Top 10 Best Scottish Bands
Scotland might be best known for its dramatic landscapes, ancient castles, and yes, a fair share of sheep, but it also knows how to crank up the volume. The country punches way above its weight when it comes to music, churning out bands that have not only defined their own scenes but also helped shape global sounds across decades. From ethereal dream pop to gritty alternative rock, anthemic stadium-fillers to cult indie heroes, there's something in the Scottish water that seems to breed musical ambition and originality.
No other band stirs my soul and fills me with such love for my country! The music just takes you straight to the place intended! Fantastic songwriting and the live shows are just incredible! Donnie, Rory, Bruce, and Brian have magical voices. Malcolm makes that guitar sing like no other!
Simply in a class of their own! There will never be another Runrig!
Love this band, but they are not my #1. That is Big Country. However, had it not been for my love for Big Country, I would never have found this fabulous band.
I was once asked what my dream concert would be to see. I said, Logan to open for Runrig, and Runrig to open for Big Country. Now that would be the ultimate.
Absolutely superb live, and their new EP Wasted Time is unreal! Give it a listen! You won't regret it. I've seen them live too! Definitely the best new band in Scotland right now and deserving to top the list!
They've come so far in so little time. They're going to go very far!
Great original songwriters and a fresh new sound. Great following and bundles of energy and charisma. They are going to go far and one day top this list!
I have the pleasure of knowing these guys. They are incredible and very much deserve this. Watch out, these guys will lift off!
Big Country has been and will always be my favorite band of all time. America lost out not knowing more from them than what VH1 dubs as a one-hit wonder. Luckily, I loved this band enough to follow them to date and have witnessed many great tracks from them.
I was so stoked when Mike Peters from The Alarm took on the vocals for Stuart. Then, when Derek Forbes took over bass for Tony Butler, I was happy with the match. I do miss my Tony and, of course, the man who was just a man, Stuart Adamson.
I can't help liking the direction the band has taken with their music and how they are evolving. I'm just very happy that Bruce Watson and Mark Brzezicki are still remaining. Many do not know this, but Mark Brzezicki played with The Cult for a short time. Bruce played in The Skids, a band in which Stuart also played. Bruce also played in a band called Fish.
Yes, I did say Big Country is my all-time favorite band.
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in 1977. They achieved commercial success in the 1980s and, despite various personnel changes, continue to record and tour. Talented, musical, powerful, melodic, atmospheric, and charismatic. They taught U2 all they know about captivating stadium fans as well as reaching individuals.
From their early raw sound to their current material, they have never failed to deliver. Have a re-listen to Live in the City of Light. By FAR the best Scottish band. Period. (Although there have been many other fantastic bands from our wee nation).
It's Simple! Minds. Love Runrig! BUT Simple Minds went past the great Scottish tradition and put the best of the West into the great Scottish tradition. They injected Lou Reed and The Doors into their Scottish veins, and the result kicks ass!
Great rock music with a Scottish touch. These guys knew the musical landscape and added a Scottish touch that I truly value. Thank you, Glasgow buddies!
They have only been around for 45+ years with 22 studio albums. Scottish rock pioneers! They should be number one for sure!
Brilliant band in the seventies. They were probably the best Scottish rock band ever!
Very underrated band. In my opinion, one of the best bands ever.
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. It's a rare trick to uphold the sacred tenets of rock and roll while simultaneously tearing them down. The Mary Chain rock!
Discordant, dissonant, and riotous. One of the best Scottish bands ever. Forget Biffy Clyro, man.
Still remember their '85 gig in Hamburg where they only played for about thirty minutes but blew me totally away with their raw energy and all their noise, which still had beautiful melodies underneath.
One of my top five concerts of all time and the best Scottish band by far.
#28? What? In a class by themselves if you ask this New Yorker. But hey, perhaps I am missing something. Perhaps these bands ahead of them on this list need my attention.
All I can say is the Cocteau Twins are ethereal bliss.
One of the most influential bands in the world, let alone Scotland.
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band, formed in 2002 and based in Glasgow. The band's original lineup was composed of Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy, Bob Hardy, and Paul Thomson. Not just my favorite Scottish band, but my favorite band of all time. They have released three albums, all of which were masterpieces, and the fourth is set to follow suit.
These guys don't just play rock music. They saved it, deserving of the title of "The Archdukes of Rock."
My all-time favorite band from the UK. I first heard them from my brother and haven't hated a single song from them yet. I recommend this band to all who like alternative and rock.
Franz Ferdinand completely changed my life. Every single song on every single album is just spectacular. I highly recommend this band to any rock lovers!
Not just the best Scottish band, to me they're the greatest. They are my life, but at the same time, they saved my life. I listen to a pretty diverse type of music (from classical to electronica), but there's nothing like B&S. Stuart Murdoch writes so many great lines that make me want to quote them every time.
The music is as lovely as the lyrics.
The most underrated band ever. No competition. So many great songs.
Stuart Murdoch is a genius, there's no other way about it. Simply incredible. And bloody good live.
Agreed. Severely underrated. The more music I listen to, the more I become convinced of this. Stuart Murdoch is one of the two great writers of the English language, the other being Virginia Woolf.
