OFF THE GRID WITH START FROM SCRATCH

Last week, Glasgow‘s most exciting new music spectacle Off The Grid kicked off its mission to take the city by storm. The B12 Entertainment live series, which takes place between 27th August and 25th September, will bring 50 rising bands from across the Central Belt to some of Glasgow’s most iconic grassroots venues.

With the second week of Off The Grid in full swing, the spotlight shifts to Lucky Strike Basement. Sharing the stage with The Skins, Cupid Stunts and Civil Hands are local favourites Start from Scratch. We spoke with lead singer Fennalla about the band’s latest EP, building a community around The Scratch Scene, and carving out your creative space in your thirties.

Nice to meet you, Start From Scratch! Can you start by introducing yourselves – who makes up the band, where are you based, and how long have you been together?

My name is Fennella – I’m the lead singer of Start From Scratch, alongside Iain (bass), Stuart (guitar), and Ciaran (drums). We are from Glasgow and we’ve been together about two and a half years.

If you were to pick a band from the 70’s, the 80’s and the 90’s which you think describes your sound, what 3 bands would you choose?

We are like if Kate Bush fronted The Offspring… with a little Stevie Nicks witchcraft sprinkled in. We are really influenced by 90s and 00s music, so this was a tough one!

Earlier this year, you dropped Demos ’26 EP, what can you tell us about that collection of songs? Had they been with you for a while?

These are some of our favourite songs! Lyrically, they’re mostly a not-so-serious celebration of exactly where life is right now in my early 30s. ‘Winning’, ‘Sexy Song’, and ’31’ are all cheerful, sexy, confident songs about levelling up in life, while ‘Soil’ is a little more reflective, drawing on some very hard times fought through.
Musically, this is our first release that starts to stray slightly heavier than the pop punk of our first EP. ‘31′ still has one foot firmly in pop punk, but overall, this is more fast, raw, emo-y alt-rock, with heavy guitar riffs and massive vocals.

How do you feel you have evolved as a band over the years? What have been the toughest lessons learnt?

We’re all in our 30s – we have jobs, and some of us have kids – so making the band a genuine priority in the middle of our busy lives is always a balance. But also, it actually gives us loads of freedom, because no one is doing this for a paycheck. We can afford to pour any money the band makes back into the band for recording and promotion – which brings me to the other thing we’ve learned. Which is that we have really expensive taste when it comes to production…we nearly didn’t release Demos ’26 at all because we weren’t fully sold on the sound.

In terms of new music, do you have anything in the works? If so, what can you share about that?

YES! It’s been slow because we’ve had a busy summer outside of the band. But our deliciously miserable new song ‘Olivia’ should be out early in the new year. And we are working on another EP. It’s going to be dark and moody and spooky and all the good things. 

⁠Events like Off The Grid are all about music discovery. Has there ever been a gig where you went in blind and walked away with a new favourite band?

Oh my goodness yes! We go to a lot of small gigs and try really hard to be part of building the local scene, and that means we are discovering absolute gold all the time. Some of my absolute local faves I’ve discovered when I had zero expectations were: Wretch, Venus In The Lake, and High Voltage.

⁠Off The Grid is dedicated to championing the grassroots scene. In such a challenging landscape for indie artists, what is the biggest myth you find yourself constantly having to bust about being an up-and-coming act?

I think the scene can be pretty gate-keepy…but there are enough listeners and enough internet for everyone! Bands don’t have to be in competition – we want to hold doors open for other people doing cool things, and we appreciate it when people do the same for us.
We’re especially passionate about seeing more women and gender expansive people taking up space in the scene; we want to be part of creating a community where that feels possible. The more we champion each other, the more we all benefit.

⁠For your upcoming gig at Lucky Strike, what can gig-goers expect from the live set?

There’s no such thing as a tame Start From Scratch set. We really put 100% into every performance – expect theatrics, energy, big feelings – and sexy shoes.

Looking across the wider Off The Grid lineup, if you were to buy a ticket to check out any other show on the bill, who are you going to see?

The line-up we are on is solid gold to be honest. We can’t wait to see Cupid Stunts, Civil Hands, and The Skins – but we also love Too Red, We Are Not Scared Of Robots, and Zebra Lane – so those are bound to be wicked nights too!

As well as being in the band together, Start from Scratch’s Fenella and Stuart run The Scratch Scene. Trying to build a music scene that they WANT to be a part of, A platform for women and gender expansive people making heavy music in Scotland. The Scratch Scene delivers quarterly showcases, publishes a zine, and runs a blog that features reviews and articles from great acts across Scotland. Their next Grrl’s Night gig is on the 17th October at Glasgow’s Bloc+ and will feature BLDSUGR!, Wretch, Faye-I and, of course, Start from Scratch.

Before that, Start from Scratch will perform at Lucky Strike Basement on Saturday 5th September alongside Civil Hands, Cupid Stunts and The Skins. Tickets are on sale now for a mere £12 (+ £1 booking fee) from B12 Entertainment.