Magnetic North Blog

We're looking for flexible, open performers with theatre, dance, or contemporary performance backgrounds to join us at Rough Mix 2023. Deadline midday (BST) on Monday 29th May 2023.

Call details.

Life feels a bit like a never-ending disaster movie at the moment, so we wanted to spread some good news for a change by sharing a few updates and artist opportunities which are now open for applications.

If you have any questions about our residencies or artist callouts, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CALL OUT: SPACE / TIME Artists’ Residency

Space / Time is part of our Artist Development programme and is a group creative retreat for five experienced artists that asks the question “How can you continue to thrive as an artist?”. The residency combines facilitated dialogue – built around a series of self-generated questions – with time for individual reflection. The next residency will take place online from 7-11 November 2022. 

Read the call out.

Applications closed on 26 September 2022.

CALL OUT: Coast to Coast

Magnetic North in partnership with Julian Forrester, and supported by the Craignish Trust, are looking for an artist to develop the first stage of an international collaboration that is focused on coasts, water, and the impact of climate change.  

Read the call out.

Applications closed: 12pm on 3 October 2022.

CALL OUT: Walden

We are seeking proposals from artists who identify as being part of the Global Majority for an artistic response to Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden. The resulting work will be shared alongside Magnetic North’s own adaptation during performances at the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh in March 2023.  

Read the call out.

Applications closed: 12pm on 10 October 2022.

NEWS: Lost in Music cast announcement and Scottish tour

Lost in Music is a gig-theatre show inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice: the story of a talented musical couple’s journey to hell and back, told using the voices of young musicians. The cast for our 2022 Scottish tour are: Robin Campbell, Xenia Garden, Alex Neilson and Jill O'Sullivan. Lost in Music is touring Scotland from 16 September - 7 October. Tickets are on sale now.

NEWS: Introducing Our Seed Fund Artists

Earlier this year we received an award from Creative Scotland’s Recovery Fund to support independent artists through a Seed Fund which will give four grants of £4,500 each. We’re thrilled to announce the recipients:

Lauren McLaughlin

Lauren will use the seed fund to develop research in response to the undervaluing of care which has negatively impacted single mothers. The grant will allow her to facilitate workshops with other artists who are, or have been, single mothers. The workshops will lead to the development of a visual manifesto through the production of sculptural objects, discussion, performances and text.

Amy Conway / Melanie Jordan

In their project Blood Moon, a wolf makes the agonising transformation into a human woman each month under the light of the full moon. Inspired by the “wild woman archetype”, a belief in the need for the re-wilding of our psychological landscapes, and the menstrual cycle; Amy and Melanie seek to challenge preconceptions about both wolves and the human menstruator. 

ButhoTheWarrior

For black history month, ButhoTheWarrior will commission people who contribute to the music scene in Glasgow to make radio shows for their Clyde residency. They will also collaborate with DJs to play at a party which will be streamed on their YouTube page. 

Emma Jayne Park

Content Warning: suicide, death.

Preparing to Die is an autobiographical work told from the perspective of someone who is preparing to die by suicide - but only once their affairs and belongings are arranged in a way to make the aftermath of their death as simple as possible. The seed fund will be used for further devising and written work and to prepare the piece for the next stage of development.

Young people are a key part of our gig-theatre show Lost in Music. We’ve recruited local young musicians for each venue on the tour who will perform with the professional cast. Young people are also involved with the marketing campaign for the show. Here’s the final article from our Young Marketeer Jodie Rae:

In this piece, I interview Alexandra Shrinivas, a musician from Glasgow.  Alexandra is of Scottish/Indian mixed-race descent, and the most recent part of her musical journey has involved exploring her Indian heritage. 

How does music play a part in your life?

“When I was younger, I was very shy and very introverted.  I remember watching the violin being played at school assemblies.  I was so in awe of everyone's confidence when they were up there and the way they would communicate emotions and feelings.

I think that's primarily what music meant to me.  It was a form of communication that went beyond words, where I felt I could really express myself when I couldn’t in any other way.”

What do you use music for?

“I use music as a sort of mind tool.  If I’m thinking of certain emotions, or I've maybe bottled up certain feelings, I think, for me, music is a good outlet for that.  A way to express myself, primarily.  And maybe, even, pull into fruition ideas that I've had in my mind as well that are a little bit harder to explain to an audience.  So there’s a way of expressing things, again, that maybe don’t come as easily through words.”

