Scott developed a passion for drums at the age of 10, drumming for various marching bands during early high school.  Soon he was drawn to the drum kit with influences from the likes of U2, Fleetwood Mac, Radiohead and the Manic Street Preachers to name a few.

In 2002, a move to central Bristol immersed Scott in the diverse cultural music scene, and he performed at many festivals and played drums with bands playing original material which he co-wrote.

The call of the Scottish music scene proved strong and he returned in 2006 to follow his passion for both live performance and teaching and furthering his music studies with the University of the Highlands & Islands in Perth.

Scott can adapt to a wide variety of musical situations.  Whether performing live or in the studio, Scott thrives on breaking new ground and performing to his best.

Scott continues to play drums for a diverse range of artists both in the studio, televised and live.  These artists have included:

The Coaltown Daisies

The Jiggers Ceilidh Band

Abbamania

The Martial Arts are releasing their new album ‘In There Like Swimwear’, on Friday 9 August 2024, on the Where It’s At Is Where You Are label.  It contains the singles, ‘No Victory’, ‘Not Coming Down’, ‘Exploding Crushing Inevitable’ and ‘Friends For Fools’.

The album links the neighboring worlds of power pop / indie pop / classic pop, and would sit comfortably in the collections of Daniel Johnston, XTC, Eno, Of Montreal, The Lemon Twigs or The Apples In Stereo fans.

The Martial Arts is Paul Kelly, who for over 15 years has been a mainstay of the Scottish music scene.   He was a full-time member of BMX Bandits for five years and is a long-time collaborator and bandmate of the SAY Award-nominated artist Carla J Easton (The Vaselines / Poster Paints / TeenCanteen).  He has performed with Raveloe, TeenCanteen, Kim Richey, The Primary 5, Dr. Cosmo’s Tape Lab, How to Swim and The Hector Collectors.  He has been using the name The Martial Arts since 2003.

Annie Macfarlane is following