T H E 12
12 RALLY & BROAD DYNAMIC DUO
10 C DUNCAN MERCURIAL MUSO
The Rally is acclaimed writer Jenny Lindsay; the Broad is BBC Scotland’s i rst ever poet in residence Rachel McCrum. Together they’ve pulled off another year of top-notch literary- l avoured cabaret, full of spoken word, music and dancing. Rally behind them: they’re class acts. (RM) Receiving an unexpected but well-earned Mercury Prize nomination for his debut album Architect, the 26-year-old Glaswegian pop songwriter, classical composer and painter Chris Duncan came out of nowhere to become one of the most deservedly celebrated Scottish musicians of 2015. (DP)
11 KIRSTIN INNES 9 CHVRCHES
NOT-BOOKER WINNER HEAVENLY PURSUITS
Kirstin Innes’ debut novel Fishnet was released to great critical acclaim earlier this year, and went on to win The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize. The writer has appeared at numerous events on the back of its success, including the Edinburgh International Book Festival. (RM)
SUPPORTED BY 42 THE LIST 5 Nov 2015–4 Feb 2016
In September, the Glasgow electro-pop trio returned with their critically acclaimed second album Every Open Eye, a top i ve hit, while singer and List alumnus Lauren Mayberry carried on her good form in dealing with pervasive misogyny in fearless, righteous fashion. (DP)
8 FFS SPARKS PALS
The musical collaboration so perfect we didn’t know we needed it until it was already in our ears. Scottish art-pop foot-stompers Franz Ferdinand teamed up with theatrical alt- rockers Sparks to create the FFS juggernaut. Their self-titled debut album and a host of UK-wide dates followed, including a spot at the EIF to much critical acclaim. And plenty of idiosyncratic dancing. (KS)
7 YOUNG FATHERS HIP-HOP POPS
After winning the 2014 Mercury Music Prize, Edinburgh’s Young Fathers continued to blur boundaries and confound expectations on second album White Men
6
Are Black Men Too. The trio brought a dizzying mix of off-kilter rhythms, sparse electronica, hip hop and indie to life at a series of gigs across the UK, Europe, America and Africa. (HN)
6 ARMANDO IANNUCCI TELLY SATIRIST
Set behind the closed doors of the White House, Veep has moved on from being a US version of The Thick of It to become the smartest, funniest comedy on TV. And Glaswegian Iannucci is the writer / creator behind the razor-sharp satire. (HN)