The Backline
Posts
The Backline Newsletter - Issue 19

The Backline Newsletter - Issue 19

Issue 19

Allan Watson
September 25, 2025

The Backline Newsletter
Issue 19 - Thursday, 25th September 2025

What’s This All About?

The Backline is your weekly fix of Scotland’s loudest and proudest. Every Thursday we drop straight-talk Q&As with rising bands, must-see gig picks, and essential gear finds — plus the stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

We’re still young and only getting louder. Subscribe now and be part of Scotland’s music scene as it happens.

Let’s get loud.

Spotlight Q&A

This Week’s Feature Band: Descension

This week we sit down with Descension, a Dunfermline-based band blending heavy influences with melodic and atmospheric textures. Here’s what they had to say:

1. Who’s in the band, and what do they play?
James Goldie – Lead Guitar
Khaine Tully – Bass, Backing Vocals
James Miller – Lead Vocals
Ahmed Masood – Drums

2. Describe your sound in 5 words or less.
Energetic, smooth, emotional, dark, melodic.

3. What was your first gig as a band?
The Dugg House, Dunfermline.

4. Biggest show so far and how did it feel?
The Monarch Bar & Function Room, Dunfermline. We nailed every song to a tee, and the crowd interaction was phenomenal. It was an emotive, surreal experience, one we hope to achieve again.

5. Which Scottish venue feels like home?
Being Dunfermline based, PJ Molloy & Sons. Nothing beats a home crowd.

6. If someone’s never heard of you, what song should they start with?
My Regret, our debut single. It captures our heavy influences with a perfect blend of melodic and atmospheric cleans. A great start to our discography.

7. One band or artist you’d love to open for?
Avenged Sevenfold.

8. What’s one band that shaped you but no one would expect?
The Black Keys.

9. What’s the weirdest pre-show ritual you’ve seen or tried?
I haven’t experienced any yet maybe I need to invent one.

10. What makes a band “authentic” to you?
A band that can improvise on the spot, get lost in the music, and not worry about how the show ends. The best bands change things up every night.

Follow Descension:
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

Essential Gear: Eventide Blackhole Reverb

Why we love it
Blackhole isn’t just a reverb it’s a universe in a plugin. With cavernous, otherworldly sounds, it turns guitars, synths, and vocals into something cosmic.

What it does
From subtle spaciousness to infinite washes of sound, it creates huge ambient textures. Perfect for soundscapes, cinematic builds, or just making a guitar solo feel like it’s tearing through the cosmos.

Best for
Producers, guitarists, and anyone chasing atmosphere. Ideal for post rock, metal, ambient, and cinematic work.

Try it if you like
Massive reverbs, spacey sound design, and pushing your music into the stratosphere.

Gig of the Week

Corella - Friday 26 Sept, King Tut’s, Glasgow
Bright, infectious indie pop. Anthemic choruses built for singalongs, with hooks that feel instantly familiar. Expect one of those King Tut’s nights where the crowd leaves buzzing.

Best of the Rest

Lulu - Tuesday 30 Sept, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
An icon returns. Lulu’s show is packed with hits, stories, and the kind of star power only decades of experience can bring. A rare chance to see a true legend in her home country.

Atreyu - Tuesday 30 Sept, SWG3, Glasgow
Metalcore heavyweights with breakdowns, anthemic choruses, and plenty of chaos. Expect pits, power, and energy from a band that’s been defining the genre for two decades.

Enjoyed this issue?

Help us grow Scotland’s live music community:

Share this newsletter with a mate who never misses a gig
Hit subscribe to get The Backline in your inbox every week
Got a band, gig or gear tip? Reply and let us know - we might feature it!

Let’s keep the scene loud.

Hit us up at [email protected]