“It’s nice to know I’m not just screaming into the void!”

At the very top of mainland Britain, where the wild seas crash against rugged cliffs and the Northern Lights dance across the skies, you’ll find Marc — better known as The Highland Bastard (@highland_bastard). Tattooer, musician, and storyteller, Marc’s work is steeped in the raw spirit of Thurso, Scotland’s most northerly town. From his studio Sans Peur Tattoo & Piercing (@sanspeurtattoo), he creates intricate black and grey designs, fine line pieces, and anything that stirs the soul. In this interview, we dive into his journey — from a youth shaped by art and music, to the joys of playing in a band and finding peace through creativity.

Can you tell us a bit about how you first got into tattooing — and how your early life led you there?

I had a great early childhood surrounded by a lot of music and art. My teens and early twenties were pretty turbulent to say the least, but I always carried on drawing, writing and music, and all the experiences definitely helped shape me into the artist I am today. 

I started my apprenticeship in Thurso at the imaginatively named ‘Thurso Tattoo’ around the middle of 2010. At the end of 2013, after a crazy few years and the sudden closing of that studio I opened Sans Peur Tattoo & Piercing and have been tattooing from here ever since. I think we’re the most Northern tattoo studio on the British mainland if I’m correct.  I enjoy tattooing black and grey, fine line and illustrative style designs but genuinely love most styles of tattooing.

When people ask you where you’re from, what’s the first thing you tell them about Thurso — what’s the vibe of the place?

Thurso is great! It’s such a chill place to live, and for the most part everyone is super friendly and always willing to help out if they can. We have some of the best surf in the world, some of the freshest food and some amazing creative people, all surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery (including regular showings of the Northern Lights) and historical sites. The weather can be pretty brutal a lot of the time but I don’t even really see that as a down side. 

Scotland’s got a strong sense of identity — how connected do you feel to that, and does it show up in your work or how you see the world?

I’m very proud to be Scottish and feel very connected to my country. I don’t feel like that shows in my work as such, but recently I’ve been very keen to explore a lot of Scottish folklore and hoping to do some designs based around that soon. 

What’s been the hardest thing about making a name for yourself as a tattoo artist?

Being so far away from everything is probably the biggest challenge as it’s hard to make connections with other artists and try to get your name out there, but to be honest I’m really not trying to make a huge name for myself. I’m very happy being lucky enough to do what I do every day and pay my bills doing it. I do like to get tattooed by different artists as much as I can though and go to as many conventions as I can manage, which always helps to make some connections etc.

Looking back, have you had any 'failures' that you thought were setbacks at the time, but now you see them as lessons?

Haha, waaaaay too many to pinpoint anything specific. Everything in life, good or bad, is a lesson depending on how you look at it and as I’ve gotten older I’ve definitely tried to learn from everything and make a conscious effort to try and better myself every day. 

You’re in a band too, right? Tell us a bit about that.

Yeah, I play bass in a band called Pure Grief (@puregrief)! Myself and singer/songwriter/guitarist Pete met years ago through the local music scene and previously played in a band called Cactus and Cardigan together. We recruited our mate Darren as drummer and have been having a laugh playing music for around 10 years now. It’s been great tattooing and having the freedom to go away when I want with the band, although we’re all getting on a wee bit now so we tend to tour a bit less and try to record a bit more when we can. Please go check out both bands on all the usual music/video platforms!

Photo by @stevie.bruce

Has there be one moment in your life — either in tattooing, music, or something else — that you’d say really shaped who you are now?

Again, it’s difficult to pinpoint one specific moment in life, but i think that living on my own from a pretty early age helped as I learned a lot of hard life lessons pretty quickly and it definitely helped me become the independent and headstrong person that I feel like I am today. I’ve recently just become a father too and I’m excited to see where this next phase of life is going to take me!

Has tattooing or making music given you a way to deal with things like anger, sadness, or grief — stuff that’s sometimes hard to say out loud?

100%! I’ve always found it easier to channel a lot of those feelings into art and music than to talk about them. I’ve got quite a busy brain most of the time but I feel like if I’m playing music or tattooing my mind is completely clear and I can just focus on what I’m doing and nothing else. 

How can people support you?

I mainly use Instagram (although I’m terrible at keeping on top of it) so if you’d like to follow me I’m @highland_bastard on there and the studio is @sanspeurtattoo.

Any final words?

I’d like to shout out my workmate Holly @hollysanspeurtattoo, she does some killer work and is generally just a cool person so please go give her a follow! I’d also like to say a huge thank you to Stories & Ink for reaching out and asking me to do this interview. It can feel pretty isolated up here sometimes so it’s nice to know that I’m not just screaming into the void!  

Tattoo photos by @hollysanspeurtattoo