What’s on ACSOM’s Stereo? Kevin P. Gilday & The Glasgow Cross with new single ‘A Sensitive Man’

A Sensitive Man is the new single from Kevin P. Gilday and The Glasgow Cross, who seek to redefine masculine identity with their new anti-lad anthem.

Regular listeners of A Celtic State of Mind will recognise Kevin from our 3rd February episode, where we spoke about a whole range of topics, including:

* Watching Celtic under Tommy Burns;
* The politics of Paolo Di Canio;
* From writing music to writing poetry;
* Sonnet Youth and the spoken word scene;
* Suffering from Scottishness at the farcical Fringe;
* The Sonnet of Samaras.

This podcast can be heard here:

Described as “A powerhouse poet at the top of his game” by Lingo Festival, Kevin P. Gilday is clearly a multi-faceted artist – an award-winning writer and spoken word artist; the curator and co-host of spoken word cabaret Sonnet Youth; a National Theatre of Scotland Breakthrough Writer; and a BBC Writersroom Scottish Voice.

To add to his four books of poetry, Kevin’s debut album, Experience Essential, was released in 2018 on Iffy Folk Records (Glasgow) and Nymphs & Thugs Records (London). The follow-up, Pure Concrete, due to be released in May via Iffy Folk Records, is where A Sensitive Man will be found.

Taking apart the tropes of modern masculinity, Kevin P. Gilday finds himself identifying with the sensitive, weak, kind and (kind of) serious. Built around a raucous riff from Ralph Hector, A Sensitive Man reappropriates the energy of an indie-club hit and instead turns it into a personal plea to accept the multitudes of yourself in the face of binary identification. An alternative banger with a big message of self-love and self-acceptance.

Switching between trademark spoken word delivery and soaring vocals, Gilday announces himself as a writer and performer with something vital to say about the world around him in an era of blandness. Unflinchingly exploring mental health, grief, inferiority and tumbling self-esteem – the track packs a decidedly millennial punch in its short duration – inspiring multiple listens to fully capture the richness of the language.

“It’s really a little window into my mind”, says Gilday. “I hope that by singing about sensitivity and embracing the part of yourself that the world often deems as ‘feminine’ I can encourage other men to do the same – to see themselves as a beautiful mess of emotions and feelings – and not to put themselves into the increasingly toxic box of masculinity.”

Follow Kevin P. Gilday and The Glasgow Cross on FACEBOOK.