Inside the Sound: Obsessive X

Obsessive X are emerging from Glasgow's music scene, focusing on intense and emotionally driven music built for the live environment. With their guitar riffs and strong connection to the performance energies, the band is shaping their sound and identity as they grow their presence within Scotland's music scene.

Interview with Obsessive X

Finding their sound

How the band describes their evolving style and the influences that shape their musical direction.

For people discovering Obsessive X for the first time, how would you describe your sound?

Obsessive X is a Glasgow alt-rock band built on raw riffs, tension, and hooks. Everything we write is meant to hit hard and feel right in a loud, crowded room. We've all got different tastes in music, so there’s a mix of influences feeding into what we do. That’s shaped a sound that sits somewhere between heavy, melodic, and slightly off-centre. It’s not boxed into one lane, but it still feels tight and intentional. We’re always pushing it forward as well. It’s evolving the more we write and play, but the core stays the same. Same energy, same feel, and songs that connect live. If you like a bit Foo Fighters, Nirvana, or the darker side of Arctic Monkeys’ AM era, you’ll probably find that you'll like something we play. But at the end of the day, we’re just trying to make music that feels raw, honest, and powerful when you’re standing in front of it.

Band Identity

A close look into the personality, mindset, and creative dynamic that defines Obsessive X.

How would you describe the personality or identity of the band?

We’re quite grounded as a band. There are no big personas or characters; it’s just the four of us trying to make something cool. Most of what we do comes from spending time writing, rehearsing, and figuring things out together. We're not interested in chasing trends; we’re more focused on building something we enjoy being a part of.

Inspiration

Exploring the emotions and experiences that inspire the themes within the lyrics.

What kind of themes or emotions usually inspire your music?

A lot of the songs start from personal experiences and observations about people and relationships. Things like tension, obsession, frustration, and uncertainty come up a lot. We’re usually drawn to situations where things feel a bit messy or unresolved. That’s more interesting to us than everything being clean-cut. Sometimes it’s relationships, sometimes it’s temptation, or just how people deal with their own thoughts. Most songs start from something that's true, then they grow into their own thing as we build them out together.

The Creative Process

An insight into how new ideas can develop, from riffs to fully produced music.

When you’re creating new music, do ideas usually start with lyrics, riffs, or something else?

Most of the time, we start with a riff. Robbie will bring something into rehearsal, and we’ll jam on it until it starts to take shape. From there, we'll work it out as a band, finding the groove, dynamics, and where the energy should rise or fall. The vocals and lyrics tend to come naturally somewhere through that process.

Development + Rehearsals

What happens behind the scenes as the band works on their live sets and creates writing material.

What does a typical rehearsal or studio session look like for the band?

We’ll usually start by running through the set to keep everything tight for upcoming gigs. After that, we’ll take a break, sit down, and chat about the band, upcoming shows, ideas, and anything we want to improve on. Then we'll move on to new material. That’s where we’re jamming on riffs, trying different sections, and seeing what sticks. It’s a pretty relaxed process, but it works for us.

Creating Connections

How Obsessive X aims to build real connections and atmosphere with their audiences.

What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?

We want people to feel something real. Whether that’s energy, tension, excitement, or just getting lost in it for a few minutes. Music hits harder when there’s something to connect to, not just something that sounds good. We like making songs you can turn up loud and fall into. If someone walks away from a gig feeling something, then we’ve done our job.

The Glasgow Scene

The role that the local music scene has played in supporting the band's career so far.

How important is the Scottish music scene for bands like yours?

So far, we’ve only been part of the Glasgow music scene, and it’s played a big part in how we’ve grown. But we're looking to start playing in different cities soon.  There are a lot of good bands coming up in Glasgow, and people are genuinely supportive, sharing line-ups, bringing people to gigs, and helping build something together. We’ve also been lucky to work with promoters like B12 Entertainment and Sundown Gigs, who are putting on strong shows and giving newer bands a chance to play proper venues. That’s probably made the biggest difference for us.

Milestones

Key moments that have shaped the band's journey and strengthened their potential.

What has been a memorable moment for the band so far?

Playing Saint Luke’s as our fourth ever gig. It’s a venue we’d been to as fans, so getting on that stage so early on felt unreal. It was one of those moments where it starts to feel a bit more real, and you start thinking about where the band could go. Nights like that stick with you.

What to expect

Intensity, energy, and atmosphere audiences can anticipate from a live event.

 If someone was coming to see Obsessive X live for the first time, what could they expect?

A loud guitar band and a lot of intensity. Our sets tend to build up as we go. We try to pull the room in and create an atmosphere, rather than just blasting through songs. The best gigs are when the band and the crowd lock into the same time, and the whole room feels it. If someone’s coming to see us for the first time, we just want them to feel part of that.

Looking ahead

Future plans, upcoming releases, and the next steps Obsessive X is taking to grow their career.

What are your goals for the band over the next year?

The main focus this year is getting our music out properly. Up to now, we’ve been focused on playing live and building the band, but the next step is recording and releasing songs so people can connect with us outside of gigs. We also want to start putting on more of our own shows and keep growing the following we’ve built so far. At the same time, we’ll keep writing, tightening the live set, and pushing everything forward.

As Obsessive X continue to build their sound and expand their presence beyond the Glasgow scene, the focus remains on creating music that feels right, honest, and genuine. With their plans in the coming year to release and grow their audience, it's clear that the band is building momentum and establishing their place within the Scottish music industry.

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Stay Connected

Keep up to date with Obsessive X

Grab tickets to their debut headline show on 3rd April 2026 at The Garage.

Grab your tickets here

Check out their website here

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