Going the distance

You can tell a lot about a person by their smile. Take a look at JOSH RITTER, part-time marathon enthusiast, full-time singing hero. You just know he'd be the kind of guy you wouldn't mind being sat next to on a long-haul flight.

With five albums to his name, the career of this affable Idaho man also makes a great case for the payoff that comes from giving an artist the time they need to develop properly.

It's like making the perfect bowl of homemade soup - it requires experimentation, trial and error and adding the ingredients that complement each other best. So where you might spice things up with a bit of cumin and dill, Ritter takes a pinch of Cohen and Dylan to ensure his musical palette is a joy to the senses.

The 31-year-old's last two albums in particular, The Animal Years and The Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter, have deservedly lifted his popularity to new heights thanks to some finely crafted melodies, rich production and astute lyrics. And if you have the good fortune of seeing him live, you will surely be left with a warm glow inside.

4 Josh Ritter - Girl In The War
4 Josh Ritter - To The Dogs Or Whoever

b April 3, Liquid Room, Edinburgh (tickets)

Mix and match

We'd never heard of NATTY but folk who work on the Londoner's behalf (he's signed to a major label) have been emailing The Pop Cop about him and describing his mellow sound as "suitable for a Sunday afternoon".

To be honest, that's pretty much where we stopped reading since PR babble rarely makes our cynical hearts skip a beat. It was only when we discovered this dreadlocked new kid on the block was taking his reggae-influenced oeuvre to the windowless basement of Glasgow's indier-than-thou Nice 'n' Sleazy that we found ourselves strangely drawn to scratch beneath the soundbites.

And what we found came as a most pleasant surprise. Rather than being some Bob Marley wannabe, Natty has clearly been listening to the odd bit of folk music.

All the signs seem to suggest Atlantic Records are prepping Natty to infiltrate the alternative scene. His song If I... appeared on a recent NME compilation and he has supported Kate Nash, Hard-Fi and Adele. If our theory is correct, then getting Natty on stage with Mystery Jets at last month's iTunes Festival to cover a Vampire Weekend number was a marriage made in indie crossover heaven. Let's just pray some clueless music magazine doesn't brand him "new reggae".

4 Natty - If I...
4 Natty and Mystery Jets - One (Blake's Got A New Face) [Vampire Weekend cover]

b April 1, Nice 'n' Sleazy, Glasgow (tickets)

Special delivery

Hello. So far we've managed to be strict on our pledge to only write about acts who are from or coming to Scotland - and that's why we wondered how we could get away with writing about JAMES CHADWICK since he ticks neither box.

Then we remembered that in our second ever post on The Pop Cop, while explaining our mission statement a la Jerry Maguire, we wrote: "If we also just happen to stumble across the best song ever that everybody HAS to hear then trust us, we'll find a tenuous Tartan link somewhere, so fear not."

With this in mind, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that Chadwick - a singing, songwriting young man from the Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire border - contributed to Worried Noodles, a concept compilation album in which all the lyrics were written by Glaswegian artist and Guardian cartoonist David Shrigley. The end result was a track called The Wooden Floor.

Good though it is, it is utterly overshadowed by Chadwick's own beguiling slice of acoustic perfection, The Last One, a song which has brightened our lives immeasurably and is quite simply the reason we are so excited to bring this post to you today.

Hopefully, we had you at "hello".

4 James Chadwick - The Last One
4 James Chadwick - The Wooden Floor

Exclusive competition: Win a pair of tickets to see Radiohead!

At The Pop Cop we're all about the giving. Just last weekend we decided to donate our Easter eggs to size zero models and today we are offering you two FREE tickets to see the mighty Radiohead.

It has been five years since the supergroup played to a Glaswegian crowd so it’s no surprise that this summer's gig at Glasgow Green on Friday, June 27 is one of the most hotly anticipated shows of 2008. Fans can expect to hear tracks from their seventh album In Rainbows as well as classics from their incomparable back catalogue. The gates open at 4pm and the entertainment kicks off with a host of support acts who are still to be announced - and you can be there.

Our friends at gigsinscotland.com are offering a lucky reader of The Pop Cop the chance to win a pair of tickets, which are worth precisely £86.85 according to the bank statement we've just hunted out.

All you have to do to enter is answer this simple question:
What is the name of Radiohead’s lead singer?
A. Phil Selway
B. Colin Greenwood
C. Thom Yorke

Now just email your answer to thepopcop@gmail.com with your name, address and date of birth before March 31.
If you are not lucky enough to win, tickets are still available by calling Ticketmaster on 08444 999 990 or online at http://www.scotland.ticketmaster.co.uk/.

THE SMALL PRINT
Tickets are non transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.
Competition is open to over 18s only.
Promoter reserves the right to refuse entry.
Your email address and personal details will not be sold on to third parties and will only be used in connection with this competition.

