Introducing: Pedalo

Meet Pedalo, the Glasgow-based 5-piece band that’s been making waves since 2022. With a sound as eclectic as their influences—ranging from Wolf Alice to Beach House—they’ve sold out iconic Scottish venues like SWG3’s Poetry Club, Nice N Sleazy, and Sneaky Pete’s. Add to that festival slots at Tenement Trail and King Tut’s Summer Nights, plus sharing stages with acts like Vona Vella and Swiss Portrait, and it’s clear Pedalo is a force to watch. Blending atmospheric textures and dynamic energy, this rising band is carving their own path with a shared passion for originality.

1. Your music draws from a wide range of influences like Wolf Alice, Radiohead, and Slowdive. How do you blend these inspirations to create Pedalo's unique sound?

As we all come from such different musical backgrounds it actually took a while for us to find a coherent sound. Whilst writing ‘Mystery’, the guitar and bass parts were heavily influenced by In Rainbows whilst the vocal parts were influenced by Wolf Alice’s work. Through these influences we found ourselves really getting a grasp of what we wanted pedalo to sound like which then shaped how the rest of the debut EP would sound. 

2. You've played at iconic venues and festivals around Scotland—what have been the most memorable moments for the band so far?

We have been lucky to have covered a lot of ground in 2024, the highlight being our first ever Scottish tour. This was our biggest project to date and having fully organised this ourselves, we couldn’t be happier with how it went. Meeting and playing with bands from all across Scotland was truly rewarding and has created some core memories. Our tour documentary can now be viewed over our YouTube.

3. With the release of your debut EP Migration, what themes or stories are you hoping to convey to your audience?

The EP covers a fair bit of ground in the five tracks. The main focus is the transition into adulthood and the resulting changing in dynamics, whether that’s surrounding romantic relationships, friendships, or the relationship you have with yourself. For example, Something Real focuses on depersonalisation - the sense of detachment from your own body and experiences and the desperation that comes with knowing there is nothing you can do to help yourself. Never You focuses on the aftermath of a relationship ending, and the resulting feeling of longing to get back to what’s been lost. Although these seem like quite broad topics to cover in a short project, I do think (or at least hope!) that they are relatable to people, especially at the same stage of life. 

4. Pedalo has shared the stage with notable acts like Vona Vella and Swiss Portrait. How have these collaborations and experiences shaped your journey as a band?

We have been really fortunate to have had the chance to perform alongside some really great artists, and it’s always a really inspiring experience for us. Vona Vella and Swiss Portait are both bands that are doing really well making the kind of music that we want to make, so it’s great to be able to learn from those artists firsthand, as well as taking inspiration from their work. Beyond that, we’re lucky to be active in such a vibrant and supportive music scene in Glasgow. We really love that there's such a strong community of independent artists here who continually support and inspire one another, it's really invaluable.

5. As a Glasgow-based band, how has the city’s music scene and culture influenced your creative direction and growth?

Glasgow offers such a diverse spread of music scenes covering numerous genres from the classic indie-rock to nicher pockets of more experimental practice. We have specifically found ourselves, both as a band and individually, involved with scenes such as indie-rock, Scottish trad, Classical (both experimental and not) and Contemporary Jazz to name a few. Although the scene is diverse, Glasgow prides itself on a warm community within the music world, and so influences are very often merged.These influences can mainly be seen in our ‘Interlude’ track, encapsulating an art rock feeling, juxtaposing distorted guitar with our lead singer, Charlotte’s, operatic passages. Our favourite locals we are taking influence from at the moment Puppy Teeth, Lacuna and Her Picture!