Month: February 2012

Posted in Bands We've Chatted With

The Mouse That Ate The Cat

Posted on by a little Corner of Scotland

I’ve been horribly amiss in getting around to these questions. It is not for lack of interest. Ever since I purchased ‘Falling Down’ for the princely sum of one pound last year, you’ve been very high on my list of bands to pursue. I just noticed that I have 6 other songs entitled ‘Falling Down’. – The Gresham Flyers, James, Lodger, Muse, Oasis, Tim Booth (well that’s actually just 5 then ) Without question – yours is the best of the lot. Could you retell the story within the song?

“Thanks for that – it’s not often we’re valued above the likes of James and Muse, even if it’s just when it comes to a songs that share the same title. Have you heard Tom Waits’ ‘Falling Down’ though? Incredible song, beautifully covered by Scarlett Johansson. I’m not even joking. Either way, the story in the song is, as Brian says in the first line, just between the two of us, sorry!”

My first impression of the band was that it reminded me of Over the Wall. ‘Grand Defeat’ – best ever Over the Wall song? I’ve taken the evening to listen to your soundcloud offerings. Obviously the Over the Wall comparison doesn’t hold up quite so much. How would you describe your music?  http://www.soundcloud.com/tmtatc

“Over The Wall are a great band, we had the pleasure of supporting them last August but would agree we don’t sound like them – we’re electro-indie-pop, I suppose. There are elements of all these styles in the songs.”

I am looking forward to the April EP/Single. Is there a track listing yet? Do you have any surprises in store? Is it realistic to hope for a full length this year? Will ‘I’ll Play God’ be on it? Is this song fairly representative of the newer material?

“With the April EP, no track listing yet – we’ve only got 2 songs for it so far! We work best under pressure though and we can get songs written, recorded and mixed pretty quickly since we do it all from home and have nothing better to do with our sorry little lives. As for an LP, we’re probably still a good way off this – we want to get this perfect so we’ll continue writing and touring until we feel we’re in the best place to do this. Again, no track listing but ‘I’ll Play God’ is a nod in the direction that we’re going in. We used to just be 2 guys with a laptop, guitar and vocals but we’re bringing live drums into it now for that extra bit of power.”

Since you are comfortably removed from this dilemma perhaps you could lend some sound advice. On March 8, we are faced with choosing between The Twilight Sad and Twin Atlantic. This is, of course, horrifically cruel since the last Scottish show was the Jetpacks back on Nov 11. What should we do?

“Twilight Sad are a great band but we’ve known the Twin team for a while and it’s incredible to see them playing such massive venues these days – it was only 4 years ago I saw them playing to a near empty 13th Note. They’re the hardest working band I’ve ever known and seeing a band like that reaping the rewards of their hard labour can be just as exciting for the fan as it is for the band.”

Assuming more than a few of your influences are Scottish, could you be so kind as to share some. We’d be especially interested in learning why you like the particular bands you’d like to bring to our attention.

“We have loads of inspirations but not a great deal of them are Scottish – this is a country very much in love with rock and folk music. We love these styles but we wanted to get away from guitar based music (I’d have someone play my guitar parts if I could, I’m stick of playing it) and do something a little different after the other acts we’ve been in. Most of our influence comes from the likes of TV On The Radio, Yeasayer, Idiot Pilot – we love electronic music that does something a little different but maintains a distinct pop characteristic.”

What is your favourite instrument at the moment? Which instrument (primarily as abused by other bands) are you deathly sick of?

“For myself, this is pretty boring but my favourite instrument is the guitar, despite the previous hatred I displayed towards it. With electronic music dominating the charts, it can be easy to forget how dynamic they are, but we’re seeing the likes of Twin Atlantic and Gotye seeing success with 6-strings, using them in completely different ways. As for the instrument I’m sick of…same as everyone, auto-tuning. Auto-tuning was devised as an effect, to tidy up vocals but for some reason, some idiot decided to crank the response time on the effect up and use it as an instrument. It sounds fucking awful, it’s nothing more than a quick, soul-destroying way to prove just how badly you sing. I blame Cher. Cow.”

We’d love to read your take on the current Glasgow music scene. How do you see yourselves fitting into it?

“With the Glasgow music scene, it’s great, no matter what type of music you’re into. I could go into all the different bands there are locally but I think the success of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards do all the necessary talking – of course, not all the bands are from Glasgow but there is a significant number from here.”

