Arts blog: A space to experiment Does a good live music scene come about due to the amount of talented people involved in it or the quality of the people who know how to channel and present their work? It's a mixture of both, of course, but if the latter holds true then it's fair to say the Central Belt of Scotland is going through something of a renaissance. Those of us with leftfield tastes have many reasons to get excited this weekend, firstly because London-based sound artist and experimental musician Helm, aka Luke Younger, will arrive for three dates in Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh supported by a range of very well chosen local acts. Meanwhile on Saturday, the New Projects event held between Glasgow's Nice "n" Sleazy and Art School venues will immerse itself in an array of cutting-edge analogue, electronic and guitar-led music. The above events are the work of two young promoters who are adding a vitality to the DIY end of the live scene. Fielding Hope runs his own promotions company Cry Parrot and is the gig booker at Nice "n" Sleazy. He's responsible for New Projects (alongside Alex Misick of the Art School) and the Helm shows in Glasgow and Dundee, the latter as part of a PRS funded scheme to stage different types of music further afield around Scotland. He's at the forefront of a scene which welcomes local and international artists to explore the darker corners of sound, helping lend the sense of sonic diversity which any cosmopolitan city needs. "We've got some amazing music here in Scotland," he says. There never seems to be a drought of it. Meanwhile, Nick Herd runs Braw Gigs in Edinburgh, and his promotion of Helm will be the first of a new partnership with multi-arts venue Summerhall. "It's always a positive thing to have a sense of stability and enthusiasm from a venue," says Herd, who also stages shows at Banshee Labyrinth. It's funny though, when I hear people moan about a lack of gigs or touring artists in Edinburgh, it's usually because no-one has even asked them to perform, rather than apathetic audiences or lack of venues. Hope and Herd come from the same DIY beginnings, but the former is now looking to move his business on to the next level with funded special events. "It was only during the last year that I realised funding is a suitable and sustainable option for what I do," he says, "otherwise it doesn't make any money at all. Now I'm realising there are opportunities for artists to get paid well and to embrace really interesting projects which they can take a bit of time over. The pair have previously worked together (alongside Emily Roff of Tracer Trails) on Glasgow's Music Language festival, which will return later this year, but Herd agrees the market isn't saturated. "There's definitely room for more folks to start putting on their own shows," he says. It'd be nice to be a punter for a change. Helm play DCA, Dundee, tonight; Old Hairdressers, Glasgow, tomorrow, and Summerhall, Edinburgh, on Saturday. New Projects is at Nice "n" Sleazy and the Art School, Glasgow, on Saturday. www.cryparrot.co.uk, brawmusic.tumblr.com