11 hours ago

Jonathan GeddesBBC Scotland News

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Hamish Hawk struggles to enjoy the big moments of his career

Hamish Hawk is determined to enjoy his Hogmanay gig at Princes Street Gardens - as he was too terrified to appreciate his last show there.

The Edinburgh singer is performing before thousands of people at the city's famous Concert in the Gardens, supporting indie-rock duo Wet Leg as the curtain falls on 2025.

He previously opened for Simple Minds at the same spot, but told BBC Scotland News that he has struggled to enjoy some of the big moments in his career so far.

"The piece of advice I always get given is to enjoy myself in the moment, and it's a really good piece of advice – but it's more difficult than you might imagine to actually do that," he says.

Since the release of his third album A Firmer Hand in 2024 - a critically acclaimed work that reached No 22 in the charts - the 34-year-old is attempting to soak in experiences more, with the finale for 2025 offering a good opportunity for this.

"It's a perfect way to round off the year," he says, sitting backstage before another big show, at Glasgow's famous Barrowland venue.

"We played the gardens before when we supported Simple Minds, which is a moment etched into my mind because of the sheer terror when going on. This time I'm hoping it will be more enjoyable.

"Plus I live near there and I can just walk to the gig!"

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Hamish Hawk will support Wet Leg at the Hogmanay celebrations

Originally from Fairmilehead in the south of Scotland's capital, Hawk has been making music for more than a decade, with his first two albums earning praise.

However, A Firmer Hand - which mixed artful indie rock and synth-pop with open, emotional lyrics regarding Hawk's relationships with various men - marked a step up for the singer, resulting in glowing reviews.

It was a record often dark in tone and emotion, but Hawk himself seems content now, although he admits opening himself up was not an easy thing to do.

"I do feel I'm in a better place now," he says.

"Writing and releasing an album like A Firmer Hand wasn't the easiest thing, it's quite vulnerable and exposing. It was more sincerely autobiographical than anything I'd written before, and it was a catharsis for me.

"At the time I said I opened a cupboard and a skeleton fell out, and now I'm in a place where I've been made stronger by that, and I'm thankful.

"Everything just poured out when writing, like an exorcism – I don't know what follows an exorcism but it's got to be better than what was there before."

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Hamish Hawk describes himself as a perfectionist

Hawk is coy on what exactly will come next, but says he has been writing new songs over the past several months.

He has had a busy time since the release of A Firmer Hand, touring heavily while fitting in time for other ideas and projects.

This is partly to try and shake off a feeling he is being idle when not on the road.

"I'm a fierce perfectionist and there is an overactive, hugely self-critical voice in my head - my whole life is an exercise in trying to shake that," he says.

"Not many people I know have a life like this, they'll have more structure and a nine to five thing.

"So because I don't have that I have more time to sit around – which I don't take. I'm my own worst enemy, really."

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Ivor Cutler is an inspiration to Hamish

Those other projects included a tribute to his idol Ivor Cutler, the Glaswegian poet and humourist who massively inspired Hawk.

Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol.0 offered itself as Hawk's take on Cutler's 1970s account of growing up in Glasgow, Life In a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol.2.

He was commissioned to work on the project for the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

"Ivor Cutler has been a guiding light for me in many ways, not just as a writer or poet but in his approach to life," he says.

"So his work was always near the surface of my mind, and the way it bubbled over was really the best feeling. I'm so glad I did it, and here's to it having legs in the future.

"When someone comes along and they say they want you to do something, and you have creative control, it just felt like my lucky day. I would love for it to happen again, as it gave me so much energy."

Edinburgh's music scene

He will put that energy to use later, saying that in recent years he has tended to stay in more often on Hogmanay.

This year he will be full of festive spirit however, especially in the city he has lived in since he was four.

"I feel immensely tied to Edinburgh emotionally. When I started out as a singer-songwriter there was a lot of pressure to move to Glasgow, as it is very much the creative hub of Scotland, or move to London.

"There was something in my head that said if I wanted to be part of a scene, it would be better trying to build that rather than moving elsewhere and trying to get on the coattails of something else.

"The way my life has unfolded, I feel I made the right decision."