4 Radiohead - Talk Show Host
4 Radiohead - How Can You Be Sure?

b June 27, Glasgow Green, Glasgow

"Part of me was uncomfortable with how polished the sound had become"

Scott Hutchison, above, at Cathouse; Below (from top) Grant Hutchison, Billy Kennedy and Andy Monaghan. All photos by The Pop Cop

Date: February 29, 2008
Time: 20.45
Location: Cathouse, Glasgow
Interview subject: Scott Hutchison, Frightened Rabbit
Background info: Regular visitors to The Pop Cop will be well aware of how much we love Frightened Rabbit. We first interviewed Selkirk's finest export last August and the band's popularity has been on an upward trajectory ever since, although whether those two facts are linked is open to debate. Six months on, we caught up with frontman Scott, who gave us a frank and candid account of the anguish that fuelled his songwriting for their hotly-anticipated new album.

Half of the material on The Midnight Organ Fight should already feel cosily familiar to FRIGHTENED RABBIT fans. Last year the band freely gave away demos of The Modern Leper, Old Old Fashioned, The Twist, My Backwards Walk, Head Rolls Off and Keep Yourself Warm to anyone who asked (usually accompanied by a biscuit), while Fast Blood has long been a live favourite alongside the older material from their debut record Sing The Greys.

The Frightened Rabbit sound has been beefed up and improved beyond recognition for the new album and it's no surprise they recently drafted in an extra guitarist, Andy Monaghan, to do justice to the expansive weight of the studio versions.

The songs on The Midnight Organ Fight are almost entirely about the break-up of Scott's long-term relationship, a fact he admirably doesn't shy away from, either on record or when chatting to The Pop Cop. It's an honesty that is in many ways matched by the band's musicianship, which is powerfully raw and always driven by melody.

So here we have Scott's track-by-track take on The Midnight Organ Fight, straight from the Rabbit's mouth...

01 The Modern Leper
SCOTT: One of my favourites without a doubt, both live and on the record. I’m quite pleased with it as an opener because it sums up the album's sonic and lyrical scope. It’s not that dark a song but the lyrics are a bit more intense than some of the ones on the last record. There’s no beating about the bush, it’s a big tune.
THE POP COP: Are you the modern leper?
Yeah, totally, all the songs are about me. By the end of this song, or any of them, I don’t think there’s a feeling that there’s no hope at all. I always try to go for at least a slight upturn in the mood. There’s definitely a positive aspect to it. There’s tonnes of shit that goes with being in a relationship and there’s tonnes of good stuff as well. As long as it doesn’t get outweighed by the shit there’s always hope.

02 I Feel Better
I took a trip to New York to surprise a girl and salvage the relationship but it didn’t really work out the way I intended so I came back and tried to sort out my life here and put that to one side, which is the point of the song - to say, ‘I’m done with this’. It's about the process of recovery - getting worse before you can get better and maybe coming out of it feeling even better than you did before. It’s like shaking off a disease.

03 Good Arms vs Bad Arms
Same relationship, third person involved, I didn’t like him. Because you never like that person, do you? I didn’t really want to hit his face with a brick, I’m not a violent person, but lyrically I was hopefully hitting him with a bit of a brick. I don’t want to go too far into it.

04 Fast Blood
That’s just about shagging, simple as that. It contains the first Frightened Rabbit solo ever. It’s a big Slash moment for Andy.

05 Old Old Fashioned
It’s about trying to recapture some of the magic of where a relationship starts out. It’s a lot more general, not so much about specific memories or thoughts. It’s about a place and a time you were happiest and trying to revisit that. Failing, maybe.

06 The Twist
That’s a different time, a slightly different relationship as well.
THE POP COP: Before or after the one the other songs are about?
[Sheepish] In-between. I was imagining an office party or any kind of disco where you just don’t want to end up by yourself at the end of the night. It's not so much about me, it’s more open-ended. I don’t care about ending up by myself at the end of the night, I’m usually happier that way.

07 Bright Pink Bookmark
It’s an instrumental. It has the chord structure from The Greys with the trumpet part and drums from I Feel Better. I wanted to keep a homemade feel. I’m alright with it now, but part of me was uncomfortable with how polished the sound had become. I definitely wanted to include some more ‘how we used to be’ sounds in it. That was the idea behind that, it wasn’t filler. We haven’t perfected the whole segueing thing yet but we’re getting there.

08 Head Rolls Off
It’s not about relationships – just dying and leaving something behind.
THE POP COP: Is it about atheism?
Yeah, but it doesn’t matter so much, you can still believe in that [God] - what matters most is what you do whilst you are alive rather than what you do when you are dead... nothing to be done then!

