Afrobeats isn’t an import anymore - it’s part of Scotland’s sound now. Diaspora communities in cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen have brought rhythm, roots, and real momentum. But recognition still lags behind reality.

Nowadays, Scottish Indie Folk Music is like many other musical genres: directly at your fingertips. All you need is a phone and a music streaming platform. And whilst Scottish Indie Folk Music can be readily accessed, TikTok could be the application to push the genre into the spotlight.

As a city, Glasgow is lucky to have one of the strongest grassroots music scenes in the UK as well as a hugely diverse population from countless different backgrounds. With this in mind, this article is aiming to serve as a guide to some of the resources and tips that I found useful when getting started in the local scene leading up to my first show.

Edinburgh Schools Rock Ensemble (ESRE) are an annually evolving band of just over twenty  talented musicians drawn from secondary schools across the city. ESRE centres around  performing a variety of rock and contemporary covers in venues around Edinburgh’s touring  circuit including the Usher Hall, Summerhall and most recently, The Mash House.