this year, too, who loved Cry Sugar equally, making it impossible to separate the two from the top spot of our Scottish Albums of the Year list. Closely following the two was Kathryn Joseph, with the quiet rage of for you who are the wronged, while Lady Neptune’s gabba-fuelled, face-melting Noz and the dark pop of Goodnight Louisa’s Human Danger weren’t far behind.

Walt Disco who, like McCreadie and Joseph were also nominated for this year’s SAY Award, saw their debut Unlearning take the sixth spot, while our November Album of the Month, Andrew Wasylyk’s Hearing the Water Before Seeing the Falls, came in seventh. A late-in-the-year aural treat came in the form of Alliyah Enyo’s breathtaking Echo’s Disintegration, which takes the eighth spot, while the self-titled debut from Poster Paints picks up a very well-deserved ninth place, with our top ten rounded out by the gorgeous Mooching from the exceptional talents of singer-songwriter Lizzie Reid.