Could you clarify the Dykeenies connection. Is the TMTATC a side project or is it a completely separate venture?

“Where TMTATC and The Dykeenies go together, this was always just set up so myself and Bri could make music a little different from our main acts.”

Lastly, to shamelessly turn a lyric into a question: looking back – what squares have you, perhaps ill advisedly, tried to force through a circle?

“And lastly, Brian was a slow learner. He actually attempted to fit every shape bar the circle through the circle before, through nothing more than process of elimination, he got the correct one. His doctor often refers to this as one of the longest days of his career. All this was omitted from the song, naturally, as it was a little too wordy.”

T&P

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Posted in Bands We've Chatted With

State Broadcasters (Graeme Black and Pete MacDonald)

Posted on by a little Corner of Scotland

I have not listened to your debut ‘The Ship and the Iceberg’ in a while. After a few spins, I’m happy to report it is as lovely as remembered. One of the pitfalls of digital albums, I suppose, is that it is easy to lose sight of them. Were you pleased with the reception it got when it was released?

GB:  “Thank You I’m glad you still like it! Don’t leave it so long next time.

I don’t know any band that is ever totally pleased with the reception their work gets, the bad reviews, the bad comments and the bad gigs linger much longer than any of the good stuff. This is a curse and a blessing as it spurs you on to work harder and keep trying to improve. Obviously, we are very grateful to the people that said they liked it and that it meant something to them, that also gives you a purpose to carry on. It’s odd when people come up and tell you a song you’ve written has made them cry, should I really be pleased about that?! Well I am.”

While going back and glancing at a few reviews, I kept seeing ‘Americana’ referenced. I’m not necessarily convinced of that label. How would you characterize your sound?

GB: “Americana is a weird term isn’t it? It seems to mean very different things to different people. You must know people in bands hate trying to define their sound in those terms so uhm…..I can tell you I’d like us to be a pop band!”

PM: “I’ve always thought we were more of UK Garage sort of group, with elements of Shabba Ranks, obviously. Are those references going to make sense to anyone outside the UK? Was ‘Mr Loverman’ by Shabba a hit in the States? Well, anyway, we sound just like that.”

Speaking of influences, I often wonder if what a band likes to listen to ever translates into the kind of music they actually set out to make. I can’t imagine that this is the case for anyone worth listening to that manages to forge a unique sound. Are there any Scottish acts that you’ve been especially inspired by?

GB:  “I like lots of Scottish bands and have been inspired by many of them in different ways. It seems to be a Scottish trait to stay honest and never compromise and I find that inspirational. Of course, Fence is a prime example of this. Stargazer by The Zephyrs is a particular inspiration for me, it’s a truly beautiful song. That, anything by Ivor Cutler and Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice by Hamish Imlach are probably enough to see you through the hard times.”

PM: “Personally, my favourite Scottish bands are The Blue Nile and Orange Juice, with a bit of Associates thrown in for good measure. I wouldn’t say we sounded at all like any of them, but I think they all had an attachment to Glasgow and that had an effect on their music at some point. ‘Hats’ by The Blue Nile in particular has a special resonance if you’re from this city or have ever lived here, lots of rain soaked romantic imagery. Glasgow, and Scotland as a country works it’s way into our songs too. You could say that our geography has influenced us as much as Scottish bands have. That said, I wish had I made ‘When The Haar Rolls In’ by James Yorkston, very much a benchmark of loveliness as far as I’m concerned. “

So there is a new record on the horizon. I just listened to ‘Kittiwake’ and it sounds like a natural progression not a radical departure. Do you have any surprises up your sleeve? When can we anticipate a release? Please feel free to share any other details you’d care to share. I can’t promise complete anonymity anymore, as a few people are actually reading, but what would it hurt to tell a few of us?

GB: “You’re right that the new stuff is a natural progression rather than a radical departure which is what we needed to do. We have become a much better band and the songwriting is stronger, but I felt it important not to stray too far away from the sounds of the first album. The aim was just do it more cohesively and to a higher standard and I think we’ve done that. I do really admire acts that constantly change whilst kind of remaining recognisble, you know like PJ Harvey does that so well. Eels do it too. So I think the next one we do will have quite a different sound to it, anyway I’m getting ahead of myself here!

Any surprises? Well if I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore would it?

We are talking to a small Glasgow label just now so we are hopeful that it will be out soon, it’s pretty much been finished since last autumn so it’s kind of burning a hole in our collective pocket at the moment.”