09 My Backwards Walk
It’s about trying to shake off that cycle again - of continuing to go back to something that’s not necessarily positive - and failing miserably. There’s a lot about failure.
THE POP COP: Do you find it hard to sing?
No, not at all. I enjoy it. I’m more focused on getting the pitch right. Once or twice some thoughts come back into my head but usually it’s not really that connected, otherwise it would be a bit painful at times.

10 Keep Yourself Warm
It’s just about bad, loud nightclubs and bad, loud music and drink... then the outcome of those things when combined. Not a great idea.

11 Extrasupervery
Another instrumental, it's an extension of My Backwards Walk and The Twist being flung together. We try to throw songs together and see what comes out, it’s the theme and variation thing. The instrumentals are from our original 24-track demos we did at home.

12 Poke
It's about looking back on things and trying to figure out why it [the relationship] didn’t quite work out.
THE POP COP: Do you come to a conclusion?
No, never [laughs]. Still haven’t.

13 Floating In The Forth
That’s about thinking of killing yourself. I’ve asked a few people and most have their ideal escape route planned in their head.
THE POP COP: Is jumping off a bridge not a painful way to go?
I’m not too sure. You’d definitely be knocked unconscious on impact. I just like the idea of doing it in the fresh air as opposed to in a room. A sunny day, go out to the Forth and just... I’m alright now, I’m not going to do it. The process of thinking was writing that song and realising I didn’t want to do it, so I think in a sense it’s positive in the end. But my mum never listens to that song.

14 Who’d You Kill Now?
It's very lo-fi. It was also recorded in my house on a completely throwaway line that I have no idea where it came from nor what it means. Often I play these things to someone else and they’ll say, ‘You have to put that on the record’ and that's what happened here.

THE POP COP: What will you write about for the next album?
Joy. Horses. Candyfloss.

4 Frightened Rabbit - I Feel Better
4 Frightened Rabbit - The Greys (live at SXSW)

b March 27, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
b March 29, Barfly, Glasgow (with We Were Promised Jetpacks) (tickets)
b April 10, Snafu, Aberdeen (with Make Model) (tickets)
b April 12, King Tut's, Glasgow (with Make Model) (tickets)
b April 13, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh (with Make Model) (tickets)
b April 24, The Green Room, Edinburgh
b April 25, Tolbooth, Stirling (tickets)
b April 26, Tramway, Glasgow (Triptych festival with Mogwai, Clinic, Malcolm Middleton) (tickets)
b May 15, Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline (Tigerfest with The Twilight Sad) (tickets)

Kathryn the great

When acoustic troubadours were all the rage a few years back, music magazines would gush that "quiet is the new loud" or some other short-sighted nonsensical hyperbole.

Thankfully KATHRYN WILLIAMS was never really part of this gang which might explain why her career is still intact nine years after the release of her debut album. That and the fact the Newcastle-based singer is as endearing a performer as you're likely to find in a business as cut-throat as this one.

This month's release of her seventh record, Two, sees Kathryn change tact by hooking up with Neill MacColl (half-brother of Fairytale Of New York singer Kirsty) for an album of duets. In truth, though, the beautiful fragility of her warm tones is more than capable of carrying any song. Maybe Kathryn's quiet is loud enough after all.

4 Kathryn Williams - Swimmer
4 Kathryn Williams And Neill MacColl - Rolling Down

b March 24, Perth Theatre, Perth (tickets)
b March 25, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh (tickets)
b March 26, Classic Grand, Glasgow (tickets)

Aaaargh, Kelly

The true strength of a pop song can be measured by its power to unite music fans of all genres. Mmm Bop, Torn, Baby One More Time, Crazy In Love, Hey Ya!, Gold Digger, Rehab and Umbrella have been lapped up by indie kids and goths alike, Sunnis and Shi'ites, Celtic and Rangers, Obama and Clinton.

Three years ago the world went crazy for KELLY CLARKSON's Since U Been Gone - a dynamite anthem of lost love. While any lingering cynicism over Kelly's TV talent show background was literally blown out of the water when she absolutely nailed it live at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards (see below), the American's subsequent recorded output has been a predictably disappointing story of by-numbers pop rock.
It would seem to reinforce the idea that these special songs of universal appeal tend to be one-offs.

But the exceptional exception to this rule comes from Brit girl-group SUGABABES, whose remarkable career longevity is testament to their incredible flair for hit-making. What band wouldn't kill to call Freak Like Me, Round Round, Push The Button, Easy or About You Now their own?

Sugababes may be queens, but the song is always king.
4 Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone

b March 17, Carling Academy, Glasgow (sold out)

b March 18, Carling Academy, Glasgow (sold out)

4 Sugababes - Easy

b March 26, Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow (tickets)

b April 27, Playhouse, Edinburgh (tickets)

The Insiders: Dave Kerr

Here's the final part of our Insiders guide, we hope you are now feeling suitably enlightened. Normal Pop Cop service will resume on Monday.

