From buying his first guitar at the Barras Market to headlining King Tut’s, Murdo Mitchell has journeyed through the ranks in impressive fashion.  

After spending £75 on the axe, the Glaswegian has gained an impressive following on Spotify (with just under 20,000 monthly listeners) and has played some of the city’s biggest venues, including The Barrowland Ballroom. 

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Speaking to the Glasgow Times, Murdo said: “I went to the Barras with my dad, and I saw this guitar, it really was awful. I haggled the guy down to £75 quid and that’s how I got my first guitar.

“He handed it over to me in a black bin bag as well. 

“It was electric and it was awful – it was like it was made of scaffolding or something. I’ve bought a lot of s*** guitars though, to be honest.”

Glasgow Times:

Before buying the electric, the singer revealed that he used to busk on Buchanan Street with his cousin's guitar. 

“Initially when I started playing music I borrowed a guitar from my cousin,” Murdo said. 

He continued: “I went busking on Buchanan Street and I taught myself like three chords and used to play Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody.

“I remember I made like £50 the first time I went out and as an 11-year-old, that was like I won the lottery.”

Glasgow Times:

It was during his busking days that Murdo met his now “best mate” Dylan John Thomas, another Glasgow legend in the making.

Though Murdo joked that the friendship between the two first began as a “rivalry” as they competed for space to busk on the city’s streets. 

He said: “I’ve known Dylan for years – he’s my best mate. I met him busking in Glasgow. 

“Buskers used to have groups of girls that would hang about at the busking pitch – it was a weird scene in Glasgow at this point. 

“I remember playing when I was 15 or 16 and some girl came down to me and went ‘Dylan says you’re pure s***e by the way.’

“We had a pure rivalry without even meeting, but then we met and it was sound.”

Murdo even opened up for the Fever hitmaker at the Barrowland Ballroom last November. 

Glasgow Times:

The singer made his way into the spotlight after releasing his debut single Hollow, in 2021. 

Now, he is set to release his debut EP later this year, with the first single, One Glass, having dropped in mid-February. 

The singer will be playing a show at King Tut’s on March 27, ahead of the anticipated EP release. 

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Having taken to the city centre stage before, he said: “King Tut’s is a venue that I think everyone sort of ticks off – you do step-ups in this city, I think. It’s like King Tut’s, Saint Luke’s, and then The Barrowland’s and so on. 

“Last time I played King Tut’s which I think was on my last tour back in April 2023 and at that point, I hadn’t played Glasgow in a while. It was the best show on the tour. 

“It felt really good to be back in the city and playing King Tut’s and I’m excited to come back again.” 

Tickets for the upcoming show are now on sale and can be purchased HERE