Amazing live, they put on such a good show! They always have an amazing atmosphere when playing, and when you meet the guys, they're always so nice! So friendly to their fans, best Scottish band around!
Superior musicianship and thoughtful lyrics really do make Biffy Clyro stand out as one of Scotland's greatest bands. Franz Ferdinand have nothing on Biffy Clyro.
Intense visuals in their lyrics and a great sound. They are the only band I know of that constantly keeps me guessing and enjoying each song a hundred times over.
The Newcomers
Alestorm is a heavy metal band originally from Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterized by a pirate theme, and as a result they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. One of the biggest pirate metal bands in the world. They helped to thrust the genre into the mainstream, originating from Perth, Scotland.
One of the best live Scottish acts today. They're very much about the crescendo, and the wall of sound they hit you with is incredible.
Their 2009 album These Four Walls is a hell of a debut album. 2011's In the Pit of the Stomach is nearly an hour of blissful indie post-punk with the aforementioned walls of sound. 2014's Unravelling shows their experimental side. Excited for what's to come from this group.
These Four Walls is a perfect album from start to finish.
I'm hooked on this band. I really love this kind of music. I would have loved to see them live, and Alex Harvey is very addictive, drawing you in with great charisma.
They have got to be the most entertaining band of all time. Definitely different, but surely that's what it's all about. Love the way Harvey tries to scare the audience, but I'm more hooked. Pure brilliance.
I was hooked from the first time I heard Next... back in 1973. I went to see them at Christmas in 1975 and they blew me away! They have to be one of the best live acts of all time.
If you think you are a rock'n'roll expert, listen to "Boston Tea Party" and see. Very appropriate for the times. Great underrated Scottish band.
It's a damn shame that this band never hit it big in the United States. "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)?" may be one of my favorite power pop ballads of all time. Yet, this song is why this band mainly has a niche audience in the States, and the same goes for "Real Gone Kid."
They had a certain blue-eyed soul quality to their sound, which is very similar to all those AM gold acts of the late '70s and early '80s (Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, David Pack, and others) in many ways. The group's harmonies are excellent as well.
Underrated as all hell, sure, but I think Deacon Blue deserves more recognition.
"I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more!" These guys are just so awesome. Definitely one of the best Scottish bands! I love their accent and just how awesome they make the simple lyrics sound.
The Proclaimers are the best band, in my opinion. They sing songs about themselves and what's on their hearts. People still love them after 29 years.
"Sunshine on Leith", "Then I Met You" and, obviously, "500 Miles". The Proclaimers produce amazing lyrics and tunes, and both are just so easy to listen to. Long may they reign.
Garbage is an American-Scottish alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1993. The group consists of Scottish musician Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig. Can you include Garbage on this list given only one member (the lead singer) is actually Scottish? I think so! Over 20 years in the mix, albeit with a couple of hiatuses in there!
Garbage 2.0 is in my top ten albums of all time.
The harmonies between Roy and Ronnie are so amazing. Some of the songs they sing make great lullabies, and they do some classics as well. Although an older band, they are timeless.
True Scottish hearts. I have been listening to them through my father at the campfire since I can remember.
The Bay City Rollers are a Scottish pop band whose popularity peaked in the mid 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'biggest group since the Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at teeny-bopper... read more Very underrated. Take a listen to their 80s albums. Completely different band.
Selling millions and millions of records in the 70s should surely get them higher than #67!
The Exploited are a Scottish punk rock band from Edinburgh, formed in 1979 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan, with Buchan soon replaced by his brother Wattie. I cannot imagine my teen years without Exploited records!
Top three favorite bands. Never gets old. Best music for fall into wintertime. Keeps your blood flowing.
Deserve to be in the top ten for "The First Big Weekend" alone.
The brothers Kane from Glasgow. Still going strong after almost 30 years in the business. Scotland's most funky dudes.
Sorely underrated. Extraordinary pool of talent in this band and solo projects.
The best singer this side of Sinatra.
They suck if you listen to a clip! But if you listen to them carefully, they are going to be your ear porn and then you can't get rid of them.
Great music! I love The Fratellis. It's a pity they split with such a short and promising career.
Although one-album wonders, their first album was a wonder.
Primal Scream are the Rolling Stones of Scotland, hands down!
They have done nearly every music genre and released so many top-quality albums. Not many bands can say that. They have so many different sounds. Screamadelica is one of the greatest albums around and will be remembered for years.
You'd think they would be higher.
Best band in Scotland. Kyle has a very unique and powerful voice. Simple and creative.
Heard about Travis a month back. Now I have heard each and every track of theirs, and I can surely say that they are one of the best bands that I have ever come across.
Each of their tracks just speaks for itself! They are just an amazing and massively underrated band.
Why the hell is Travis at #10? They are the only Scottish band to have a record within the top 25 best-selling UK albums of all time! No offense to The View, but have they even sold 1 million records in total?
While The Man Who has well and truly passed 6 million.
Crazy - if Big Country (deservedly) is in the top 3, then The Skids HAVE to be. Check out "Woman in Winter" and their other classics on YouTube and then change your votes!
One of the greatest bands ever from any country in the world!