Was it difficult getting back into the groove with an eight-year gap between albums?
No … the groove is a very patient, forgiving kind of chap … he seems to always take a shine to us when we eventually show up.
How old were you when you started ‘getting into’ music?
Probably around the ages of 8 or 9 … i recall seeing Yellow Submarine on a black and white TV at my Auntie Marys house in Johnstone .. ‘nowhere man’ is the earliest memory i have of a being grabbed by a song… we had a stereogram in the living room of our house … it held my parents records .. things like The Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem.. a few Artie Shaw records… some Acker Bilk .. and Ravels Bolero…the only rock n roll record was a copy of 19th nervous breakdown by the Rolling Stones… My Uncle Willie would come down to visit now and again and he and my dad would play chess in the kitchen .. smoke wee cigars and, late in the evening, after a few cans Willies fiddle would come out and tunes would be played .. my older brother,William, started to buy LPs from the likes of Kraftwerk, Roy Harper, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell,Alex Harvey, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, … all 1970s 6th year classics… then i have foggy recollections of various glam type bands on Top Of The Pops .. i.e. Sweet, Rubettes, David Bowie, Kenny, Gary Glitter, Abba, Middle of the road, 10cc, T Rex, Queen, E.L.O.. ..i was hypnotised by every one of these… they seemed like alien beings … when the “pocket money” years arrived they coincided wonderfully with the punk/new wave years.. my record buying /concert going days were filled with those kind of bands
What has been one of your favorite moments in a live performance?
Hard to choose one specific moment … One London show many years ago we were joined on stage by Chaz Smash from Madness who played trumpet for us on the song “I’ve seen everything”…. We toured France with the wonderful Campbell Owen from Aztec Camera playing bass … In Japan we had around 8 guitar players onstage with us as we were joined by the various support acts…
What was your biggest inspiration for the latest album Weightlifting?
Life … there is no common theme for the whole album… various shades of the day are reflected … different seasons are acknowledged… the changing stages of relationships, friendships and passions are covered… it’s rich in topic, this record.
What are your plans for the future?
Continue to improve and learn … enjoy the moments to come … these are the grand themes, but, more specifically … have another record out as soon as we can fill the silence well.
What have you been listening to recently?
Declan O Rourke “Since Kyabram” … Super Furry Animals “Phantom Power”.. Scott Walker “3 and 4″… Eddi Reader “The Songs Of Robert Burns”..