This paper examines the role of the cello in the recording of Glasgow: A History in 16 Songs, from The Tenementals. The songs reach across a varied range, from ballads to a glam-infused rock sound, and cello is a fundamental component, rather than merely providing short decorative flourishes or solos. The paper analyses the specific practices of how the cello part was developed from early “demo” fragments of original songs before morphing into a larger experimental sound design practice. Here, expanded techniques were used, such as rough scratching of the bow on the strings to emulate punk guitar riffs, or the building of multiple discordant layers of ghostly hovering on strings on a song about Glasgow’s slavery history. In the recording studio, the cello is even processed through virtual “plugins” charging it through an amplifier and at times imposing reverberant acoustics from real sites in Glasgow. The paper will situate this study within a wider exploration of how musicians such as David Bowie and Queen have combined the raw virility of amplified electric instruments (guitar, bass) and extravagant multitracked vocals across a wide frequency range, with the opulence of classical orchestra segments.