IT'S all kicking off for an up-and-coming Barrhead band after one of their songs was added to the Scotland national team’s Spotify playlist, along with music from a host of top artists.

White Widow, by four-piece Kardo, has made the musical rundown on the streaming service, which is played over the Hampden tannoy at each home game, on two occasions.
The first time the single was played at Hampden was when Scotland faced Portugal in 2018.

And after a spike in streams more recently, the band discovered the song had made the list again for the recent game against the Czech Republic.

The tune, inspired by 80s electric pop, was joined on the list by the likes of Dignity, by Deacon Blue, This is the Life, by Amy MacDonald, I’m Gonna Be (500 miles), by The Proclaimers, and Rhythm of My Heart, by Rod Stewart.

Former St Luke’s High pupil James Wiseman is the vocalist for Kardo, which also features former Barrhead High pupils Sam Carlton (guitar) and Ollie Carswell (bass), as well as latest addition Courtney Campbell, from Kilsyth, on drums.

James told the Barrhead News: “We got an email from a guy who has his own radio station and he does the DJing for the tannoy at Hampden and he said he had come across the song and liked it, so he added it to the playlist. He then played it at Hampden and on his show.

“It was a bit of a surprise and we are buzzing because a couple of us in the band go to the Scotland games usually, so the thought of being at a game and hearing it play over the tannoy is pretty exciting.

“With Scotland qualifying for the Euros next year, hopefully it’ll still be on the playlist then.”

James, 21, started Kardo with childhood friend Sam and the band has since played a headline gig at King Tut’s, in Glasgow, as well as other performances around the local area.

His ambition for the band is to perform at Glasgow’s Trnsmt festival on one of the smaller stages before one day making the headline stage.

White Widow is currently being remastered in London and the band hopes to release this new version in the not too distant future, along with other material.

James added: “We are working on a slow David Bowie-esque song about space and other songs which are heavier and rockier.

“We seem to change our music style every single we bring out. We don’t have the same lane we stay in, we float in and out of different genres because we all listen to different kinds of music.”

To check out the full playlist, visit HERE.