What is your favourite type of music?

“At the moment, I'm really enjoying classical music.  So, I've been listening a lot to Anoushka Shankar, who’s a sitar player.  And Jyotsna Srikanth, who is a Carnatic violinist as well.  So, they're probably two of my favourite people to listen to at the moment.  I'm learning a lot from that style of music and I feel they always have such a story to tell behind their music as well.”

How do you feel when you listen to the music that you love?

“I feel very liberated, generally speaking.  Another genre I've been listening to a lot is jazz music.  I love Nina Simone.  And I think she always makes me feel really empowered when I listen to her.  So, when I do listen to most music that I enjoy, I feel empowered in the sense of something calling in me like a memory or some kind of emotion, which I can feel during the music.  Like if I played that music myself, I feel I could express that.  Or I feel as though I can resonate with someone else’s story.  If I believe that they are empowered when they’re playing it, I can resonate with that as well.”

What has been your favourite musical experience?

“Most recently, I performed for a friend of mine at a private event.  I was performing Indian classical music for the first time.  So that was a real critical moment for me because it felt like when I first began playing my violin.  Getting up and playing something completely brand new, and something that I'm still really learning about.

So, I had this process of me being prepared and knowing what I had prepared for the audience.  But with Indian classical music, it’s through-composed so you compose as you as you play.  It was sort of like the idea of improvisation, which I've never really explored before.  I could get lost in it because I was playing the bits that I had practiced, but I was also adding all these new layers as I was going through the performance as well.  It was just sort of a reflection of my Indian heritage, through learning the words and the stories behind the words.  It brought back a lot of memories of making music with my grandmother and my family.  So, it stands out as a real pinnacle, for me.”

Is it a recent thing that you've decided to explore your heritage?

“Yeah, it's funny!  When I was younger, I wasn't as connected to my Indian roots.  And because I grew up in Scotland, I was always much more immersed in the culture here.   It was always a bit harder to find things like teachers within that field as well.  I feel like this exploration is something that's happened to me over the last five years.  There have been certain parts of myself, just like my own personality, not musically, that wanted to explore.  Then that led to meeting other players and other people that played instruments like the sitar and tabla.  It was almost like an introduction - through meeting a community of people that I really wanted to explore and work with.”

Why is live music important to you?

I like the idea of there being no barrier between the performer and the audience.  When you're learning on your own, even if you have recorded something or if you're doing something over an online platform, the audience is behind the screen or can’t actually even see who you are as a person.  Whereas live music for me has always felt so intimate – a way of actually expressing yourself, telling a story that didn't involve words, but you could still read the person's body language or see physically how they felt when they were singing or performing.  So, for me, its the importance of there being no barrier between you and the performer.

With every live performance as well, every experience is completely different.  So, there'll be people that I maybe didn't know much about, and I went to see their music, but it really resonated with me in a way that I didn't expect.  But also, vice versa, where I've wanted to go see somebody but then thought afterward that I didn’t fully understand the context of it.  So, I enjoy that there’s a new experience every time you go to a performance.”

So what are some of your earliest memories of music?

“My grandma, my Scottish gran, really loved classical music.  So, we'd always have classical music around the house and that's where I think I really fell in love with the sound of the violin. 

When I would play the violin plays in groups for the first time, I would have all these little memories of me getting up in the morning with my mum and gran playing classical music.  And also, when we would be sitting and talking about music, and connecting over that.  She wanted to become a singer, actually, but during the Second World War, she got tied into other jobs during that time.  And so, she wasn’t able to pursue a career in that, but it was always something that then carried down to me and my sister.  Even my gran on my dad’s side is a classical singer in India. So, I remember listening to lots of tapes and CDs of her performing and thinking maybe one day I could do that.”

How do you think music can help or benefit people?

“I think, primarily, it's an outlet.  So, I feel if there are any times when you are struggling to put something into words or have the confidence to do that within a room full of people, music can be that other medium to put across things that you can’t formulate into words.  It’s another way of expressing, basically, and letting something that you are holding in or within your head out to another person and being able to communicate.”

Jodie Rae is a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor from the West Coast of Scotland.  Jodie uses her music as a raw, unfiltered outlet that reflects her own experiences with love, self, and loss.  She has gigged and performed theatrically across Scotland, at events such as Celtic Connections, DMC’s The PLAZA, and the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival.

