IN just a few weeks, TENEMENT TRAIL will take over Glasgow’s East End on Saturday 12th October. Taking place in some of the nation’s most cherished venues – including Barrowlands, Saint Lukes, BAaD and more – this year’s line-up features another fine array of emerging talent and hotly tipped prospects from across the UK, spanning a multitude of genres and styles.

One such band hoping to make a big impact on their Trail debut is Sctostown Dance Band – a three-piece from Scotstown in the remote Western Highlands. Featuring brothers Rory and Jacob Green, the pair enjoyed some success as JR Green a few years ago – performing at TRNSMT, T in the Park, BBC 6 Music Festival and more. Now they’re back under a new guise with brand-new music – taking inspiration from their hometown and delving even further into their Scottish traditional folk roots.

So, as anticipation heightens ahead of the festival of music discovery, we chat to the band to find out more about them, their influences and what to expect at Trail.

But first, get your TENEMENT TRAIL tickets here. 

1) Tell us a bit about you and how did you start? 

Jacob and I (Rory) are brothers and had been involved in another project previously, but we began properly as Scotstown Dance Band in January 2024. 

This is when Freddie got involved, we played our first gig, and we released our first single. The three of us grew up in a tiny settlement called Scotstown, just outside the village of Strontian in the remote Western Highlands. We all play shinty together – and Freddie has worked for/with Jacob at the local community centre since he left school. It felt right that we should all be in a group. 

2) Who are you influenced by? 

The Smiths, The Strokes, The Dubliners, The Bothy Band, The Vatersay Boys, the Robert Nairn Highland Dance Band, F.T Marinetti, Robin Hall and Jimmy Macgregor, Guillaume Apollinaire.  

3) What is the best song for new listeners to get to know you? 

The song ‘Shawfield Greyhound Stadium’. 

4) What do you hope to achieve as an artist? 

To continue as long as we possibly can without it becoming sad. Ideally to have a very part-time ‘add in the paper’ business (cash in hand removals etc) to supplement our income as musicians – hopefully until we are old geezers. 

5) What can we expect from your set at TENEMENT TRAIL? 

Three chaps having a lovely old time – and an accordion turned up full whack. 

6) What acts do you want to see on the day? 

We would love to see Neon Waltz, a fellow Highland band who we have still never managed to see live.

7) What is your favourite festival memory? 

  Once wore a full tweed suit with white socks to Belladrum for a whole day/night and to my eyes didn’t get a speck of mud on either. 

  8) What else have you got coming up? 

  We are playing Lochaber Live festival on Sunday 22nd September, which we can’t wait for. We get to Tenement Trail after two nights playing at MacGochan’s on Mull, and on the 11th October we will be releasing our third single entitled ‘Shinty and Violence’. After that it will be more recording/releasing and hopefully plenty more gigs. 

Scotstown Dance Band play TENEMENT TRAIL on Saturday 12th October. Get your tickets here.