Music Now: The music podcast from The Skinny

On this episode, we chat to Matthew Hickman of indie-soul outfit Brownbear. We discuss a pair of ambitious upcoming gigs, his songwriting approach, some unexpected inspirations, and the telltale signs of a good song.Brownbear play Queen's Hall, Edinburgh on 27 Mar with a full band and string ensemble, and Saint Luke's, Glasgow on 6 Jun, performing their albums 'What Is Home?' and 'Demons' in full.Presented by Laurie Presswood; production and editing by Peter Simpson and Laurie Presswood; audio by Brian Pokora.instagram.com/brownbear_official

On our first episode of 2026, we catch up with musician and composer Brìghde Chaimbeul. One of the most exciting pipe players to emerge in recent years, we chat to Brìghde about the inspirations behind her excellent new album Sunwise, the role of mythology and ritual in her songwriting, and her process for playing live.Brìghde plays St Lukes, Glasgow on 21 Jan with Shahzad Ismaily as part of Celtic Connections – tickets hereCHAPTERS:Celtic Connections, and the Sunwise album (0:30)Community, ritual, archives and development (6:15)The winter folklore and Gaelic mythology behind A’Chailleach (16:55)The significance of Sunwise (22:00)Presented by Laurie Presswood; production and editing by Peter Simpson; audio by Brian Pokora; recorded remotely from The Skinny office in Edinburghbrichaimbeul.com / theskinny.co.uk

For the final Music Now podcast of the year, we hit the road to chat to SAY Award-winning singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph.We met Kathryn in the green room of the Glad Cafe in Glasgow’s Southside to talk about learning to love her music, her work with producer and multi-instrumentalist Lomond Campbell, and the process behind her recent LP WE WERE MADE PREY.Kathryn Joseph plays First Footin' at St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, 1 Jan (tickets here) and Oran Mor, Glasgow on 18 Jan as part of Celtic Connections (tickets here)kathrynjoseph.co.ukRecorded at The Glad Cafe, Glasgow; thanks to Kim and the GC team for all their help. Presented by Laurie Presswood; produced and edited by Peter Simpson, with audio by Brian Pokora

On our latest episode, we're joined by Ceitlin Lilidh, Eilidh Cormack and Ellen MacDonald, better known as the Gaelic vocal harmony group Sian.Sian are perhaps best known for their work with Niteworks on tracks like Air far an la, and their second album araon, which came out in August, was jointly produced by Niteworks’ Innes Strachan and the prolific producer and composer Innes White.We caught up with the trio to chat about their tour preparations, adapting well-known songs, and mining the archives at The School of Scottish Studies.----This episode is sponsored by the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, where Sian are performing on 4 December as part of the last of their Malin Lewis Presents series with Flook and Malin Lewis – get tickets via thequeenshall.netPresented by Laurie Presswood; produced, recorded and edited by Peter Simpson for The Skinny; music by Brian PokoraFollow Sian on Instagram at @sianceol and get tickets for their upcoming tour at sianmusic.com/tour

After teaming up on the SAY Award-longlisted album Ash Grey And The Gull Glides On, Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman's latest project is a new score for the 1925 silent film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera.We caught up with Andrew and Tommy in the studio to discuss scoring an iconic piece of cinema, their respective musical processes, and the creative benefits of feeling like a novice.Dundead presents The Phantom of the Opera on Tour with live score by Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman tours Scotland, including Filmhouse, Edinburgh, 25 Oct; GFT, 29 Oct; Dundee Contemporary Arts, 31 Oct – dates and tickets at dca.org.uk/the-phantom-of-the-opera-tour/Ash Grey and The Gull Glides On, out now on Clay Pipe Music - Andrew and Tommy perform the album live at Marryat Hall, Dundee, 8 Nov – tickets via dundeebox.co.ukPresented by Laurie Presswood; produced and edited by Peter Simpson, with audio by Brian Pokora

Ahead of her new album A’ Chailleach, we catch up with award-winning Gaelic singer-songwriter Kim Carnie.Kim sits down with Laurie Presswood to discuss the Gaelic music revival, the women who inspired her new album, the role of the tarot in A’ Chailleach, and writing a song for Seckou Keita before actually telling him...This episode is sponsored by Queen's Hall, Edinburgh; get tickets for Malin Lewis Presents with Kim Carnie Trio, Malin Lewis Trio and Heal & Harrow at thequeenshall.netCHAPTERS:The tarot's role in A’ Chailleach (0:40)Songwriting, Seckou Keita, and Gaelic music's revival (11:25)The writing of opening track Ulc a dhèan mo lochd (28:10)***A’ Chailleach is out on 19 Sep via Càrn Records; Kim Carnie tours the UK this September, details at kimcarnie.com/tourPresented by Laurie Presswood; produced, recorded and edited by Peter Simpson for The Skinny; music by Brian Pokora

Glasgow singer-songwriter Alice Faye joins us to discuss life as an independent artist on tour, the aftermath of reality TV, the energy that goes into a good song, and the making of her new single Here We Go All Over (Again).CHAPTERS:Touring, and life after The Piano (00:30)Alice Faye’s songwriting process (13:35)A deep dive on Here We Go All Over (Again) (28:30)instagram.com/alicefayemusic; Alice Faye plays The Caves, Edinburgh, 28 Aug and The Art School, Glasgow, 29 AugPresented by Laurie Presswood; recorded and edited by Peter Simpson; music and sounds by Brian Pokora.

Laurie Presswood chats with piper, fiddler, instrument maker and composer Malin Lewis. Malin discusses their debut album Halocline, the role of improv in their songwriting, and the challenges of writing music for a brand-new instrument.This episode is sponsored by Queen's Hall, Edinburgh; get tickets for Malin Lewis Presents at thequeenshall.netCHAPTERS:Nought For Glory (01:05)Songwriting (11:25)Halocline, and its standout track Trans (28:10)Presented by Laurie Presswood; produced, recorded and edited by Peter Simpson for The Skinny; music by Brian Pokora