Are there plans to release it on vinyl? The warmth and dynamics of the new song make a strong case for it. I do have to ask what exactly is a Kittiwake? (Sunken American ship or vintage Dundee Inn?)

GB: “Sadly no plans to release anything on vinyl though it would be amazing to be able to do so. Just too expensive for this poor little band from Glasgow.  Ah google, it may be both of those things but it’s also a very pretty seabird, there used to be lots of them in Orkney but they are in decline. In the song they get mistaken for the more common seagull by the novice bird watchers. In relation to the song it’s also a kind of pathetic play on words: The song is about a husband whose wife collapes during a hiking experience and enters an endless coma. She is called Kitty so it’s his plea to her. I should’ve kept that to myself shouldn’t I?”

Favourite Smiths song? Favourite cover from the ‘Smiths is Dead’?

GB: “The feeling of joy I get everytime I hear the guitar intro of This Charming Man is something that has never diminished in all the years of listening to it.”

PM: “It’s got to be ‘Cemetary Gates’ for me. Followed closely by ‘There Is A Light….’. I’ve never got around to listening to Smiths Is Dead, even though there are some artists I love on there. The songs were just so perfect in the first place, I don’t think I could listen to anyone else doing them.”

If you had to describe the Glasgow music scene in a few sentences could you do it justice?

GB: “Like that drunken uncle at a family wedding: Funny, shambolic, scary, joyful, annoying, heartbreaking and always worth saving at the end of a long night.”

PM: ” That’s a good answer. What he said.”

Is there anything else we should be looking for this year? Following up on the ground recommendations is a favourite pastime.

PM: ” Keep an eye out for Randolph’s Leap if you haven’t already checked them out. I think they’re my favourite band in Glasgow at the moment, great pop songs with wit, pathos and lovely arrangements. There will apparently be albums by both Endor and Washington Irving as well in the year ahead, so you should check them out. They’re both fantastic. Though I have been playing trombone and keys in both of them lately, so does that count as a genuine recommendation and not a self-interested plug? Well, anyway, I’m a proper fan of them both, and was long before I became involved with them musically so you should just take my word for it.”

‘The Tenderness of Wolves’ is an exceptionally lovely song. Apparently using a banjo might just be what gets your music labeled ‘Americana’. I should know better, but I’ve got to ask what the inspiration for the song was. The listener always constructs their own meaning, but I enjoy knowing where the idea stems from.

GB: ” Thanks, it’s easily the best song on the first album along with After the Fight. The germ of the song came after reading the novel of the same name. It’s a thriller set in the wintry wilderness of Canada and many of the characters are Scots settlers. The song doesn’t follow the narrative of the book at all but is inspired by the feelings it generated in me whilst I was reading it. The song has no specific story or message it’s more a song trying to evoke and make sense of certain feelings. Just the usual: a search for happiness in the harshest of environments, an interest in how the most savage of creatures can also be the most beautiful of creatures and a hope that there is someone or something out there to comfort and be comforted by in the darkest of times. We all need companionship of some kind. Don’t we? Is that close to your meaning?”

I was curious about Electric Honey label –  How was your experience with the venture?

GB: “Like most dealings with labels it’s a mixed bag, they helped us enormously to deliver an album with a nice Digipak and get it to lots of places we never could have on our own, they also funded a financially doomed venture to release a 7 inch single which I admired. It is hard to shake off the Belle and Sebastian reference in every review but that’s not really EH’s fault. What else? We had some fun with them but these were often troubling times for this State Broadcaster so sorry about that EH!”

How in the world does a group of students chose 1 artist to release that year? I can almost imagine the fisticuffs.

GB: “I think they have a pancake eating competition and the one that eats the most in half an hour without throwing up gets to decide.”

PM:  “And that glutton chose us! We’re the portly music student’s band of choice. Maybe we should put that on our press release.”

I should ask something deep and meaningful – but all I can think of is the usual plea for a brief review of an exceptionally good show you’ve been to of late. The ‘tyranny of distance’, to quote some old Split Enz, is harsh for a Scottish music blog based in San Francisco.

PM: ” I’ve been lucky to see a few great ones recently. One that stands out was a Fence Collective Christmas show in an old church near where I live. James Yorkston, The Pictish Trail and a wonderful Irish singer called Lisa O’Neill all sat on the stage together and took turns playing their songs, sometimes pitching in on harmonies or guitar when one of the others was playing. Fantastic songs, some laughs, a great atmosphere. It was one of the most charming gigs I’ve been to in a long time. There was even some rudimentary shadow puppety. Who else? Laura Veirs played here last week too, wonderful stuff. She’s quite something live.”

