FOR a small country, Scotland’s pop history is long and illustrious, its music scene diverse and vibrant, running from influential indie pioneers to global superstars. Now this dazzling cultural heritage is about to be celebrated in a landmark exhibition opening on Friday in Edinburgh.

Rip It Up, which runs at the National Museum of Scotland until November, is the first major exhibition of Scottish pop and explores the musical culture of the nation over the last 60 years.

Unsurprisingly, Glasgow features heavily, its musicians, scenes, venues and fans having been at the centre of so much of the action.

The exhibition showcases more than 300 objects – many lent by the artists – and brings together an unprecedented collection of costumes, memorabilia, instruments and props alongside archive footage and interviews with everyone from The Proclaimers, Franz Ferdinand, Simple Minds, Lulu, Midge Ure and Alex Harvey, to Gerry Rafferty, Annie Lennox, Young Fathers and Shirley Manson.

Delving into Scotland’s extraordinarily strong contributions to punk, new wave and indie, the exhibition also traces the influence of labels such as Postcard and Creation through costume, artwork and instruments, exploring the impact made by much-loved bands as diverse as Altered Images, The Skids, The Associates, Primal Scream, BMX Bandits and the Jesus and Mary Chain.

“Popular music is a shared experience and a really important one in many people’s lives,” says exhibition curator Stephen Allen. “Nobody has done an exhibition on Scottish pop on this scale and we want it to capture people’s imagination and allow them to reflect on their own experiences of listening to and enjoying music.

“Between the objects, the footage and the music, people will be able to learn more about their favourite artists and see their treasured objects up close, but also to discover music that is new to them in a whistlestop tour of over six decades of Scottish pop.”

Here’s our top 10 objects to look out for in the exhibition.

Gerry Rafferty’s acoustic guitar painted by John Byrne, early 1970s.

This is one of several guitars painted by Byrne for his Paisley buddy Rafferty. He played this one, which has never been displayed before, on Top of the Pops in 1973, performing the Stealers Wheel classic Stuck in the Middle With You. The Baker Street star first came to prominence alongside Billy Connolly as part of folk band The Humblebums and went on to become a successful singer-songwriter and producer. He died in 2010 and remains one of the most talented and loved musicians of his generation.

PVC jumpsuit worn by Rezillos singer Eugene Reynolds in the band’s 1978 appearance on Top of the Pops.

Formed at Edinburgh College of Art in 1976, The Rezillos designed and made many of their striking stage outfits. With a distinctive high energy style, they were quickly noticed by major labels and went on to enjoy chart success. The band broke up in 1978, re-emerging as The Revillos fronted by Fay Fife and Reynolds. The Rezillos reformed in 2001 and continue to record and perform.

Original photograph of Average White Band with Marvin Gaye, 1976.

The American soul legend was one of the band’s idols and turned up to sing with them at a gig at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles. The funk and blues band from Dundee and Glasgow made their big breakthrough 1973 when they supported Eric Clapton and became hugely popular in the US, where the single Pick Up the Pieces and album AWB reached number one simultaneously in the US charts in 1974. Over the next decade they released critically acclaimed albums and successful singles, and their sound has been sampled by many other bands. They still perform today.

Annie’s Lennox’s Tartan trouser suit, made by Jeff Banks, 1983.

The suit was part of Lennox’s famously androgynous look, and was worn during the Eurythmics Touch tour in 1983 and 1984. Born in Aberdeen, Lennox is one of the most recognisable voices of the past 30 years. She earned a scholarship to London’s Royal Academy of Music at 17 and sang in new wave group The Tourists with Dave Stewart, with whom she went on to form the Eurythmics, one of the biggest bands of the 1980s.

Long-sleeved T-shirt worn by Paolo Nutini at his first T in the Park appearance in 2006.

PaOlo, from Paisley, was booked to play the T-Break stage for up-and-coming artists, but that week his first single Last Request reached the top five in the UK chart. He made a hastily arranged main stage appearance and went on to perform six times at the festival over the years, becoming a firm favourite.

Trouser suit worn by Lulu for concerts in 1969

Born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Glasgow in 1948, Lulu began singing in clubs and halls whilst still at school. She came to the attention of Decca Records, which signed her with backing band The Luvvers. Lulu’s breakthrough hit in 1964 was a version of The Islay Brothers’ soul stomper Shout, after which the 5ft 1inch singer also established herself as an actor and TV star. In 1969, just after marrying Bee Gee Maurice Gibb, she won the Eurovision Song Contest. In the 1990s, she won a new generation of fans after teaming up with Take That.

Wee Red Bar poster advertising a Proclaimers concert on January 14, 1985.

Twin Brothers Craig and Charlie Reid developed their performance skills and gained a growing following by gigging regularly around Scotland, often in small venues such as the Wee Red Bar at Edinburgh College of Art. This gig was in support of the campaign against Apartheid in South Africa, and the brothers have always supported political causes.

Skirt worn by Eddi Reader in the music video for Perfect, 1988.

Eddi customised this vintage skirt she had bought in Forgotten Dreams, a second-hand shop in Glasgow, and wore it in the video for Fairground Attraction’s debut single, which went to number one in May 1988.

Singer-songwriter Reader began her career busking and singing backing vocals for various bands. After her stint with Fairground Attraction, as a solo artist she went on to record a number of albums, and has been feted for her versions of the poems and songs of Robert Burns.

Orange Juice poster and original artwork for the single Blue Boy by the band’s frontman Edwyn Collins, 1980.

The Glasgow-based band began by signing to Postcard Records, founded in the city by Alan Horne in 1979. The label famously adopted the ambitious slogan The Sound of Young Scotland, inspired by Motown Records and although only active for two years, gathered a roster of bands that included Aztec Camera, Josef K and Australian cult heroes The Go-Betweens. The label’s stylish tone and independent spirit continues to influence labels and bands today.

AMEK Einstein Super E mixing desk, 2001.

Record label Chemikal Underground – founded and run by indie band The Delgados – opened its first studio, Chem 19 Recording, in 1997 in Hamilton. The mixing desk featured in the exhibition was used between 2001 and 2012, with much of the label’s catalogue recorded there. The studio is open to hire and regularly used by artists including Arab Strap, Deacon Blue, Franz Ferdinand, King Creosote, Mogwai and The Twilight Sad.

Rip It Up is at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh from Friday until November 25. Adults £10; children, £7; under-12s free; Concessions £8.