In Glasgow’s new generation of emerging indie artists, Radhika has reached inspiring heights in her first year of gigging. Last year saw collaboration with many of the city’s greatest musicians live, performing in a residency at Paisley Arts Centre and constructing an audience continuous with her inspirations, and now the first single from her debut album Cine Pop, Starry Eyes, has been officially released, with contributions from Teenage Fanclub’s Gerard Love and The Pastels’ Mitch Mitchell.
Around a month before the single’s debut, we met in Mono in Glasgow to discuss the persistence of the city’s musical heroes in fostering its arts scene, strengthening local venues, and what the future might hold for Glasgow’s grassroots arts.
We began focusing on the scene of overlapping bands which emerged from Bellshill in the C86 era, with Radhika observing the inspiration taken by many of American independent label Slumberland’s groups from the scene, alongside early Creation Records groups like The Jesus and Mary Chain, who she cites as having helped pave the way for 1990s shoegaze.
“I don’t think there’d be bands in Glasgow if it wasn’t for those bands in the 90s. No one just makes music; you’re also derived from the past or bands from the present you take inspiration from. The Bellshill scene did a lot for music even now.”
This led to Radhika’s own inspirations as an artist, where she described a graduation from mainstream pop to her dad’s extensive record collection as a child, becoming engrossed with Scottish music and inspired to action by local heroes.
“If it wasn’t for Teenage Fanclub, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Shop Assistants, I wouldn’t be so passionate about music, because they made me feel like it was actually possible.”
The comparative diversity of the current Glasgow scene as well as music circles in general in the 2020s is undeniable, with a significant female-fronted presence, but Radhika explained persistent difficulties in receiving fair treatment outside of select promoters or venues.
“There are more women, but I don’t think it’s fully changed yet. It’s a shame to say that… I don’t wanna say too much, but Monorail and Pop Mutations are the only promoters I can currently say do so much for women and pay you fairly.”
Radhika’s band consists of herself as songwriter, singer and guitarist, dad Sushil K. Dade of The Soup Dragons and Future Pilot AKA on bass, and Eric McDonald on synths and drum loops. Collaboration has seen them join The Cords in being “adopted” by Glasgow’s indie titans.
“I think I fall into the bracket like The Cords. I’ve really found home in supporting older bands and it just feels right because I admire that scene so much.”
Perhaps due to the continuities seen with these older bands, Radhika’s audience veers older than that of most up-and-coming young bands and artists, but she pointed out the heavier economic considerations for a younger audience financially supporting musicians when they tend to have less disposable income.
“These six music dads, they really care, and they’re really supportive of young bands. If you put something on Bandcamp they’ll be the first to buy it because younger people, we don’t have much money, you know? It is harder when you want to support a band financially.”
Starry Eyes exemplifies direct inspiration from listening to iconic bands, and creative development from collaboration with them. Radhika and dad Sushil wrote the song as “very Galaxie 500, very droney,” but when The Pastels’ Mitch Mitchell joined to provide backing vocals, Pastels-esque elements embedded from Radhika’s obsessive listening to their Slow Summits album were brought to the forefront:
“Mitch has that ethereal motion, it’s very fluid, and I guess that’s what you’re hearing on Starry Eyes. It’s very polyphonic, my songs are quite wavy, they’re never really straight.”
The Hangar, a multi-arts event organised bi-monthly by Radhika and Sushil K. Dade at Paisley Arts Centre, sets out to celebrate alternative art, film, and music outside of the city, and has seen collaborations with Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, Mogwai’s Stewart Braithwaite, and BMX Bandits’ Duglas T. Stewart.
“Paisley Arts Centre is the most beautiful building. It’s really special to put on nights like that, celebrating inclusivity and Scottish artists. We just wanna pay respect to all these amazing Scottish musicians who are still thriving.”
After almost selling out on flexi disc in October, Starry Eyes released officially 9 January. Further singles will be released in March and April, with Cine Pop releasing in May, lasting 33 1/3 minutes and having been recorded in “like 13 hours” straight at La Chunk Studios, Glasgow.
“One’s a cover of my favourite band ever. Maybe a Strawberry Switchblade song! Mitch sings on that, along with Tracyanne Campbell from Camera Obscura. That was an absolute dream.”
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