Glasgow in Brief
A few weeks ago, we shared the plight of Mahmoud, a hopeful student and scholarship-holder for the University of Glasgow who is trapped in Gaza. Over the weekend, the first group of students to be evacuated by the UK from the besieged Palestinian territory arrived on British soil. Mahmoud was not one of them.
Mahmoud’s UK-based mentor Concepta Cassar told The Bell that Mahmoud feels “forgotten”, and that the UK Government hasn’t told him if or when he can expect to be evacuated. A spokesperson for the UK Government told the BBC that they are working “urgently” to support students with fully funded places at UK universities to come to the UK and begin their courses.
👮 Glasgow’s ‘Mr Big’ has been arrested in Dubai. Ross McGill, along with the supposed head of the Lyons clan, Steven Lyons, and two other gangland figures were picked up by Emirati police last week.
McGill is thought to be a key player in a recent drug war and the rise of a new gang, the Tamo Junto. In March, violence ramped up after McGill was supposedly ripped off by a member of Edinburgh drug dealer Mark Richardson’s gang with fake bank notes in a £500,000 cocaine deal. Since then, the Lyons-associated McGill with Tamo Junto and the Daniels-linked Richardson gang have exchanged threats, firebombs, and assaults.
McGill, the former leader of Rangers’ ultras group, the Union Bears, had fled to Dubai, reportedly fearing arrest after the EncroChat hack, which allowed authorities to read the private messages of thousands of gangsters. Due to Dubai’s opaque judicial process, establishing exactly what fate awaits McGill et al. is difficult. They may well face extradition to Scotland. But before then, some are asking whether the Dubai four will face its notorious Al Awir prison.
🎵 The DJ Keith McIvor, better known as JD Twitch and one half of the duo Optimo (Espacio), died “peacefully” on Friday at the age of 57. Earlier this year, McIvor was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. When news came out in July of his condition and struggle to receive urgent care, a fundraiser was set up which gathered over £147,000 in donations.
Resident Advisor has described Optimo (Espacio) as “one of the greatest club nights in the history of dance music”. Posting on Instagram, Jonnie Wilkes, the other half of Optimo, said “in a 28 year partnership he changed my life immeasurably”. “Keith’s intensity and passion for life, for music, for creativity and for positive change simply never let up. He was formidable.”
If you want to sample the versatility of JD Twitch’s music taste and curatorial expertise, this Boiler Room session features tracks ranging from old folk songs to deconstructed soul accompanied by cellist Arthur Russel. It’s beautiful, moving, and perfect for a morning listen to remember Keith McIvor.
🍅 On Saturday, Calum wandered over to Wester Common, continuing our coverage of food deserts. There, nestled between Possil Park and Ruchill, is a new food market which aims to ease food insecurity in the area.
In light of our important yet depressing reporting of community disharmony in north Glasgow, the positive vibes resonating around the Courtyard Pantry Enterprise, helped by the lively game of football in the caged pitch next door, were refreshing. The charity has had a community pantry here since 2021, providing affordable food and household items for the local estate. Now, they seek to expand their offering by bringing a monthly fresh produce market into the heart of Wester Common.
The idea behind all of this, managing director Dale Todd told Calum, is to bring high-quality, fresh produce into the areas where they are most needed.
Courtyard Pantry is piloting this market over the next year to create “genuine choice” for those in the community. By matching supermarket prices but bringing the produce to the people, Todd and Courtyard Pantry aim to "challenge the pre-existing food system".
Calum got chatting to Elsie Uwanaka, who arrived with her three sons in Glasgow in 2021 as an asylum seeker and is now a board member of Courtyard Pantry. For the next few years, Uwanaka relied on the Courtyard Pantry to provide her growing boys with quality food and a taste of their Nigerian home. Now, in her third year of university, she’s optimistic about the market’s ability to give locals the freedom to choose between a variety of local produce and imported goods. She headed off after the chat, waving to her friends with a trolley bag full of the market’s fruits.
Stories you might have missed:
- Scots ‘umbrella’ firms duped NHS and council workers into tax avoidance schemes, The Ferret
- Clydebank baby who nearly died from organ failure has 'miracle' liver transplant, Glasgow Live
- Scottish Government looks to modernise compulsory purchase law, projectscot.com
- New Glasgow homeless centre could open by winter, BBC
- Glasgow charity facing £800K dilapidations claim from City Property (£), The Herald
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Read/listen/watch: From disco to Slayer, a DJ set by Optimo’s JD Twitch made life feel full of wild possibility
Freelance music journalist Lauren Martin looks back on JD Twitch’s musical legacy and his impact on clubbing, Glasgow, and political action.
We also rec:
Catch up and coming up:
- On Saturday, Robbie looked back on the tragedy that is Best Kebab. It’s a tale of bams, abuse, food poisoning, and an easily-riled Mr Best Kebab. On his journey, he finds out whether the end is nigh for the late-night döner institution. “It's been 23 years since I was last in, but I can still remember the smell,” said Marc in the comments.
Robbie Armstrong
- Last week, writer Evie Glen got the lowdown on the fallout between Glasgow’s established student newspaper and its plucky challenger.
- The renowned documentary photographer and proud Glaswegian Kirsty Mackay has moved back to the dear green place. This week, we share her personal essay on what it’s like returning to her hometown, and what’s changed in the time she’s been away.
Headline of the week:
Coatbridge rapper Specksy opens new spud van alongside his Dad
Re:view: Josie Long at the Stand
Josie Long has a lot to get off her chest. At the Stand’s new home in the 160 year-old Webster’s Church, she bounds around the stage energetically, boundless in her enthusiasm — even if she has a frightening point to make about the perilous times in which we live. Her show, fresh off a run at the Fringe, is named after the Gramsci quote, “The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
This then, is Long’s state of the nation address. It’s also a musing on gigantic megafauna, her daughter’s diminishing childlike wonder, the impending threat of extinction, and how to navigate the ‘landscape of monstrous disaster’ from the point of view of a mum living in Pollokshields, still shacked up with her ex-partner and father of her child. Monsters is a tour de force of a show, if not perfect; it is testament to her comedic prowess that she holds the audience in the palms of her hands for close to two hours. Joyous, but often terrifying — like life itself.
Josie Long: Now Is The Time Of Monsters | Friday 05 December 2025 | Tickets Oran Mor
Glasgow Calendar: Whisky Weekender at The Gate
Drams, tastings, whisky. If those are your jam and you’ve got a spare 25 quid, then you can enjoy stalls with names like “The Peat Elite” and “The Finishing School” for a weekend of uisge beatha. Held in The Gate on the Gallowgate, the festival will have whisky bloody marys, DJs, and probably more than a few headaches on the Sunday.
From £25 | Saturday & Sunday 27 & 28 September | The Gate, 251 Gallowgate, G4 0TP
Other dates for your diary:
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