Full name: Dave Kerr.
Age: 28.
Hometown: Edinburgh via Glenrothes.
Job title: Music editor and online editor, The Skinny.
How did you get your job? I was a dogsbody working for a bi-weekly arts and listings magazine called Noise that operated in the central belt at the start of 2005. It became unsustainable after a six-month run, so some of us peeled off and founded The Skinny. I was music editor by default, possibly because I had the worst facial hair.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? I finished up uni with a degree in computing and another in media with politics (AKA a pile of student debt and a lot of time wasted watching Hollyoaks). Trying to operate as a freelancer was pretty much impossible as a newcomer but a stint with a Festival paper connected me with Noise. I did a lot of feature writing and subbing for them before they gave me some column inches to write missives on the Scottish music scene (it was all about Uncle John And Whitelock and Degrassi in those days, new rave was just a twinkle in Nathan Barley's eye). Taking up the kind of job I'm doing now seemed like a logical enough step by the time The Skinny came along.
What's the best part about your job? It's often a pleasure to do it. Review tickets and promos.
And the worst? Office politics. Tinnitus.
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That it's always bags o' fun.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? I met Patti Smith a few months ago and started speaking incoherently (think Zed from Police Academy). I try to be some sort of objective music hack but it's sometimes hard to keep the giddy fan boy at bay. Especially if Slash is on the phone.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? I'm still finding my way but I reckon I got over the steepest part of the learning curve after the first six months.
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... rarely a factor that motivates me to do it.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? I've been leathering the new Why? album in the last wee while, Frightened Rabbit have definitely upped the ante on their debut and this band called Ladyhawk are about to kick some miserabilist arse with their next LP. I've been looking forward to hearing what Y'all Is Fantasy Island, Alamos and Laeto have up their sleeves for a while too - they're all criminally unsung Scottish bands who will make your life better. Broken Records are a pretty fine band too, I hope they do well.
What's the next gig in your diary? The Twilight Sad on March 20 at the Liquid Room, and I'll be spinning a few tunes at Born To Be Wide when they move to the Voodoo Rooms on April 3.
Anything else you'd like to add? The Skinny is always looking for talented new writers and creative types from all over Scotland. Look us up and get in touch.

4 The Twilight Sad - That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy
4 Y'All Is Fantasy Island - With Handclaps

The Insiders: Lynetta Slut

Here's the next of our music scene's movers and shakers.

Full name: Lynetta Slut.
Age: 25.
Hometown: Glasgow.
Job title: DJ, The Microsluts.
How did you get your job? The only way they could get us to behave at Death Disco was to give us something to do.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? Without an obsessive passion for Smash Hits and Top of the Pops from the age of three I would have been useless at it.
What's the best part about your job? I get to dance about to the best songs, at the best club and get paid for it.
And the worst? Guys that come up to you and ask where the DJ is cos they don't believe that three girls are doing it. Not that they are in any way jealous or bitter, of course.
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That all DJs play vinyl. Even the most famous DJs in the world use laptops and CDs. And yes, I also use an iPod - how else am I supposed to fit 10,000 songs into a clutch bag?
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Erol Alkan watched us at Xmas Death Disco. It was going pretty well, he said he liked the song we were playing... then I went and played Dannii Minogue. She'd just won The X Factor, we had to!
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? No idea, I'm self-taught, dahling!
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... Aye right! You go first!
Whose music is making you most excited right now? The Ting Tings, MGMT, Ashlee Simpson, Neon Neon, The Futureheads, Ebony Bones, Santogold, Soko.
What's the next gig in your diary? Death Disco with Hercules & Love Affair on March 15 then at Stavka on March 20.
Anything else you'd like to add? Are you ever going to come and see us, Pop Cop?! We'll play you something indie.

4 The Ting Tings - Fruit Machine
4 The Futureheads - Boring The Children

The Insiders: Andrew Bush

Engineering is up next in our Insider's guide.