Just read that the new album is mastered. Very much looking forward to it.

T&P

Posted in glasGOwest

Sonic Cathedral (Pedro’s quest to reunite Ride)

Posted on by a little Corner of Scotland

For this feature, we asked the founder and head pastor of the UK’s Sonic Cathedral Records a few questions on his ongoing campaign to offer the people and parish of his “broad church” a respite from all the musical blandness currently surrounding us. Nat Cramp is the “hardest working man in ‘gaze”. Rock journo, a&r scout, producer, dj, promoter, equal parts- public service purveyor of good noise and all around good guy who knows a thing or two about interesting and informative blog posts (check out “Celebrity Pedalboards #2!”) at http://www.soniccathedral.co.uk/ to get an idea of his inspired preachin’…

Sonic Cathedral is very much a “broad church” in many ways. Celebrating all the sonic-y bliss songwriting and its roots and influences, via spinning records, booking bands, pressing records, doing a radio show, and much much more. Your like the “Bill Graham of ‘Gaze”. Did you see the night taking off like this? I believe it was originally a one-off…

“I never expected it to turn out like this for a minute! Sonic Cathedral was originally a one-off night in October 2004 to celebrate the whole shoegaze scene, inspired by the music that was around at that time – especially The Radio Dept’s ‘Lesser Matters’ and Ulrich Schnauss’ ‘A Strangely Isolated Place’ – which reminded me so much of things I had like when I was 17 or 18. I managed to get The Radio Dept to play and Stephen and Jo from The Telescopes came and DJed. It was an incredible night – so many people came out in old Slowdive and Chapterhouse T-shirts, plus there were a lot of younger kids who were unaware that the S-word was once a term of abuse; it was immediately obvious that it wasn’t just me, there was actually a demand for this kind of thing. I felt compelled to carry on. The gigs became regularly irregular, first in London, then occasionally in other places around the UK. Everything that’s happened since has happened in an organic way. The label came about when I did some shows with Mark Gardener and I nervously asked if I could get Ulrich Schnauss to remix a track off his recent solo album for a 7″ single… He said yes, but then The Tamborines single happened first, and now here we are over five years and 30 plus releases later.”

Sonic Cathedral Records has put out 30+ carefully curated releases on good old fashioned vinyl & cd. Sometimes in tribute to the classic ’80’s 7″ records of Scottish greats, JAMC, but always a healthy dose of new sounds and remixes. Any particular release stand out to you personally? What’s a “dream record” you would like to concoct for a future release?

“Yes, I recently did a double 7″ for a band called Younghusband, which was directly inspired by those Mary Chain releases. I’ve always wanted to waste some money on one of those! It’s hard to pick favourite releases, as I love them all equally. However, obviously the first single (The Tamborines’ ‘Sally O’Gannon’) was memorable. I really liked the two remixes of Japancakes’ My Bloody Valentine covers, just because it was such an odd record, in the true spirit of MBV, but sounding unlike anything else. The first Team Ghost EP was pretty special, not least because it looked so good on marbled vinyl. And I’m very proud of the album of Roky Erickson and 13th Floor Elevators covers I did (‘The Psychedelic Sounds Of The Sonic Cathedral’) – that took a while to pull together, but the end result was worth it. As for dream records for future release – I’m doing a couple already this year, including a great band from Baltimore called Dead Mellotron who I’ve been pursuing for a while. Their album is called ‘Glitter’ and it’s going to have a glitter sleeve! I’m also hoping to work with one of my heroes…”

It’s promising that you continue to forge ahead with new releases and events all the time, despite the Sony DADC fire affecting your stock and the overall uselessness of the old business model to sell records, collapsing. Thank you for truckin’ on! What should we anticipate for 2012?

“Well, the Dead Mellotron record I mentioned is really exciting, the second Yeti Lane album ‘The Echo Show’ is an absolute masterpiece and Team Ghost’s debut will finally be out later in the year. Plus there are one or two other things in the pipeline that I’m ridiculously excited about. It’s strange, because the fire was a devastating blow, but I never considered giving up at the point, it almost had a galvanising effect on all the indie labels in the UK. I was determined to take the positives out of it and move on and start over. The same with the business model – true, it’s useless, but some people do still want to buy this stuff. Not in enough numbers for me to make a living from it, sadly, but I see Sonic Cathedral as more of a public service – a tiny fightback against the tide of musical blandness.”

