Glasgow-based San Jose release their new single ‘The Bastards’ this week – the six-piece have no intention of tying themselves to any particular genre so it’s impossible to guess what it will sound like. Lead singer Calum Grant shared the following insight with CLASH ahead of its release: “’The Bastards’ is a ballad about sovereignty. It’s hard to write a song about anything else in today’s climate. Everyday some creeping dark cloud over democracy grows, seemingly stronger and more opaque.”
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“We’ve been trying to capture that cloud and distill that feeling for a while, and with ‘The Bastards’ we feel we’ve come close. Being Scottish, it seems being politically discontent is part of our very being, our genealogy even. This feeling is building amongst us, and you can tangibly feel it – we hope that ‘The Bastards’ can be a light that shines upon that. Sonically, as usual we pull inspiration from all over the place. Everything from Serge Gainsbourg to King Gizzard can be heard within ‘The Bastards’, it’s a journey, tumultuous and eclectic.”
Scotland is a hotbed for emerging artists right now, assisted by young independent promoters such as San Jose’s management team Scottish Collective Management, who along with Crowded Flat co-founded Glasgow’s Houseguest Fest. San Jose believe that discontent is a huge motivator. They continue: “Prior to Covid, most Glasgow bands sounded eerily similar, this was good for scene homogeneity, but it left quite a dull taste in the mouths of the different or the alternative. This has changed now. The scene is vibrant and flowing, more and more bands are more unique and more confident in their craft. Discontent is also a massive feeling nationally, a lot of bands feel cold-shouldered by their southern counterparts and in true Scottish fashion, we’re all happy to work twice as hard to counteract London hegemony.”
San Jose have released four singles to date: ‘Self Help’, ‘For Jim, I Loved You’, ‘Dirty Linen’ and ‘I’ve Got You’, each different from the one before. It’s intriguing to hear a band so early being adventurous with their sound. Calum expands: “Creatively, we draw from anything and everything we can get our hands on. That’s the beauty of contemporary art nowadays, we have more access now than ever before to deconstruct, add and replicate. Ultimately however, our main inspiration is engagement and spectacle. We want to create art that sits in the grey area between discomfort and acceptance, that’s where something interesting resides, and we’re committed to using all tools at our disposal to do so.”
Having already conquered the iconic King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow a couple of times, the latest being a raucous end of year hoolie in December, this is a band who thrives on the unpredictable possibilities of a live show. Indeed this gig-goer still chuckles at the sight of Cean putting down his guitar for the final song, going into the crowd, and joining in the applause for the band at the end!
San Jose have quite rightly gained a passionate, loyal and enthusiastic support locally. Their gigs can be chaotic affairs, and the band on occasion is expanded to include a brass section. The most important thing for San Jose is “connection”. Recognising that punters are splashing the cash to pay for the gig, San Jose want to ensure the audience gets their money’s worth. “We think this is achieved with a pure connection with the audience and involvement. If we were aiming to play the tracks exactly the same live as they are on streaming platforms, we would encourage the audience to save themselves the £13 and buy a chinese and listen to them at home. However, we’re not, we want the audience to be the show. Engage in a pseudo-metamorphasis. Lose yourself to the show.”
When asked if the band has any dream venues on their wish list, the response was simple “the unconventional”. Calum elaborates, sharing: “We would love to play on non-stages everywhere, gardens, monuments, fields, circuses, theatres and modes of transport. If we can be adaptable and dynamic, and take the show all over – we’ll be content. If we were pushed for a conventional answer though, it’d need to be the Barrowlands. We’d love a huge stage set, multilevel, high flying acrobatics and trapeze, the whole shabang so to speak. Globally, though, you can’t not say The Sphere in Las Vegas, a few crazy 3D simulations followed by a few financial failures at the casino next door.”
San Jose have just been announced as one of four artists selected for Wide Days Talent Development Programme which will see them perform at La Belle Angele in Edinburgh on April 30th. It’s a good start to 2026, as they also build on shows already played south of the border. Brighton on March 28th for Garageland Promotions is already confirmed. San Jose are keen to increase their release output too and already have another single ready to go following ‘The Bastards’. There are plans to record a few times during the year, with the hope of a bigger project/EP before the years end.
The final word has to go to San Jose: “We’re aiming to break into mainland Europe also, with some exciting opportunities on the horizon. If we can imprint on the minds of the French or the Dutch we will be overjoyed. Overall, we hope we can continue to provide moments to remember, or forget (depending on Cean’s level of nudity).”
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Words: Julia Mason
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