Dylan Jack Moran, credit: Courteney Pearson

When Dylan Jack Moran took the stage at McCuills in Glasgow on Sunday, 22nd March, he became, as he put it, “living evidence of defiance”. With hands visibly shaking not from nerves but from new medication, Dylan tore into his set at his own charity gig with a vigour and a power not befitting of a man only six weeks clear of a kidney transplant.

The cramped, almost cellar-like venue housed in a brick railway arch generously hosted the show for free, with all ticket sales donated to the National Kidney Federation and World Kidney Day. After support from Fat Salami and Cosmic Empire, Moran thanked the crowd and McCuills for supporting causes “close to his heart” and walked off stage to chants of “DJM! DJM!” following a roaring 12-song set.

Yet, when I sat down with him the following day, it became clear that the 25-year-old Cumbernauld musician felt he still had more to give. “I was a bit disappointed in my own performance”, he told me. “There’s a level I can get to that’s a bit better than that, but with it being the first one after the transplant, it felt a bit ropey”. This was, after all, the purpose of the evening, as Dylan raised money for charities supporting kidney patients like himself.

Having spent the best part of the last two years going through a mixture of dialysis treatment and chemotherapy, he explained why his own experiences led him to help these specific organisations. “The National Kidney Federation is one of the only charities I could find that was set up by kidney patients, for kidney patients, so they understand the struggle more than anybody. When I reached out to them, they were quite keen to capitalise on my story because they thought it might inspire others who are sick. You might tell your story, and it might reach someone who is debating whether or not to get a kidney transplant or to donate an organ, and they might see that and decide to do it”.

Despite illness having played such a large part in his life in the last couple of years, he makes it clear that it is not what defines him, and instead believes that “it’s important not to let it become your whole personality, but to make it a sign of strength”. This was made apparent as sandwiched halfway through the McCuills set was an as-of-yet unreleased track, ‘Waitin’ for the Doctor’, written about his experiences of not knowing what lies ahead, which highlights his own ability to turn a dark period into something new. Dylan’s music is indicative of this spirit, and his writing allows his difficulties to be shown in a way that makes heavy topics seem like something shared by many, rather than an unlucky few.

His sister, Kasey, believes that his illness has actually given him an avenue to be more creatively free than he would otherwise have been. She said, “him being in the dark in terms of what would come next has almost given him a need to put stuff out there. I heard some of the songs he’s intending to put out ages ago, but I think the illness has made him realise that he should be taking advantage of the fact that he’s actually able to do it”.

It became apparent that he had managed to turn such an impossibly difficult time into something of an opportunity. He told me that “if anything, it’s more of a reason to just throw yourself in there because you don’t know what might be coming next. Before I got sick, I was taking every day for granted, and it made me realise that if this is what I’m passionate about then I need to just give it 100%, because if you care about it, then the people around you who love you will care about it too”.

They both recognised the importance of music in their house growing up, with their family’s favourite bands having a huge impact on Dylan, especially. “I wasn’t mad into music until my teenage years, but it was with The Stone Roses that the floodgates opened. I would hear a song and remember my Mum playing it, and that would make me want to go and listen to more”. The era ushered in by The Roses in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s is his biggest inspiration for his own music, while the inescapable ‘60s classics of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who provide a backbone for how he wants his tracks to feel and sound.

Dylan’s debut EP, ‘Even the Score’, was released in October 2025 with a sound reminiscent of bands from the era of 90s grit that he reveres like Oasis, The Verve, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, while maintaining a distinctly unique flavour in his lyrics. He cites these artists as direct inspirations as “I recognised myself in them. You see working-class kids making their own music, and it makes you think that you can do that too”.

The release has been followed by a string of singles at the start of 2026, which promises to be significant for the young musician. While focusing on transplant recovery, he says that “some interesting stuff is on the cards. The offers I have coming in now are exciting, so I’m going to be having a look at management before hopefully the album coming out in the summer, so there’s a lot to look forward to”.

Looking forward is one of Dylan’s greatest strengths. With two years of invasive treatments and a kidney transplant behind him, lying ahead are opportunities built by determination to not let illness get the better of him, and with the songs that have come out of such a period, Dylan Jack Moran should soon be recognised as one of Glasgow’s greatest, most inspirational rising stars.