Full name: Andrew Bush.
Age: 27.
Hometown: Glasgow.
Job title: Freelance live sound and recording engineer.
How did you get your job? In the case of live engineering, I had been interested in it for years and I'd just completed a college course to give me more in-depth information. I asked around local venues and was given some work experience until I was given my own shifts. I already had some basic recording equipment and experience, so if there were any bands playing on my shifts that I really liked and got on well with, I would ask them if they were interested in me recording their music. I love both disciplines but recording just edges it for me. At the moment I spend most of my time recording bands, but still try to do live shifts whenever I can.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? Qualifications didn't help me get my job, but confirmed my suspicion that being a sound engineer was what I wanted to do for a 'day job'. I don't think qualifications are that important in this field. More essential is having an understanding and a love of music and playing music, and a desire to be involved with the technical side of things. Of course, understanding the technical aspect is important but this will come over time anyway if you're dedicated to the job. Playing in a band is probably the best experience for being a live engineer. It's crucial that you have an appreciation of band dynamics, have a good ear, are eager to learn and can get on with people. It's unbelievable the amount of bands who tell me about live engineers who have seemed uninterested in their music or who have been incredibly rude to them.
What's the best part about your job? Recording: Helping create something amazing. Live sound: Helping some people have an amazing night.
And the worst? Getting a bad back from lifting heavy stuff or sitting hunched over a computer. There's not much bad about it other than that.
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That it's always a piece of piss. With recording, even if the job is usually enjoyable, it involves spending a long time working on projects and putting a lot of effort and thought into it. With live engineering, the issue that sometimes make it difficult are bad PA systems, strange-sounding rooms, broken desks, obnoxious bands, bad promoters... the list is endless but overcoming these problems makes the job more satisfying.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Sadly, Mark Owen.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? I think it's the sort of thing that these days if someone is interested in it they will have dabbled with their own equipment in the house already, whether it's mics and mixers or sequencing software. I'd be surprised if someone came to me looking for a job as a live engineer who had no idea of what any of the equipment was or what the job entailed. I reckon it's the sort of thing that would take about 6-12 months of actually working as a live engineer to do a decent job in a familiar venue, but it takes years to get really good at it. I doubt the learning process ever ends.. There are always different ways of doing things, new tips to pick up from others, and with the speed that new equipment is released, there's always a new toy to master.
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... the last thing I think of. It should probably be high up the list but creativity and economics aren't happy bedfellows. I charge what I think is a fair price for what I do and a very fair price for the people I am recording to pay. The amount charged by 'commercial' studios is ludicrous, especially considering the conveyor-belt approach taken by many studios or house engineers when working with new local bands. I'd be surprised if many of these bands were satisfied with their results on a value-for-money basis. In my experience, the best recordings are made when the best atmosphere is created and I don't think this can be achieved when time is running out, money is running out and the singer is on the 25th vocal take. It's stressful and doesn't make any sense. I try to tailor each recording session to each band I work with. Having a portable set-up helps with this as we can record wherever they feel most comfortable.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? Locally: Skeleton Bob, Mitchell Museum. Generally: Bat For Lashes, Wolf Parade.
What's the next gig in your diary? 'Gig' as in 'job'? If so, then it's recording work with Skeleton Bob and Black International. The next gig I might go to is Nick Cave at the Academy.
Anything else you'd like to add? I run my own portable recording studio under the name Gold Soundz (inspired by the Pavement song) and am always looking for new bands to record. I also play in the bands De Rosa (supporting Malcolm Middleton on tour from March 27 onwards) and Tall Ships.

4 Pavement - Gold Soundz
4 Wolf Parade - Grounds For Divorce

The Insiders: Jim Gellatly

Some tips on how to become a DJ, continuing our Insider's guide.

Full name: Jim Gellatly.
Age: 39.
Hometown: Dundee.
Job title: Presenter/Producer, Xfm Scotland.
How did you get your job? Wrote to every radio station in the UK for work experience. Went to Moray Firth Radio in Inverness for two weeks of work experience and ended up staying for three years.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? Probably not.
What's the best part about your job? Getting to push the music I love.
And the worst? Trying to keep up with all the music I come across.
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That I only work three hours a day.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Lots! Paul Daniels, The Spice Girls, Robbie Williams, Trent Reznor.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? From 10 minute to two years. Some people are naturals. I wasn't.
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... my little secret.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? Broken Records, Black Kids, The Vivians, Vampire Weekend.
What's the next gig in your diary? SXSW festival in Texas.

4 Broken Records - Kathy
4 Vampire Weekend - Exit Music (For A Film) (Radiohead cover)

The Insiders: Doug Johnstone

Here's the next subject in the second and final week of our exclusive look at the key players in the Scottish music scene.