Lost in Music
Touring Scotland from 16 Sept - 7 Oct 2022
Tickets on sale now.

Young people are a key part of our gig-theatre show Lost in Music. We’ve recruited local young musicians for each venue on the tour who will perform with the professional cast. Young people are also involved with the marketing campaign for the show. Here’s another interview from our Young Marketeer Jodie Rae:

There are many untold stories and unseen processes that go into creating the music that we hear and love. I decided to speak to a musician who could give some insight into what his processes are when entering a musical project: whether that be forming a band or releasing an album.

I chatted with Lewis Wise, frontman and lead guitarist for Ayrshire grunge band, Royal Bloom. We talked about his musical journey, favourite musical moments, songwriting, and the process that has gone into writing and recording an album for the first time.

Lewis has been a professional musician for over seven years and has been a guitar player for most of his life. He has more recently worked as a guitar tutor and hopes to inspire aspiring young musicians.

How did you and your band come together?

It all came from an idea. Back when I was 16, I was in my previous band, but I wasn't satisfied. So, I left and gave myself a year to find a new band. I worked with a bunch of people, but we just weren’t the ideal mix. Then I found the right people: Aaron and Kyle. We’ve been together ever since. Happily ever after!

What is the best live show that you've played?

Definitely our most recent one – GrungeFest. That was incredible. People came to us and said they had travelled for over five hours to come to see us. And the crowd was just so welcoming. I’ve never experienced a crowd quite like that. That was at Ivory Blacks in Glasgow.

You’re at the end of recording your debut album. How long has that process been?

Very long. It's been in the works for the best part of five years since the band started. We recorded a whole bunch of songs, probably enough to produce three albums. But instead, because of the lockdown and everything, we decided to get all of our best songs and compile them into one. It now has 11 tracks. And it's got every piece of our hearts, souls, moments in life etc. And it's all about things that we know. We’re not writing about fame or things that we don’t know about. It’s about our experiences.

What was the writing process like?

Very personal. The writing process was a very emotional one. Whenever I was in a certain state of mind, I wasn’t like “Sit down and write!”. It was more that I couldn’t say how I felt or even write how I felt. So, I would get my guitar and just hit record. I’d stay to a basic ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus’ style and sort of sing along. I would listen back to it and write down what I was saying. Some of it could be absolute nonsense. Sometimes I would think ‘Hmm, I’m quite the philosopher!”. But sometimes I don’t realise what the songs mean until a later date.

That’s why I quite like my style of writing because anyone can take what they think of the song and make it their own. And it means whatever you want it to at that moment. It can be one thing one day and then another the next day.

What was the recording process like?

That was fantastic. We recorded with a man called Ally Smith, from SoundMagic Studios in Ayr. We chose to record there because that's where most of our songs were created and came together. It seemed right to have everything under one roof and to have everything from within our local hometown. It didn't seem right to go anywhere else.

So, we had a couple of recording sessions. The whole recording process took place over about two years. Mainly for financial reasons. Recording is expensive. Producing is expensive. But we also wanted to reevaluate some of the songs that we had written, as they had grown over that time period as well. I’m glad we did that because none of the songs are album fillers. We believe that they're all like singles in their own way. But it was a good time!

What sort of themes does the album explore?

Mental health. It explores the reality of what people go through when they grow up throughout school, relationships, addiction, and throughout changing times in your life. Its about breaking free and finding out who you actually really are and what you're capable of. So, it's quite a personal album, which is why we called it ‘Visceral’ with visceral meaning an internal feeling. Like a gut instinct or butterflies.

How did you decide what songs went on to the album?

They just outshined the rest! So, it wasn't really a hard decision to make. We knew what we wanted the album to sound like. We knew what we were going for and it went in its own direction naturally and progressed into its own sort of thing.

Because it has taken us so long to produce this album, we really found our own sound, image, and style throughout that time. And it's really showing how we've matured musically in regard to our old EP, because there's so much time in between writing, recording, re-editing etc. My lyrics don't get re-edited that much. There's not always that deep of a meaning inside them. It's whatever you can pick out of it and make your own.

What is your favourite track on the album and why?

For Aaron and Kyle, its ‘Visceral’. For a long time, I didn't like that one. But we’ve actually come back to it and made it better. I’ve still got the image of the older one in my head though!

