DUMFRIES MUSIC COLLECTIVE arrived in Glasgow on Tuesday 6 October, taking over Resonate’s Networking Night at McChuills and bringing four artists from Dumfries & Galloway to a wider audience.
DMC supports emerging artists across the region, helping them develop their music, perform and build experience within the industry. DMC EXPORT is their new programme, taking that work further by giving artists the chance to play outside D&G, reach new audiences and make connections beyond home.
“Get out. Get connected. Get heard beyond the region.” That’s the idea behind DMC EXPORT.
For its first event, DMC partnered with Resonate, whose networking nights bring together artists, music industry professionals and music lovers. Therefore, McChuills was the perfect setting for four D&G artists to take their music to a Glasgow audience.
By 7pm, the back room at McChuills was ready. The lights were down, smoke machines filled the stage and DMC and Resonate signs sat around the room as the audience began to arrive. The show was completely free, with Resonate’s open mic and open decks following the DMC performances later in the evening.
First up was Connie Ewart. Now based in Glasgow, Ewart has worked with DMC since she was very young, developing a sound that moves between pop, folk and country, centered in her songwriting. Taking to the stage with her acoustic guitar, she drew the room in. Her set moved between covers and originals, but her voice was the real standout: warm, expressive and completely captivating.
Josh White followed. A singer-songwriter and guitarist, his influences include The Beatles while his own writing explores climate change, capitalism and the world around us. Classically inspired chord changes sit alongside lyrics about the systems that fail those they’re supposed to serve.
He also performed a song he had finished writing the night before. Despite being so new, the performance was so precise, sounding like a track he had lived with and played many times before.
Then came Joseph Cursare, bringing his rap-pop sound to the stage. There was already plenty of excitement around him as he launched into his set, with “Aperol Spritz” among the tracks getting the crowd moving. His stage performance is fun, with plenty of personality coming through as he performs. After the two previous more stripped-back performances, Cursare brought another style to the mix, with his approach giving the bill plenty of variety.
Alex B took to the stage with his band for the longest set of the night. His performance moved between originals and covers, including a tribute to 5 Seconds of Summer and Blondie’s “One Way or Another”, giving him plenty of room to show the different sides of his sound. He later stepped away from the band for an acoustic original, stripping the performance back before bringing the live performances to a close.
Some of the audience already knew the artists performing. Others were hearing them for the first time. Either way, there was excitement around the performances, with plenty of support from the room throughout the night.
After the DMC performances, Resonate’s open mic and open decks opened the stage back up to the wider room, bringing the networking night into its second half. The DMC artists had brought their music to Glasgow; now the stage belonged to whoever wanted to step up.
For DMC, the point of bringing these artists to Glasgow was never simply to put on another show. DMC Export is about taking artists who are already making music in Dumfries & Galloway and giving them the chance to see what happens when that music reaches a different audience. A new room means new people, new relationships and, potentially, a whole new group of people hearing their music for the first time.
For four artists from Dumfries & Galloway, Glasgow was the destination this time. Where they take it next is the interesting part.