Full name: Doug Johnstone.
Age: 37.
Hometown: Edinburgh.
Job title: Freelance journalist for Sunday Times, Times, Independent on Sunday, Scotsman, Sunday Herald, Herald, Metro, The List, Big Issue in Scotland, I-On magazine - all on a reasonably regular basis.
How did you get your job? I’m self-employed. I quit my office job, did a diploma in journalism at Napier University and started trying to freelance straight away.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? Didn’t have any experience when I started, and the qualification from Napier didn’t matter a hill of beans to editors – most important thing was and still is enthusiasm.
What's the best part about your job? Freedom to do what I want when I want, plus the fact that I simply love music and writing, so it’s pretty much perfect.
And the worst? Just not enough hours in the day to do everything. Having to continually hussle for work with editors who are short of time and often patience.
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That it’s all booze, drugs and groupies. That’s the bands, not the music critics.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Chris Martin from Coldplay, probably, although he wasn’t famous when I first interviewed him.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? It’s an ongoing process, you’re always learning, but I guess you could start making money after a few months of hard graft.
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... very variable, but never as much as people think.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? Ida Maria – a Norwegian cross between Iggy Pop, Bjork and Janice Joplin.
What's the next gig in your diary? I’m playing an acoustic set with some friends from the Fence Collective on March 13 at Henry’s in Edinburgh.
Anything else you'd like to add? Never miss a deadline – that way poverty lies.

4 Ida Maria - Better When You're Naked
4 Northern Alliance - Line In The Sand

The Insiders: Lee Beattie

Friday brings part five of our Insider's guide.

Full name: Lee Beattie.
Age: 28.
Hometown: Glasgow.
Job title: PR account director, Burt Greener Communications.
How did you get your job? I answered an advert in the Scotsman almost eight years ago – all very old fashioned!
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? I wouldn’t have got an interview without having my degree (in media studies) but it was definitely the experience that got me the job. As a student I had worked part-time for a year at a music management/ PR company called Backlash where I had invaluable experience assisting on the regional PR campaigns for Virgin and Rizla and boy bands like 911, and I already knew a lot of journalists and people in the industry. I also wrote the Cleopatra (comin atcha!) fanzine, which I think must have been the deciding factor to hire me.
What's the best part about your job? Having such exciting clients like King Tut’s, T in the Park and The Indy Music Awards. It is not hard to enthuse to journalists about my clients.
And the worst? Missing out on the 'music fan' experience at T in the Park because I am always working.
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That it’s a glamorous life and we go to lots of parties. I always laugh at this when I am climbing ladders to hang up branding or writing press statements at 3am in a field.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Probably Gwyneth Paltrow but the best was Kim Gordon.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? It’s the kind of job that is based on experience and learning from each thing you do so I couldn’t really put a time frame on it.
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... Not really sure what you mean by this.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? I am still loving the Regina Spektor album, The Cribs, Les Savy Favs, MGMT, the latest PJ Harvey, Malcolm Middleton, Radiohead, The Twilight Sad and I’m addicted to the I’m Not There soundtrack - especially the Sonic Youth, Cat Power and Yeah Yeah Yeahs covers.
What's the next gig in your diary? The Breeders on April 8.
Anything else you'd like to add? Get some work experience and don’t worry about getting a first at uni.

4 Cat Power - Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Bob Dylan cover)
4 Karen O and The Million Dollar Bashers - Highway 61 Revisited (Bob Dylan cover)

The Insiders: Stuart McHugh

Is this the busiest man in music? We bring you part four of our Insider's guide.

Full name: Stuart McHugh.
Age: n/a ;-)
Home town: Linlithgow.
Job title (1 of 2, see below): Webmaster, Jockrock.org.
How did you get your job? Less a job, more a way of life. Basically I set the website up myself, initially as a way of archiving freelance reviews, interviews and the like, as the magazines they'd been done for were under-read and by then defunct.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? No. As I say, the 'job' was offered to myself by myself (!) but my only qualification was unrelated to music or writing (in computing, not so you'd notice).
What's the best part about your job? Occasionally discovering some exciting new band via a demo or a gig.
And the worst? Probably the stuff I can't achieve. I'm full of ideas on additions to the site and would love to be featuring many of the bands in much more detail, but lack of time and money always get in the way. I get plenty of offers of help but these usually vanish as they're all of other people's (in a similar position) time, and they fast realise that they don't have it to spare after all!
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That we're running a fully-staffed office here who will find the time to listen to every CD that comes in (100+ per week). In reality it's just me doing everything in evenings and weekends.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Via Jockrock specifically, probably Jan from Spare Snare, Stephen Pastel, Stevie Jackson or Francis Macdonald... all very indie-schmindie. From my other journalistic work, Chris Martin or John Peel.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? One of those 'piece of string' questions, really. My writing has always been fairly competent but getting to the level where I can edit down reviews and interviews to something readable and interesting (I hope) has probably been built up over 10 years. But to have someone come in and fill in for me while I went off on a cruise (if only) would only require a command of language plus enthusiasm. That said, they'd never even be able to find a pen in my office. Physically setting up a website now, of course, is stupidly easy (just a blog or a myspace or whatever, it's all provided). Back in the day - ah, those hours spent coding in early html (which, of course, the site is still based round), bypassing the company network to upload the files on to the (hyper-expensive) domain and space, and then realising that only around three people in the country actually had web access anyway...
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... in minus figures.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? We Were Promised Jetpacks, There Will Be Fireworks, Sixpeopleaway, Y'all Is Fantasy Island, Phantom Band, De Rosa, Hot Club de Paris, Future Of The Left... I could go on.
What's the next gig in your diary? Probably the Is This Music? show at the 13th note on March 21 with Le Reno Amps, Down The Tiny Steps and Northern Alliance. No, really.
Anything else you'd like to add... Will work for food.

