‘BEING up THE FRONT or THAT STAGE FEELS QUITE NATURAL To ME'
Ther ure' bright
The ghost of Arab Strap is less of a problem for Malcolm Middleton, as his solo work is now getting its rightful place in the sun. David Pollock reports
I was a truly miserable day when the mighty Arab Strap called it quits last year but this grey cloud did. in fact. have a silver lining of sorts: it shifted the spotlight onto the solo work ol‘ Malcolm Middleton. Never the most talkative of characters on stage. Middleton‘s first two albums 5:14 I’limxy'iiiie Seagull A/(‘o/m/ John Nicotine and Into The Woods hid the usual themes of anger and regret amidst pop melodies the like of which Arab Strap apparently never dreamed. Middleton‘s third record A Brighter Beat gives him a quick return to music. and ol'l'ers exactly what it says on the tin (kind of). ‘lior some reason I thought I was meant to have a few months ol‘l~ al'ter Arab Strapf says Middleton. ‘but I‘ve not. it‘s been straight into this. That last Arab Strap tour was a long one though. which was good. because I think we were a bit sick of it by the time it finished. It was good to get a bit ol‘ closure on it. though the last couple of nights were quite emotional. ‘Of course we lMiddleton and Aidan Mol‘l‘at] will still see each other. and we might even record together again. It would be good to record whatever we wanted
together. something that doesn't have the weight oi
Arab Strap and the style of that band about it. But we'll give it a year or so at least.‘ So now that he‘s officially a solo artist. how does
Middleton see a future up the trout ol‘ the stage. rather
than as the guitar-playing wingman'.’ ‘I don‘t know. it feels quite natural to me'. he says. ‘Aidan and l were both in different bands when we started Arab Strap. and
then that was essentially the side project which took off. So I gave a lot ol' my time to that and didn't do anything on my own for a while. but when I actually made my first album. the experience gave me the
conlidence to go on from there. I really enjoyed mysell’
immensely doing Into The ll’nm/s. and I think that was something Aidan and I both l‘elt. that we didn‘t enjoy the last Arab Strap record so much.’
A Brig/Her Beul — recorded with l‘ellow Glasgow luminaries Jenny Reeve. Mogwai‘s Barry Burns and Belle and Sebastian‘s Mick (‘ooke —- is well timed and perl‘cctly pitched as i\’liddleton‘s most complete and engaging solo record yet. though there‘s surely a little sell-deprecation in the l‘act that he writes. say. a song with a growling. inl‘ectious. bouncing rhythm and then
calls it ‘We‘re All (ioing To Die. ‘lt‘s an extension ol'
the last album.‘ he says. ‘it‘s got pop hooks and melodies. but the lyrics are quite a dark contrast. There‘s a song on there called “Death Loves Depression". which sums tip where I‘m coming l'rom. Although I don't always write about mysell' in a negative light (laughs). “luck It. I Love You”. that‘s a good country tune.‘
He certainly doesn‘t sound depressed. and. while the sentiments might be mostly dark. at least the beat and the future are both bright l'or Middleton now. Here‘s to his enjoying himsell' immensely l'or many more solo years to come.
Classic Grand, Glasgow, Sat 24 Mar.
Thea Gilmore A country rock troubadour in the best sense. Gilmore‘s a poet and album Harpo's Ghost is dark, expressive beast. Now we know what KT Tunstall’s imaginary older, smarter, slightly twisted sister might sound like. King
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MySpace Bleep Bleep Tour A quadrilateral equation of new acts. Pull Tiger Tail, Ali Love, Hadouken! and I Say Marvin try to justify all those pending friends' requests on their sites with Neptunes- inspired funk, boisterous indie and more. Bait/y. Glasgow, Wed 27 Mar. (Rock & Pop)
" Po’Girl Vagabond lullabies. beat poetry. inner-city blues are how these four expressive women from Vancouver describe their sound. We say most excellent harmonies, rag tag arrangements with whatever instruments they can lay their mitts. Beguiling stuff. ABC, Glasgow, 24 Mar. (Folk)
Ceilidh Culture A month long celebration of the traditional arts bigs up locals along side legendary names like Peatbog Faeries and Moya Brennan. See preview. page 60. Various venues, Edinburgh, Sat 24 Mar—Sun 75 Apr. (Folk)
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