Flashback: The 12 best photos of great Scottish bands from the '60s to the '90s

By Alison Campsie

Published 7th Nov 2024, 16:49 GMT

A trawl through the archives has made the sounds of Scotland come flooding back.

Scotland’s music scene has always broken new ground.

From funk to post-punk, dream pop, indie and rave, some absolute belters have been forged on home soil over the decades as rock gave way to synths and electronica - and a new way of doing things.

Held deep in the archives, these photos - of bands such as Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins and The Shamen - help chart some of the talent and the aural innovators who helped Scotland feel, and sound, a little different.

1. Jesus and Mary Chain, Jim Reid and William Reid, Hof ter Lo, Antwerpen, Belgium, 14/10/1987. (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)

Getty Images Photo: Brothers Jim and William Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain pictured in 1987.

Funk group the Average White Band drew its members from Dundee, Perth and Montrose and enjoyed huge success on both sides of the Atlantic with tracks such as Pick Up The Pieces and albums AWB and Cut The Cake. Their allure lives on with their breaks routinely sampled by hip hop artists over time. Pictures are, left to right, drummer Robbie McIntosh (1950 - 1974), saxophonist Roger Ball, guitarist Onnie McIntyre, saxophonist Malcolm Duncan, singer and bassist Alan Gorrie and singer and guitarist Hamish Stuart.

2. Average White Band

Funk group the Average White Band drew its members from Dundee, Perth and Montrose and enjoyed huge success on both sides of the Atlantic with tracks such as Pick Up The Pieces and albums AWB and Cut The Cake. Their allure lives on with their breaks routinely sampled by hip hop artists over time. Pictures are, left to right, drummer Robbie McIntosh (1950 - 1974), saxophonist Roger Ball, guitarist Onnie McIntyre, saxophonist Malcolm Duncan, singer and bassist Alan Gorrie and singer and guitarist Hamish Stuart. | Getty Images

Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile, the Glasgow band which became the sound of an evolving city with their melt of synthesisers, warm vocals, guitars and percussion. The band reached critical and enduring acclaim with albums A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats. PIC: Getty.

3. The Blue Nile

Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile, the Glasgow band which became the sound of an evolving city with their melt of synthesisers, warm vocals, guitars and percussion. The band reached critical and enduring acclaim with albums A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats. PIC: Getty. | Getty Images Photo: Getty

From the refinery town of Grangemouth, Cocteau Twins transcended time and space with their otherworld of sound and voice thanks to the wizardry of guitarist and producer Robin Guthrie (left), the vocal trickery of Liz Fraser (centre) and the super talents of multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde (right). Dream pop never gets old.

4. The Cocteau Twins

From the refinery town of Grangemouth, Cocteau Twins transcended time and space with their otherworld of sound and voice thanks to the wizardry of guitarist and producer Robin Guthrie (left), the vocal trickery of Liz Fraser (centre) and the super talents of multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde (right). Dream pop never gets old. | Getty Images