Job title (2 of 2): Editor, Is This Music?
How did you get your job? Got made redundant, worked as a freelancer, freelancing work dried up, decided that the impossible dream of a Scottish-based music monthly was something I should give a shot while I had the time. Simple, eh?
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? Not in the sense of 'getting' the job but experience in writing, and the previous job (in software/publishing) were crucial, not least for the free software.
What's the best part about your job? Being your own boss, sense of achievement in getting an issue out (I am kind of answering these on the basis of the magazine a year ago rather than now with the website).
And the worst? Having to admit defeat and put the mag online-only, the feeling of letting down the readers who wanted the paper version to continue, and the frustration at not being able to take the mag to the next level, mainly due to the lack of support from the upper-end of the local music industry (i.e. lack of advertising revenue from major promoters, record labels, etc). That and the stress, and lack of sleep. Did you just want one 'worst'?
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That the magazine was fully-operational on the level of Plan B, Uncut or even NME. Which should be quite flattering but it was ludicrous to think that with the help of a few freelance writers and a decent designer we could 'fool' people into imagining we weren't just a one-man operation working out of a bedroom in the evenings.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Have interviewed the likes of Alex Kapranos, Neil Hannon, Pat Nevin, Gary Lightbody for the mag. Depends on your definition of 'famous', I guess.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? You mean, to get to the level where they could run a successful music magazine? :-) I've actually picked up lots of 'experience' over the years - mainly in the line of doing everything on a non-existent budget and applying for grants and the like - and learned from my mistakes, so if I was doing the training then considerably less than five years!
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... (see Jockrock answer). Overall it's losing me money and gets in the way of proper money-earning work if I allow it.
Anything else you'd like to add... Again, I'm now eating into proper work time - filling in surveys beats that any day! So, no, I'll leave it at that, except for 'back issues available online now'.

4 We Were Promised Jetpacks - Let's Call This A Map
4 De Rosa and Michel Faber - Steam Comes Off Our House

The Insiders: Barbara Wallace

Here comes part three...

Full name: Barbara Wallace.
Age: It's impolite to ask a lady her age - I'm not too old for rock 'n' roll!
Hometown: Glasgow.
Job title: Senior producer, contemporary music, BBC Scotland.
How did you get your job? I applied for a job as a personnel assistant which I didn't get! But was offered a job working in radio features.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? An interest and fascination in broadcasting helped - and a passion for music.
What's the best part about your job? Hearing great new music from great Scottish bands and working with some incredibly talented people
And the worst? Meetings!
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That I sit about all day listening to music.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? Joan Collins or Boy George.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? 20 years! Well, I'm not giving it up that easily!
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... enough to keep body and soul together.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? Findo Gask, Make Model and Mark Ronson.
What's the next gig in your diary? Does It Offend You, Yeah? at King Tut's.

4 Findo Gask - Va Va Va
4 Make Model - The Was

The Insiders: Mark Robertson

Here's the second part of our Insider's guide to the music industry. Enjoy, lucky people.

