The Hot 100 2017: 40–31
Mohsen Amini, James Yorkston, Morvern Cunningham and Gerry Cinnamon among our favourite cultural contributors this year
Another blockbuster year of Scottish culture has just whizzed by and once again we've taken on the monumental task of ranking in order our top movers, shakers and pioneers. From award winners, artistic directors, new talent, experienced campaigners, great venues and memorable festivals, you should find all the people and places who made 2017 another landmark year for the arts and entertainment industry. But who has nabbed this year's top slot?
40 Sam Ainsley
A post shared by Comar (@comararts) on
Sam Ainsley once taught soon-to-be successful Glasgow School of Art students (Ross Sinclair for one) but her own name was well and truly made with her first solo exhibition in three decades. Tobermory was the location for her exploration of politics, feminism and the human body. (BD)
39 Mohsen Amini
Concertina player Mohsen Amini (left) is a true rising star on the trad music scene, having been crowned the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2016. Since his big win, he's been away touring the world with his two bands, the multi-award- winning trio Talisk and folk supergroup Ímar. (AQ)
38 James Yorkston
James Yorkston's hometown gigs, Tae Sup wi' a Fifer, continue to impress, with lineups including Roddy Woomble, Seamus Fogarty and Harry Giles. A new album in collaboration with Jon Thorne and Suhail Yusuf Khan cemented his musical diversity and bold outlook on the artform. (KS)
37 Mark Nelson
It's been a funny old year for the inaugural Scottish Comedian of the Year, as his daughter Isla won two prizes at the Scottish Comedy Awards for their News at 3 online sketches. Dad also did some great work, too, with a very fine Fringe showing in the shape of Irreverence. (BD)
36 Counterflows
Another strong festival of difficult-to-categorise sonic pleasures took place this spring in Glasgow, with the likes of Ashley Paul, Farmers Manual and Midori Takada entertaining underground music fans in venues such as the CCA, Art School and Glad Café. (BD)
35 Rock Action
Mogwai's label brought us a SAY Award winner in Sacred Paws' Strike a Match, as well as Conflats, the first release from Kathryn Joseph, Marcus Mackay and James Graham under their Out Lines moniker, and more anarchic noise rock from Part Chimp. (CA)
34 Glad Café
A massive thank you to @pastelsthe and @movies_for_ears for an amazing couple of gigs!
A post shared by The Glad Cafe (@thegladcafe) on
This great community enterprise has played a major role in the southside of Glasgow's creative renaissance, hosting an eclectic range of live music, talks and screenings. Its Glad Foundation charity supports a number of initiatives, including music workshops. (SS)
33 Monkey Barrel
Dedicated to comedy all year round, Monkey Barrel hosted Spencer Jones, Rob Kemp and Lucy Pearman's award-nominated shows at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. A last-minute Big Bastard Burglary Benefit (starring Tim Key and James Acaster) helped some acts who had their flat robbed. A job well done. (CA)
32 Morvern Cunningham
Once again, Morvern Cunningham managed LeithLate with a June weekend of music, art and place-making which perfectly captured the spirit of Leith in 2017. Elsewhere, she was also involved in local mural creation, and in Leith Creative's People and Places: Make Leith Better reporting project. (DP)
31 Gerry Cinnamon
With his debut album Erratic Cinematic breaking the iTunes top ten upon release in September, a pair of December headline dates at Barrowlands selling out within minutes and a packed-out hometown set at TRNSMT in July, the Castlemilk indie singer's monumental local success is testament to word-of-mouth's power. (DP)