So, let’s get the shameless interweb reunion rumors cooking. First MBV, then Chapterhouse, and now The Roses…If I was a betting man, I’d put the charm, goodwill, and smarts of Nat & Claire Cathedral against Baggy Beckham’s any day to sway the Rides back together. Waddya say? A band that us Americanos care about too…

“I would love it to happen and have mentioned it to Mark, Loz and Dave Newton (Ride’s manager) numerous times. Who knows, maybe it’ll happen one day – it’s 20 years since ‘Going Blank Again’ this year so it’s as good a time as any!”

Pedro 

Posted in glasGOwest

In Review

Posted on by a little Corner of Scotland

We’ve been thinking of starting reviews as a regular feature. We’ve even got the prototype graphic ready. However, I just can’t convince myself that it would be of any benefit to anyone. I’ve got an unwritten Moth & Mirror review floating in my  head and I was going to use the new Mull Historical Society record as content to fill the current lull in postings.

I’ll make it simple: if you have a fondness for MHS and didn’t quite feel right about the Colin Mcintyre records go out and get it.  Our ‘reviews’ are in our band list. If we feature it, we recommend it. Check out the music – then buy what you can, preferably from the artist directly.

I’ve been seriously amiss in sending out questions. It is not for lack of bands – it is mind boggling how many we still want to get through to. We hope to revisit more than a handful as all these full lengths are released this year.

I made a playlist from ‘bands’ of the first 3 months awhile back. For the most part, it consists of songs featured in the interviews and roughly follows the sequence in which they appeared on the blog up until that point in time.

Colombian Fireworks – There Will Be Fireworks 

Breathing Space (Mogwai remix) –  Martin John Henry 

 Homerun And A Vow –  KC & the Canaverals

Apples and Pears  – Olympic Swimmers 

A Lesser Coming Home –  The Gothenburg Address 

Before The Owl Will Fly –  Campfires In Winter 

 It’s all Over Bar the Shouting  – Prince Edward Island 

Germany – The Moth & The Mirror

All Hands Lost – Edinburgh School for the Deaf 

Bookmarkesque –  Loch Awe 

Solstice- The Unwinding Hours 

SiSi – Washington Irving 

Young Francis- The Seventeenth Century 

Me Vs Me – French Wives 

 Something Approaching – Cancel the Astronauts

As Trains Pass By – Plum 

Moviegoer – Panda Su 

Not Today (bonus track) – Mull Historical Society

Admittedly, I applied a little of my ‘mixtape magic’, but the astonishing thing is how amazing this sounds as a whole – especially given the essentially random nature of the band responses. I threw out a lot of question bottles into the Pacific. Many have yet to be returned and more than a few are likely lost.  The pace we had to work to have a post every 3 days was daunting to say the least. Temporarily at least – we’ve run aground. Things will now pick up again. I imagine every 5 days is a much more  reasonable goal. At the moment there is nothing in the hold – a few answers will hopefully float back in before the next wave of questions gets sent out.

I think of this as a journey – tentative plans to spend a summer in Scotland are already afoot. It will still be a while off though. In the meantime – I can’t wait to see all that is discovered before then.

T&P

Posted in Bands We've Chatted With

Homework

Posted on by a little Corner of Scotland

I’ve had the EP ‘All That Glitters’ for a little bit now. Having to type in the song titles for iTunes illustrates the DIY nature of the release. Oddly, iTunes has added the following information to the lead off song ‘Surfacing’ –Album artist: Brian Eno with Jon Hopkins & Leo Abrahams. Album -Small Craft on a Milk Sea Disc 2.  I’m sure you’ve had worse comparisons made by people who’ve actually listened to the music. Care to share any?

“In no particular order: Aerogramme, Flaming Lips, Teenage Fanclub, Elbow, The Blue Nile, Mogwai, Kraftwerk, Jane’s Addiction, NIN, Holy Fuck, Errors, LCD Soundsystem, Placebo, Santana. There are clearly some differences of opinion…”

Was the self-release born of conviction or necessity?

“We almost didn’t release All That Glitters. It was originally a full-length album but 6 of the tracks were binned and won’t see the light of day. By the time the record was finished (early in 2011) we had already written and were performing a good chunk of what will be the next release.

