Pioneering indie music magazine Under The Radar has been hosting a Scotland Week ahead of the Scottish Referendum next week and the recent American release of God Help The Girl, the first film written and directed by Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch.

As part of their coverage Under The Radar have been asking notable Scottish artists their opinion on independence. These are some of the responses.

Scott Hutchinson, Frightened Rabbit

“I am in support of an independent Scotland, yes. I think that we have the basis for an economically strong and prosperous future, should we be allowed to govern ourselves more fully. Many other countries of Scotland’s size are independent and I feel that our cultural identity is in fact stronger then many of those places. We should be able to make decisions based on the needs of the Scottish population, not those of the United Kingdom.”

Katrina Mitchell, The Pastels

“It feels like a really great, exciting moment in Scotland’s journey just now. We’re voting yes to independence because Scotland is confident and quick-witted and wise enough to determine its own future. But as things stand, we’re not in control of our future. We have a socialist history that we’re proud of, but the rest of the U.K. is moving steadily towards the right in terms of politics. That divergence began a while ago and the fork is widening. At the U.K. ballot box our vote size is too small to affect the overall outcome, so very often Scotland finds itself controlled by a government that our neighbors voted for but that we didn’t. It makes sense to get rid of this situation when we have the chance. Our fantastic national health service is at serious risk if we stay in the U.K., and there are loads of other good reasons to vote yes. If our country is to have an equitable, bright, socialist future, its best chance is to become independent in September.”

Peter Masson, Casual Sex

“As the prehistoric boys club of Westminster is slowly dismantled through effective democratic process, there will be the acceptance that the remaining countries of the UK cannot continue living as a part of a system where power is held by an elite few who live in complete disregard of those they pretend to serve and who actually serve only to protect their own interests… As Scotland then makes good on its refusal to be a nuclear missile base, watch what happens when attempts are made to find these pointless weapons new homes elsewhere on this island… Scotland is a country that is destined to be more socially just and more intelligently run than is possible under a Westminster government. An independent Scotland will surely go through some of its greatest challenges to date, since Independence will be the first of many steps and not an arrival point.”

Paul Thomson, Franz Ferdinand

“We’re not even a poor country, yet 800,000 people live in poverty and parts of Glasgow have the lowest mortality rate in Europe. If things continue the way they are under the current government which was not elected by a Scottish vote, I see a very bleak future. Overall though, the debate has ignited a spark of idealism and hope, particularly among young people, who want to have a role in how their future is written, it’s really exciting.”

Stevie Jackson, Belle and Sebastian

“After much thought, I’m still torn. A lot of my friends think it is a complete no brainer but I don’t agree. Our drummer Richard [Colburn] reckons that no one knows what’s going to happen come independence and that’s true. Ultimately, I think it’s a vote for the heart so I’ll probably go for it. The amount of political engagement in the country has been heartening, I must say.”

Mark Millar, comic book writer

“I kind of love the idea of a country being run almost like a small business, as well, where the smaller something is, the more you can keep an eye on it and make sure there’s no waste. But at the same time, it is a big scary world out there. There are financial storms going on constantly, and when we have the economics superpowers like the Euro, America, China, and emerging ones, as well, like Brazil, Russia, and India, do we really want to be that small? It’s slightly frightening. So I don’t know, it’s tricky. I’m normally very, very sure of what I believe in, and I’ve never been so unsure, and we’re only two weeks away from polling day. At the moment, I still don’t know. My heart says one thing; my head says another thing. I don’t know. I guess we’ll see what wins.”

Manda Rin, Bis

“I may be one of the few people you’ll hear of in a band saying this, but I’ll be voting no. There are many things at Westminster I’m unhappy with and many changes that need to be made, but I very much like being part of the United Kingdom and am proud to be Scottish at the same time. I don’t believe going independent will change all the problems and it could create more. We get free universities, free prescriptions, and with the mass of people on benefits in Scotland I’m not sure how much longer that could continue. I don’t believe our oil could sustain our income long after my son is 40. There’s far too many unanswered and important questions for going independent and I’m not prepared to risk our home and my son’s future, but also lose living in the U.K. that I enjoy being part of.”

David Maclean, Django Django

“I’m for independence. I was brought up in the ’80s and the disdain for Thatcher’s government was palpable for me even at a young age. As I grew up we all seemed to start looking to [the] Labour [party] for answers and there was a real sense of hope and change resting on New Labour’s shoulders. When they were voted in many people felt that the bad old days of right wing politics were over in Scotland. But fast forward to 2014. Labour blew it in almost every way. They’ve left behind them a trail of destruction and bloodshed in the Middle East. And for what? The place is worse than ever. I’ll never in my life vote Labour again. And so we’re back with the good ol’ greedy gang. Something has to change. Scotland on the whole never voted for another Conservative government and we were so sickened by the Labour lies and war mongering that I think we’ve been pushed into this. A lot of people are just fed up of Westminster’s antics. I’m skeptical however. I’m not suggesting that creating an independent Scotland will be an easy ride. We may well end up with the same old self-serving cronies. But for me running our own country is a no brainier and a step in the right direction.”

Frances McKee, The Vaselines

“I think it has been a long time coming. It is time. I am for independence. I have lots of reasons for this but mainly Scotland should be able to stand on its own two feet, which means taking responsibility for its own future without dumping the blame on anyone else… Change will create positive and negative outcomes. How this will affect the arts to be honest I have no way of knowing. What I do know however is that there are a lot of creative people in Scotland ready for the change a yes vote will bring.”

Helen Marnie, Ladytron

“I have been a Yes supporter from the start. I don’t necessarily see it as nationalism, that’s not what this is about. It’s about having control over your country’s affairs and not being tied to a system that frankly does not work for Scotland, and hasn’t worked for a long, long time. I have faith that we are a talented enough lot to be able to go it alone.”

Yes: 8 | No: 1 | Unsure: 1

Head over to Under The Radar to see more of their Scotland Week content.

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