The Backline Newsletter - Issue 31

Issue 31

Author

Allan Watson
December 18, 2025

The Backline Newsletter – Issue 31

Thursday, 18th December 2025

Editorial

As the year winds down and venues across Scotland squeeze in their final shows before Christmas, it feels like the right moment to pause, take stock, and recharge. The last few months have been packed with standout gigs, new releases, and emerging voices, and the energy across the scene hasn’t dipped once.

This issue marks our final Backline Newsletter of 2025. We’ll be taking a short break over Christmas and New Year, before returning refreshed with Issue 32 on Thursday, 8th January 2026. Consider it a breather rather than a full stop.

Before we sign off for the year, we’re spotlighting Helicon, a band whose scale, ambition, and psychedelic edge feel perfectly suited to bigger stages, stranger stories, and long nights on the road. There’s also one last essential gear pick to round out the year, plus a strong run of gigs to see you through the festive period.

Thanks for reading, sharing, and supporting The Backline this year. We’ll see you in January.

Artist Q&A – Helicon

1. Who’s in the band, and what do they play?
Helicon has a sort of rotation of nine members, but we tour as a seven-piece. Some of the guys have stayed involved in writing and recording, but due to other commitments don’t come out on the road.
John-Paul Hughes on guitar and lead vocals, Gary Hughes on guitar and synths, Graham Gordon on sitar and synths, Mike Hastings on guitar, Billy Docherty on bass and vocals, Anna McCracken on percussion and vocals, Seb Jonsen on drums, Mark McLure as a multi-instrumentalist, and Declan Welsh as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.

2. Describe your sound in 5 words or less.
Irresistible Glaswegian psychedelia with sitar.

3. What was your first gig as a band?
I think it was about 13 or 14 years ago in a little place called The Loft, a room upstairs in Hudson’s Bar in East Kilbride. We were joined by our good friend Stan Belton’s band Black Market Karma, who are also still going strong and producing their best music yet.

4. Biggest show so far and how did it feel?
We’ve played some pretty big festivals to many thousands of people over the years, and that’s always a buzz. Our sound and performance are built for big stages.
But our biggest headline show was probably a sold-out 700 cap venue in Berlin with a couple of great supports. That was when it really hit home that we were becoming established.

5. Which Scottish venue feels like home?
We don’t play Glasgow or Scotland very often, but we recently played King Tut’s with support from our friends Spacial Awareness, a side project of Chris and Dave from Belle & Sebastian, and it felt like a homecoming. The atmosphere in the room was so warm and supportive. Our next Scottish show is at The Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh on Saturday 7th February.

6. If someone’s never heard of you what song should they start with?
“Seraph” seems to be the gateway drug into Helicon. But I’d encourage anyone to listen to our most recent work.

7. One band or artist you’d love to open for?
Spacemen 3, if the reunion ever happened. But nobody wants a seven piece support act.

8. Ever played a show you regretted saying yes to?
Ha ha, too many to mention. One in particular at a venue in Stockport a couple of years ago. The promoter fucked us right over, booking too small a venue knowing we wouldn’t all fit on the ridiculous little stage and not warning us. Then they didn’t show up to the gig. The sound engineer was an hour late, so hungover she couldn’t work the desk, then had a meltdown and ran out during soundcheck. The power cut out completely during our set. Good times.

9. What’s your unwritten rule as a band?
If it’s fuckin’ shite, say so.

10. One moment you genuinely thought: “We’re gonna get kicked out.”
Intermediaire, Marseille, 2022. Something happened with the door and security staff which resulted in a full-scale riot spilling into the venue. Someone ran on stage and tried to steal some of our gear and got a boot to the head. Despite police vans, smashed windows, and all manner of madness, the show went on and we left unscathed. The after party was pretty unforgettable too. And people think Glasgow is mental!?

Upcoming Helicon Live Shows
07/02/26 – Edinburgh, The Voodoo Rooms
26/02/26 – Sheffield, Sidney & Matilda
27/02/26 – Manchester, The Deaf Institute
25/04/26 – Leek, Foxlowe Arts Centre

Helicon Links

Essential Gear – TC Electronic Hall of Fame 3 Reverb

Short Description
A modern reverb workhorse that covers everything from subtle room ambience to vast, cinematic soundscapes, the Hall of Fame 3 combines classic algorithms with powerful customisation in a compact, gig-friendly pedal.

Why We Love It
It’s endlessly usable. Whether you need a touch of space to glue a live mix together or a huge atmospheric wash to transform a section, the Hall of Fame 3 delivers without overcomplicating things. It’s reliable, flexible, and sounds great straight out of the box.

What It Does
The pedal offers a wide range of reverb types including hall, plate, church, shimmer, spring, and ambient textures. TonePrint technology allows players to beam artist presets directly into the pedal or create their own reverbs, while the updated MASH footswitch adds expressive, pressure-sensitive control over parameters in real time.

Best For
Guitarists who want one reverb that can handle every situation. Ideal for indie, alternative, ambient, worship, and post-rock players, but just as useful for straightforward live rigs needing dependable, high-quality reverb.

Bonus Tip
Use a subtle hall or plate setting with the decay kept short and the mix low to add depth to your sound without anyone consciously noticing the effect it’s one of the easiest ways to make a live guitar tone feel more “finished.”

Gig of the Week

The Rooks - Saturday, 20th December 2025, Art School, Glasgow
A band built for packed rooms and late nights, The Rooks bring sharp hooks and high energy indie to one of Glasgow’s most reliable live spaces. It’ll be a loud, sweaty send off before Christmas sets in.

Best of the Rest

Badly Drawn Boy - Saturday, 20th December 2025, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
An intimate setting for a songwriter whose catalogue rewards close attention. Expect warmth, nostalgia, and beautifully delivered storytelling.

Hazy Sundays - Saturday, 27th December 2025, Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow
Friends of the Backline provide A post Christmas pick me up at a venue that thrives on atmosphere. Loose, melodic, and perfect for easing back into live music after the holidays. Its night of guitar music for the purists.

Get Involved

Got a story from the rehearsal room, a feature you would like to see, a gig pick, or a gear review you want to share, or just want to plug some great Scottish music, suggest a band or get featured? Have you attended our gig pick write a review we may feature it a future issue.

Hit us up at [email protected]

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