In Conversation With Colin: Bison Hip

30 September 2025 515 123 5

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Meet Paul Sloway of Bison Hip

Contrary to popular belief, the modern blues rock scene in the UK is alive and well. Artists like Will Wilde, Forge Hounds, Brave Rival and Chantel McGregor are filling venues the length and breadth of the country with die hard fans clamouring for more.

Add to the growing list Bison Hip from Glasgow, their mature gut-punching sound resonates fiercely. Right from the very beginning, Bison Hip have mixed blues and rock, incorporating in their music a heavy electric guitar driven sound as well as blues-rooted elements across three albums and two EP’s.

Vocalist and front man Paul Sloway recently chatted to Newport City Radio’s Colin Palmer about the formation of the band and the stories behind some of their songs.

Unfettered by the constraints of major labels and mainstream trends independent artists continue to move forward cutting their own paths. One such band is Bison Hip, they finally got together during Covid lockdown (now there’s an oxymoron) when the enduring friendships formed over several decades between Paul Sloway, Malcolm Button, Steven Radziwonik, John Gilmour Smith and Graeme Carswell came to fruition.

“Most of the guys in the band have all known each other since we were twenty, with the exception of Steve who plays keys, he’s a younger member of the band and we’ve only really known him since we started Bison Hip” explains Paul. “We were all in rival bands when we were in our twenties and in Glasgow there was a lot of rivalry between bands then, but we’ve all followed each other’s projects and dipped in and out helping if someone needs a bit of singing on a track or bass etcetera.

“Myself and John had written some songs through lockdown, John is a prolific writer so we had a lot of ideas and because we couldn’t really see each other we would push things back and forth over the internet, I would put some vocals on and maybe add some lyrics and we merged a few songs together. We had something like thirty five songs to choose from initially, we were writing constantly. Then when we first got the chance and went into the studio and jammed around a lot of the tracks and the guys put their stamp on things and they became songs after that, but that was probably a year in the making.”

The confidence and sheer strut of these guys is genuinely refreshing and with a rhythm section like Graeme Carswell and Malcolm Button they are hardly likely to miss any beats; in actual fact for a band with as loose a sound as they have they play it incredibly tight.

The band initially released two 5 track EP’s before releasing their debut album. “Those first two EP’s we hadn’t really gigged”, says Paul. “It wasn’t until we brought out the first album that we had our very first gig. We had a bit of a following on social media because of those tracks and some videos, so that worked for us just letting people know who the band were.”

Bison Hip are seasoned musician’s that aren’t afraid to partake in self-deprecating humour, as Paul explains the origins of the band’s name. “All the bands I’ve been in through my life have always had an animal’s name in them. Whether it be Gorilla or Wolf, and to be fair the reason for going into the blues market at our age is because there doesn’t seem to be any prejudice against age in the blues market so as older guys we thought this is probably the place we should sit.

“My thoughts are always that we’re going to be based in the UK but a word like bison to me sounds very American as well, there’s so many American influences in the blues and I wanted to try and capture that in the name. And to be fair the word hip basically just came from the thought that by the time we actually got recording and went to play live one of us was probably going to have a hip replacement, so that was a bit of tongue in cheek as everyone in the band enjoys a bit of sarcasm.”

Since their initial gig in 2023 the band have mostly played festivals and shows in Scotland and the North of England, the band are looking to extend their reach by performing dates in the rest of the UK during early 2026. “Playing live now for any band is the main thing because it’s all built around that. Bringing out an album really is not going to do much unless you’re playing live, although we try and create as much excitement that we can on the album it’s never the same as when you are live in front of someone, I think we excel when we are out playing live and in the last couple of years that’s really gained momentum.”

The band’s new album, ‘Everything That Came Before Was Just Leading Up To This’ is their third full length release. This album sees the band growing and developing both in production values but song-writing prowess too. Bison Hip may stand alone amongst rockers of a certain age in their ability to write songs that sound fresh, vital and age appropriate. The album’s first single Chemicals is a thoughtful tongue in cheek look at the most powerful of human emotions, as Paul explains.

“Chemicals is basically about love but not in the normal sense. When you’re in relationships and you’re in love with someone the song is based on the fact that is that real or have we all got this chemical inside us that is actually making us feel like that, which is oxytocin. Many different chemicals are based around love and relationships but this seems to be a strong one that kind of gives you the impression that not everything is all what it should be in a relationship and are you naturally drawn to a person because of these chemicals that are built into you. The song is a bit tongue in cheek based on that.”

On the song Outrageous Paul’s vocal delivery ripples and surges effortlessly, making it a joy for the listener to easily connect to the songs sentiment, even when the details of the story he’s telling aren’t for you.

“Outrageous is literally about being outrageous. Everyone’s got someone in their family or friend group who’s a bit outrageous, and sometimes that can be a bit overpowering but you’ve got to have someone in your life because they give you a little kick up the backside now and again when you get a bit complacent. These people really show you that life is for the living as long as you can shut the door and tell them to go home afterwards that’s alright. It’s just what it says on the tin. It’s a great song to sing live, it’s got a spark about it.”

With a running time of over seven minutes comes the opus The Imposter, a simple fact becomes blatantly obvious when listening to this song – it doesn’t try too hard, these guys are naturals and are obviously doing it for the love of the music. “The Imposter is kind of based on imposter syndrome in a sense,” explains Paul. “More to the point of where you are in your life especially at the age we are now, have you done what you expected you could do. Are you at a point in your life where you’re happy with what you have done, if it were all to end right now. But there’s also that thing where you reflect a lot at our age and you think to yourself “my God, have I been kidding myself all the way through this” so maybe you can have a mid-life crisis when you’re in your fifties.”

If you want some real deal blues rock in all its raunchy and ragged glory you could go a long way to beat Bison Hip – these are the real deal. Lang may their lum reek, as they say in Scotland.