Episode #22 - The Importance of Scots with Keeks Mc, Cat Cochrane, and Kaz Sharply

Episode #22 - The Importance of Scots with Keeks Mc, Cat Cochrane, and Kaz Sharply

In this episode of Glasgow Sessions, host Richard Lee sits down with returning guests Keeks Mc and Cat Cochrane, and welcomes debut guest Kaz Sharply, for an hour of poetry and chat in modern Scots. Together they explore how the language is being spoken and written right now – in families, schools and streets – and what happens when that collides with TikTok slang and global internet English. Across the session you’ll hear poems about family and home, school days and unforgettable classmates, PTSD and the way places hold memory, alongside the daft, funny moments that keep us going. The guests talk about code‑switching, emerging dialects, and why it’s vital that young people see their own language on the page, not just hear it in the playground. The episode also touches on the growing support for Scots in competitions and funding, the pressure to “translate” into English, and the importance of staying authentic to your own voice. As Glasgow Sessions continues to evolve into a cultural archive, this instalment captures a living snapshot of how Scots carries who we are – right now – in this city. Guests: Keeks Mc – Instagram: @keeksmcpoetry Cat Cochrane – Instagram: @catchochrane_writer Kaz Sharply – Instagram: @kazsharply and @wittyandsharp

Episode 21 - Keeks Mc, Stephen Watt, Dev McMath

In this episode, Richard Lee is joined by three phenomenal poets and dear pals of the show: Keeks Mc (@keeks_mc), Stephen Watt (@stephenwattpoet), and making his debut as a fellow co-host of Glasgow Sessions, Dev McMath (@devmcmath_poet). Across the episode, we move from belly laughs to gut punches, talking Scots language and identity, Glasgow’s buzzing spoken-word scene, and the strange comfort of 90s nostalgia, VHS tapes, and Super 8 reels. Keeks brings fiercely heartfelt Scots work about voice, class, and the “kinch wi death”; Stephen mixes whisky timelines, bats, and family home movies into that singular blend of humour and tenderness he’s known for; and Dev charts finding home in Scotland and trying to make sense of the chaos of the new twenties. There are plenty of daft stories - from Irn-Bru sacrilege to teenage Disaronno schemes - alongside conversations about grief, dementia, aging, and why this city’s poetry community means so much to us. It’s a warm, raucous, deeply human episode, and we're delighted to share it with you. Follow the poets: Keeks Mc - @keeks_mc Stephen Watt - @stephenwattpoet Dev McMath - @devmcmath_poet And keep up with the show at @glasgowsessions.

Special Annoucement

In this special announcement episode of Glasgow Sessions, host Richard Lee is joined by Dev McMath to reflect on how the project has grown over the past few months - and where it’s heading next. What started as a grassroots platform for live music and spoken word has quickly evolved into something bigger: a growing cultural archive of voices, scenes, and stories from across Glasgow. With more artists reaching out and more listeners tuning in, the conversation turns to what that growth means, and how Glasgow Sessions can continue to develop. Together, Richard and Dev discuss the vision behind the project, the idea of documenting the city in a meaningful way, and why now feels like the right time to expand. This episode also marks a call-out to creatives across Glasgow - especially editors, videographers, and collaborators - who want to be part of building something that represents the city on a wider, international stage. Follow Dev McMath: @devmcmath Follow Glasgow Sessions: @glasgowsessions

Episode #20 - Ash-Lee De Haldevang

Ash-Lee De Halevang joins us for a fiercely honest conversation about identity, transience, and finding home after a childhood stretched between London, East Lothian, Singapore, Malaysia, Cornwall, and now Glasgow. We talk about growing up dyslexic and uprooted, Warrior Cats as a gateway into reading, and the moment a single creative writing exercise catapulted Ash from bottom set to top set and set them on the path to becoming a writer. Ash traces her journey from early filmmaking into poetry, the “real university” of open mics, and a three-year commitment to writing a poem a day. We dig into influences like Audre Lorde, Gil Scott-Heron, John Cooper Clarke, Savannah Brown, and hip hop, and what they taught Ash about voice, politics, and performance. There’s frank discussion of mental health, dyslexia, and the feedback loop of sad poetry – as well as how community, mentorship (including Mothtales and Phil Thomson), and spaces like Loud Poets, the Lilac Collective, and Glasgow’s spoken word scene helped Ash find a more sustainable, communal way of making art. We also talk about working across poetry, scripts, and film, and how an idea finds its form. A central thread is gender identity and trans rights: Ash shares the story of coming out as transgender to her parents last October, how that moment reshaped her relationship to their work, and what it means to create as a trans poet in the current political climate. This episode contains personal reflections on mental health and one poem that engages with real-world politics, including corporate complicity in war. Listener discretion advised. Follow the show on Instagram: @glasgowsessions Listen to Glasgow Sessions on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

Episode #19 - Peter Brown / ’Pete The Street’

Peter Brown - Pete the Street | Glasgow Sessions If you've ever walked through the city and spotted someone standing at an easel in the pouring rain - no umbrella, no shelter, just paint and canvas - there's a good chance you've just met this week's guest. Peter Brown, known as Pete the Street, is one of Britain's most celebrated plein air painters. For over thirty years he's stood on pavements from Bath to London to New York - and increasingly, right here in Glasgow - painting everyday life exactly as it unfolds, in all weathers, never from a photograph, always in the thick of it. He's a Past President of the New English Art Club, Banksy chose him to feature in Cut & Run at the GoMA, and just recently he was on Union Street painting the Glasgow station fire as it happened while the TV cameras filmed him doing it. In this episode we talk about building a career from scratch on the pavements of Bath, painting lockdown London when the streets fell silent, his Banksy collaboration, why Glasgow has gotten completely under his skin - and his forthcoming Glasgow paintings exhibition. Follow Pete: 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petethestreet1/ 🌐 Website: https://www.peterbrownneac.com/ 🖼️ Glasgow Paintings: https://www.peterbrownneac.com/glasgow/ Subscribe to Pete's newsletter at peterbrownneac.com for updates on his upcoming Glasgow exhibition. Listen to Glasgow Sessions on: 🟢 Spotify 🎵 Apple Podcasts 🟠 Amazon Music 📸 Instagram: @glasgowsessions Glasgow Sessions is a podcast celebrating the artists, musicians, poets, and creative voices of Glasgow and beyond. New episodes regularly - follow and subscribe wherever you listen.