The encouraging thing was that folk seemed to like the singles from All That Glitters so we thought we would release something to tide people over until we got our album together. Self-releasing was a quick and simple way to get the tracks out there.”

As someone who has to deal with ‘Homework’ a good deal of the time – I have to ask why?

“My favourite dance record of all time and the only name that all four of us didn’t Danny Devito. It still sounds bigger and better than a lot of the stuff coming out now. It’s a unique sounding pop record.”

If I were to sort all the Scottish acts I like, I’d probably throw you in to the Song of Return, Indian Red Lopez, and North Atlantic Oscillation pile. Do you see yourselves as fitting into any genre?  How would you say you ended up approaching things musically the way you do?

“Journalists & bloggers seem to enjoy creating new genres these days. Examples we’ve had so far include Witch House and ADD Art Rock. I’m not even sure what either of them mean but they seem to describe certain tracks of ours quite well. It’s more fun trying to exist in a few different genres.

I think when we first started out we were kind of stumbling around in the dark about with the electronica side of things. These days we seem to be hitting our stride a bit better and are definitely finding a way of working that suits us. The next record is already sounding more focused. Less is more.”

I imagine the previous sorting has something to do with the instrumentation. Do you have any specific approach of how you wield your electronic arsenal? I personally like how the synths seem to form the foundation for the music.

“The best thing about synths and effects etc is that new ideas can spring purely from a certain sounds or noises rather than just a set of chords. You can quite easily approach things from a different angle every time. The bass line in Why Oh Why was made by running a Moog Rogue that was kicking about the studio through a couple of delays and ring modulator. One of those happy accidents. Rich likes to mess about with acoustic drums trying to get electronic sounds. For example the snare sound on Talk Down is a splash cymbal on top of the snare. It quite common these days for a new finished track to sound completely different to the original idea. The important thing is that no matter how mental you go with sounds etc there is always a hook.”

I love the closer ‘Foil’. To these old ears – the background thumping is something from ‘Dazzleships’. At least until the soaring vocals kick in. Then again, earlier on, there was a brief moment in ‘Why Oh Why’ when I thought I might be hearing traces of Images in Vogue. Having dutifully sought out the comparisons, I’m happy to report that sound is sufficiently modern and your own. What vintage synths do you own or want to get your mitts on?

“We are starting to get into geek territory here. Luckily we as a band tend to have a lot of these conversations… Ross has got a Moog Little Phatty, Korg Electribe and some sort of Boss Sampler. I’ve got a Prophet 08, Juno 6, Mopho, Korg Microsampler, MC303. Ally has a fair amount of bass pedals including a Moog Freq Box. Which is pretty much a synth. I did have an SH101 but I swapped it with the synth player from Remember Remember for my Juno. Some of the sounds in the mini-album are from Reason.

I’d like a micromoog.?

I’ve watched ‘All I See’.  Based on the single song and the fact that it is a live performance, it is a little difficult to gather the direction your new material is heading. Could you share your musical vision for the future?

“Hopefully the new stuff will jump out of the speakers a bit more. Some of it is also a fair bit darker. There are more grooves and less chords.”

Noticing you are playing (or rather played) with Dead Boy Robotics tonight. I’ve been meaning to check them out. How was it?

“Limbo was a great show. It’s always good to work with promoters who actually like the music and go out of their way to look after the bands and the audience. DBR have been on the go for about the same time as us and it’s good to see them doing well for themselves.”

Are there any other bands you have come across that have impressed you enough that you feel compelled to mention them?

We supported a Canadian band called Suuns last year. I thought they were excellent. Definitely trying to do something different and their album is great. Good banter as well. You mentioned NAO earlier they are a brilliant band. As were Mitchell Museum, Action Group and RBRBR – three bands who should have got more recognition. It’s good to hear that Call To Mind are rumoured to be working on new stuff and also that Bronto Skylift have some new material out this year.

I saw Remember Remember at Vic Galloway’s night in November and they were stunning live. Haven’t got round to listening to the new Errors album yet but looking forward to checking it out.”

In a way, we are trying to paint a picture of the Scottish music scene – or rather those parts that are most compelling – from some 5,000 miles away. What is your take on its vibrancy?

” I honestly can’t remember the scene being so diverse. It’s almost laughable how many good bands there are kicking about here at the moment. It’s also a crime that so many of these bands will end up splitting up without breaking out of Scotland.”

T&P