Full name: Mark Robertson.
Age: 34.
Hometown: Edinburgh via Paisley
Job title: The List music editor/deputy editor.
How did you get your job? Came to The List for three weeks work experience and never left. I kept finding things to do until the Hannah McGill, music editor at that point, left for another job and then stole her seat.
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? I was doing the work experience as part of a post-grad course at Napier University so it gave me the impetus to ask for work experience. I learnt some thing useful things on the course but nothing more important than building up the courage to go out and ask people for work.
What's the best part about your job? I get to engage with a subject I'm incredibly passionate about on a daily basis and get to champion exciting, creative people. The free gig tickets and CDs don't hurt either.
And the worst? It has its frustrations like any job. It is a job after all.
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That it's easy (just because you have an opinion doesn't mean you can write), that you meet famous people (well, now and again but in Scotland its mostly interviewing on the phone), that it's particularly glamorous (for me it is 85% admin, 10% opening envelopes and 5% getting really excited about a new band or song and raving about it).
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? I'm still not very good at ligging after all these years so tend to avoid small talk with famous folks I might encounter at gigs or wherever. I've interviewed some incredibly cool people - Jack White, Nick Cave, Dave Grohl, Mark E Smith, Noel Gallagher and Bill Drummond - but end up getting extra excited about nerdy rock boys like Omar form The Mars Volta or Ian from Battles. The best was probably Jack White, though. He was a total gent and really insightful. Courtney from The Dandy Warhols was extremely entertaining. He had spent all day getting jaked in a hotel room doing phone interviews and by the time I got him at five o'clock he could barely speak but was having a whale of a time. Made a great feature, though. I still get very star-struck - I asked for Samuel L Jackson's autograph at a press conference once. A proper star that your mum knows. Actually, Kirstie Allsopp from Location, Location, Location was pretty great too. I was flirting like a 14-year-old schoolgirl the whole time.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? I've been doing this for nine years and am still learning, adding to my knowledge and understanding of music. I get cynical from time to time - hello Pete Doherty, hello Razorlight - but then you hear something that's just bloody mindblowing and it's like starting all over again. Like the first time I heard Battles or Kanye West or Fiona Apple. Or The Xcerts this afternoon.
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... a lot less than you'd think. Not a king's ransom but maybe enough to spring a member of Camera Obscura from a perilous hostage situation.
Whose music is making you most excited right now? The new albums on constant rotation for me currently include: Lupe Fiasco, The Twilight Sad, Dillinger Escape Plan, Nick Cave, Vampire Weekend, the new Rough Trade annual thingy and a compilation of bonkers math metal my pal Andrew made for me. Plus a nutty Irish guy called The Niallist from Glasgow, he's a hoot. And Sixpeopleaway is an amazing songwriter from Edinburgh.
What's the next gig in your diary? The Mars Volta at Carling Academy, Glasgow.
Anything else you'd like to add? I've probably said too much already!

4 Nick Cave - Breathless
4 Sixpeopleaway - Next Time Round

The Insiders: Vic Galloway

We've been telling you for a while now just how refreshing and healthy Scotland's music scene is. In nutritional terms, it's the equivalent of your five pieces of fruit a day with a smoothie to wash them down.

But while almost all of the attention and adulation is given to the boys with their toys or the girls with their curls, it's not only about them. For the next two weeks, The Pop Cop will be profiling some of the most pivotal figures in the industry - from DJs to journalists, sound engineers to PR staff, music editors to radio producers and lots more.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our exclusive feature. Today we present the first of The Insiders:

Full name: Vic Galloway.
Age: 35.
Hometown: Edinburgh.
Job title: BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio Scotland presenter.
How did you get your job? Nine years ago, I was told about a regional presenter's position for the Scottish Evening Session show on Radio 1 by a friend who worked at the BBC and thought I'd be good for it. I refused a couple of times, then was cajoled into making a tape. Blow me down, but I got the job... and the rest is history!
Did qualifications or experience help you get your job? Experience definitely helped, although not in broadcasting! I was a mad music fiend with tonnes of records, jobs working for indie labels, venues and fanzines. Plus, I played in bands and knew the Scottish scene pretty well. My school qualifications didn't count one iota.
What's the best part about your job? Getting free music on CD, vinyl and mp3 every day to my mailboxes. I also get into gigs and festivals for free most of the time, and travel a bit too - I'm off to SXSW in Austin, Texas for the sixth year running pretty soon.
And the worst? Dealing with fakes and phonies in the media, and music industry people who don't like music - there are tonnes of them!
What's the biggest misconception about your job? That it's glamorous and easy. It's neither.
Who is the most famous person you've met while doing your job? James Brown - The Godfather of Soul... RIP! I met him at Live 8 in Edinburgh when I was doing a six-hour live broadcast from Murrayfield stadium. I've met a few legends, but he's the greatest of them all in my eyes.
How long would it take for someone to be trained to do your job from scratch? You can't be trained to be 'into music' and to talk shite... but you could try!
Complete this sentence: The amount I make for doing my job is... a decent, working wage for a man of my age!
Whose music is making you most excited right now? I am currently enjoying lots of dubstep - check out Pinch, Burial, Shackleton, Benga, Skream, Neil Landstrumm and Vex'd.
What's the next gig in your diary? I'm DJing at Dundee University on March 8 and then heading to SXSW in Texas on March 11 - I'll see millions of bands out there. However, I may get along to the Wilson Tan single launch on El Rancho Records at Mono in Glasgow on March 6.
Anything else you'd like to add? Why not check my weekly shows out - BBC Radio Scotland Mondays 8.05pm-10pm www.bbc.co.uk/vicgalloway and BBC Radio 1 Wednesday midnight/ Thursday morning 12am-2am www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/vicgalloway. I also have a free weekly podcast called Scotland Introducing featuring 15 minutes of unsigned Scottish music each week - subscribe to it and get it straight to your computer www.bbc.co.uk/scotlandsmusic and say hi to me on www.myspace.com/vicgallowayr1. Boo-ya!

4 Burial - Archangel
4 James Brown - I Got You (I Feel Good)