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Scotland is a fascinating country, boasting a rich cultural heritage, beautiful scenery and a generally welcoming population made up of a variety of cultures. The country is steeped in myth and legend, but recently the concept of Scotland has moved far from the traditional kilt-clad bagpipe-wielding claymore-in-hand idea of yesteryear, although traditional Scottish culture is still very much evident throughout the land. Modern Scotland is much more of a melting pot, a vibrant blend of old and new cultures, with the ethnic minorities making a strong presence as well. Music, art and comedy is in abundance in all areas, although the yearly Edinburgh festival is the general highlight for most performers, the event attracting people from all over the globe. Of course, while technologically and culturally speaking Scotland may be a highly rich nation, that does not mean that it is without fault. Scotland has a reputation for being 'the sick man of Europe', with high childhood obesity figures and extremely high rates of heart-disease along with a myriad of other prevalent health problems plaguing the population. There are also relatively high crime figures in many areas of the three main cities, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, which contain some of the poorest areas in Britain. The general population, however, remains very friendly to outsiders, laid back and historically tends more towards the Socialist side of the political spectrum.

As a musician born in Scotland (my name is Angus MacDonald so they don't come much more Scottish than I), culture is very important to me. Living in Glasgow I am surrounded by many different type of music, from classical to traditional folk to electronic - it's all here in abundance. Glasgow has some of the most revered music venues, including the infamous 'Barrowlands' which has been quoted by many bands as being their favourite venue due to the raucous atmosphere. On any weekend I can walk into pubs and listen to live jazz bands, rock bands, traditional fiddle music or DJs playing dance tracks, even a wander through the city centre would not come without buskers ranging from folksy guitarists to full-blown samba bands. Although most cities in the world have similar musicians, nowhere is it so diverse and all-encompassing as Glasgow. The rest of the country also has a great amount of musicality, and many great bands and artists have been based here. The sense of music is certainly part of our history, in the past there was a part of

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