It's a really hard one for me to choose, but I’d maybe say, ‘I’m Alright’. And ‘Liquidators’. It’s between those two. I’d say they’re the most fun to play, the most fun to sing, and I feel more connected to those ones than any of the others.

Royal Bloom have been an important part of the Grunge revival in their local scene. You can find out more about the band or listen to their music via this link https://www.flowcode.com/page/royalbloom.

Jodie Rae is a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor from the West Coast of Scotland.  Jodie uses her music as a raw, unfiltered outlet that reflects her own experiences with love, self, and loss.  She has gigged and performed theatrically across Scotland, at events such as Celtic Connections, DMC’s The PLAZA, and the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival.

Lost in Music
Touring Scotland from 16 Sept - 7 Oct 2022
Tickets on sale now.

Young people are a key part of our gig-theatre show Lost in Music. We’ve recruited local young musicians for each venue on the tour who will perform with the professional cast. Young people are also involved with the marketing campaign for the show. Here’s an interview from our Young Marketeer Jodie Rae:

In this piece, I interview Kate Kyle, a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from Dumfries. Kate has worked on a number of collaborative projects with other artists and most recently released her 2022 single Tell Me Something.

How does music play a part in your life?

“I’ve always done music. I’ve always loved it.  I’ve done it throughout school and now I’m studying it at uni. I’m literally doing it all the time, my homework is music, etc. It’s a hobby but also, I’d love to make it my job.  I can’t imagine not doing it.”

What do you use music for?

“So, for me, it’s like a hobby, but it's also very much an outlet. I write my own music so it’s just a way for me to get everything out. I perform a lot and so I love connecting with an audience, and people coming up afterwards and saying what songs they liked. It means a lot. I love that whole aspect of making a connection with people.”

What is your favourite type of music?

“I love everything. You can put on any playlist, and I will be totally content. But probably country, singer-songwriters.  I’ll always love those. I can always come back to them and feel at ease. But I also love pop and things like that. My favourite artist changes all the time – Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Taylor Swift etc.  A bit of rock, a bit of country.”

How do you feel when you listen to the music that you love?

“Whenever I’m doing something, I always have music on. If I’m walking to the shop, I’ll play music. Or waking up or going for a shower. It can put you at ease. Or if you’re getting ready, it can get your energy levels up.  The other thing is that you can talk about music with somebody else and make a connection with them.”

What has been your favourite musical experience in your life?

“The last single (Tell Me Something) that I put out in July was a really fun experience, like the whole recording experience. I hadn’t done that in a while.  The production side, sorting everything out, the whole writing process and organising things with people like Dave from Circa16 - it was just a lot of fun. That was probably the most recent experience that I just loved doing. But also, in the summer, I played at King Tuts and that was incredible and so much fun supporting Riley. I had never been to that venue before and getting to play there, with everyone being so lovely - that was fun.   

But also, I’ve enjoyed working on projects with different people.  I do a lot of work on my own, which I love. But I love writing with other people and bouncing ideas off of them.”

Why do you think live music is important?

"I think it’s a great way for people to catch music. Whether it’s an arena, or a small venue, people always want to listen to music. Post-covid, people are just more appreciative of live shows. I can’t imagine what life would be like without live music.”

What are some of your earliest memories of music?

“So probably TV shows, like children’s TV shows. I remember Barney, the theme tune was my favourite. But also, my mum would always have CDs like The Eagles or Dolly Parton and play them in the car. That’s some of my earliest memories. But at Christmas, when I got a little older, I got CDs and would always have them on. But I’d always remember the theme tunes to TV shows and sing along to them.”

How do you think music can help benefit people?

“I think in so many ways, no matter what age you are. Even with health conditions, it can help people so much. It’s such a good outlet, but also great to just learn an instrument. It’s a social thing as well. With live gigs, you can go with your friends. Or you can go alone and meet new people. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t listen to music, whether that’s radio or music in film etc. There is no negative part of it.”

Jodie Rae is a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor from the West Coast of Scotland.  Jodie uses her music as a raw, unfiltered outlet that reflects her own experiences with love, self, and loss.  She has gigged and performed theatrically across Scotland, at events such as Celtic Connections, DMC’s The PLAZA, and the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival.

Lost in Music
Touring Scotland from 16 Sept - 7 Oct 2022
Tickets on sale now.