The Backline Newsletter - Issue 8

Issue 8

Author

Allan Watson
July 10, 2025

The Backline Newsletter
Issue 8 - Thursday, 10th July 2025

What’s This All About?

Welcome to The Backline Newsletter - your weekly fix of Scotland’s loudest and proudest. We’re here to spotlight the local legends, the DIY heroes, and the bands you need to know before everyone else claims they were first.

Each week, you’ll get:

  • A no-BS Q&A with a rising Scottish band

  • A must see gig of the week

  • Other shows worth leaving the house for

  • Gear picks, rehearsal room mayhem, and more

This is just the beginning - as we grow, expect deeper dives, more wild stories, and exclusive interviews not just with bands, but the venues, promoters, and characters who make Scottish music tick.

Let’s get loud.

Spotlight Q&A

This Week’s Feature Band: Science Made Us Robots

Edinburgh’s melodic punk revivalists talk about their niche appeal, crowd mishaps, and the DIY scene that fuels them. With new music on the way and gigs in the pipeline, it’s the perfect time to get to know them. They even included a cheeky 11th Question but we let it slide….

1. Who’s in the band, and what do they play?
Paul Galinsky - Guitar & Vocals
Chris Gray - Guitar & Vocals
Nic Pearson - Bass & Vocals
Mads Mitchell - Drums

2. Describe your sound in 5 words or less.
American punk from British lungs.

3. What was your first gig as a band?

  • Original line-up: April 2012, London’s 229 Club

  • Current line-up: June 2023, Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh

4. Biggest show so far—and how did it feel?
In the old days we played some pretty big shows, like Rebellion Festival which was awesome. Since we reformed in 2023 we've mostly been playing local gigs. I'd say since then we've played to about 80 people at the top end, which is great fun - especially when they're all into pop punk and heavier stuff.

5. Which Scottish venue feels like home?
We need to pick four? We'll go with Banshee Labyrinth and Bannermans in Edinburgh, and Ivory Black's and Bloc in Glasgow. We love anywhere that has a good sound-person, and give a massive shout out to Bloc the unicorn of venues who consistently pay, feed and give bands free drinks. No idea how that's possible in 2025, but it's great.

6. If someone’s never heard of you—what song should they start with?
Hopeless Attitude - It's the first song on our second album Paper Bones and we almost always play it at our shows.

7. One band or artist you’d love to open for?
The obvious answers would be folk like Green Day or Streetlight Manifesto, but we actually just opened for an amazing South Korean band called Rumkicks. Honestly, if we could choose any other band to play with again, it would be them: Totally fun people to be around, brilliant songwriters, fantastic musicians, and hilarious live. You'd be guaranteed a great night, and that's way better than playing to thousands of people.

8. Ever had a crowd totally turn on you?
No, but we've had a few funny ones! We once played an extra set at Rebellion to help the organisers out. They wanted a band to play after Stiff Little Fingers finished, to try and slow down the crowd moving to another stage to see Rancid. It kind of worked, but basically 2000 people walked right past us looking very apologetic, and all the folk who stayed were so wasted they probably thought we were Rancid!

9. What’s your biggest insecurity as a band?
We don't really have an insecurity, but our biggest realisation is that we're niche. We're a pop-punk band and we have an awesome time at punk and alternative shows. But anytime we play to a non-alternative crowd, we're just in the wrong place. We're too fast, too loud, and we're in the way of the next act - be it chilled indie, or acoustic, or whatever... It's totally fair enough, but it's a lesson we've learned over time. These days we make sure to play shows where folk are going to be into what we play. And it doesn't matter how big or small the crowds are likely to be, so pop us a message if you're organising something!

10. When did you first feel like a “real” band?
We've felt like a real band since way back in the day, but it's amazing how solid things have felt since the new lineup cemented in 2023. It's great to hang out when we're together, we love working on the music, and we're pretty tight live. Okay, we're occasionally tight live. But we have a good time.

11. What should we look out for?
We're putting out a new album later this year. It's been in the works for ages and it's sounding great - really fun. We're playing Kill the Popstars on November 29th at Hive in Edinburgh, which our bassist Nic is organising. And we're looking for more shows, so give us a shout on Instagram or Facebook. Like we said, it doesn't matter how big or small, just make sure it's alternative and we're in!

Essential Gear: Behringer Ultra-DI DI400P Passive DI Box

Why we love it
A no-nonsense DI box under £30 that just works. Every gigging musician should carry one of these.

What it does
Converts your high impedance instrument signal to a balanced low impedance one, eliminating hum and buzz over long runs. Perfect for connecting guitars, basses, or keyboards to a PA or audio interface.

Best for
Gigging players, home studios, or anyone who needs reliable signal routing without tech headaches.

Try it if you like
Simple, bulletproof gear that works every time without killing your budget.

Gig of the Week

The Rooks – 12th July, McChuills, Glasgow
Fresh off a sellout at King Tut’s and support slots with Blossoms and Dylan John Thomas, catch these Glasgow indie risers in a more intimate room while you still can.

Best of the Rest

Lyric – 14th July, SWG3 Poetry Club, Glasgow
Australian synth-pop meets 80s nostalgia in a big way. First ever UK appearance. Small room, big future.

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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