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Step into a smoky Glasgow rehearsal room and meet John Paul Hughes of Helicon, the psychedelic rock band turning influence into something fiercely their own. We go deep on craft, why permanence beats hype, and how to build songs that still feel new decades later. If you’ve ever argued that guitar music is alive and well, this is your proof.

We trace the DNA from The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin to Ride, My Bloody Valentine, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, then follow the sound into today’s shoegaze, dream pop, doom, and stoner rock. John Paul breaks down what “psychedelic” really means—less pedal worship, more form-breaking and emotion-driven architecture. Along the way, we celebrate a global map of scenes across the UK, Europe, Australia, and even Cambodia, showing how far this music travels and why it keeps finding new ears.

The conversation lands squarely on the realities of making art now: streaming platforms that make uploading easy and discovery hard, attention spans stretched thin by short-form feeds, and a film ecosystem locked on IP and remakes. We talk arts funding, practicing until the ideas click, and starting a band later in life with a clear sense of purpose. The core takeaway is simple: make the work for yourself first. Listeners can smell the difference between a song built for a trend and a song built to last.

If you care about shoegaze, psychedelic rock, indie craft, and the fight to be heard in a noisy world, you’ll feel at home here. Hit play, share it with a friend who says rock is dead, and leave a review to help more curious listeners find the show.

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