With the sky grey with the promise of rain what better way to spend a May Saturday afternoon with a few hours of live music at the Day at the Dobbie, I mean Celtic were surely going to secure another Scottish Cup right?
This year was the tenth anniversary of the first Shuffledown. The festival grew over the next few years, becoming a highlight in the Falkirk music scene. The 2020 pandemic came along and many festivals were never re-established.
After a surprising and welcome return late last year the spiritual successor to Shuffledown found its feet, but this year, now back in its more traditional April/May slot the festival found its swagger.
Its home is definitely the Dobbie Hall; this year it was decorated with subtle lighting scattered around the hall and below the stage. Green, blue and red hues painted the artists in an array of colour. Of course the traditional lamps took centre stage.
We arrived early, the bar setting up and to the delight of some festival goers Stranger Brewery has dropped off a keg of their excellent Lone Goose…which eventually sold out!
With the crowd wandering in and the buzz building, Stirling’s Haver stepped up first, their sound was excellent, every chord change was on point, the acoustics and chiming guitars were a great backing to the soaring vocals, it was good to catch up with the band, cracking group of lads.
We followed (Social Dancing), we didn’t have time for a soundcheck which is normal during festivals, so it was plug in and play. The sound engineers at Blue Audio were superb and after a couple of adjustments we were up and running. More on our set at a later date.
After we finished to a welcome applause from the crowd we could finally settle to a few beers and the remaining artist. I enjoyed the flowing rock of Talking About Ray the three piece filled the stage and the venue with their songs and the growing numbers clearly enjoyed them.
Intrigued by a solo set from Pictish Trail (I have their album Island Family; its quirky beat driven tunes make for a fine record). Singer Johnny Lynch donned a large puppet head halfway through his set of acoustic songs, occasionally backed by some beats. He had a few tales to tell the crowd; it was a good change in momentum for the day as we headed to the last couple of acts.
I nipped upstairs for food, by this time I was hungry. This year the food was provided by local business Brina’s Jamaican Kitchen, its home found in Wooer St. Falkirk. Having the food stall upstairs gave it a nice feel. The food…I loved it, I had the Jerked Chicken and raved about it to about everyone I saw.
Davy Horne returned for another show at Day at the Dobbie. Backed by an excellent band he delivered americana tinged rock that filled the venue. I really enjoyed the set, and it set everything up for the finale The Crystal Teardrop their psychedelic keys and guitar driven rock suited the headline slot, with excellent guitar leaps from their singer Alex, the kind of leaps that made my hamstrings tremble with fear. It was some show and a fitting end to perhaps, one of the better editions of Shuffledown.
The new shorter format is working, the crowd is a healthy mix of ages, and it was fantastic to have my son attend a festival and watch us (and the other bands) live. The festival feels more family friendly than ever, and the vibe of this year’s event was one of warmth and people connecting again.
Every time I write a blog about Shuffledown I do stress its importance to the local music scene; my narrative isn’t changing after this years’ experience. It is such a vital avenue for local bands, some of which rarely get to play stages of this size (I include our wee outfit in this).
I think the line-up was spot on, the day started well and reached a satisfying crescendo. Some people I spoke to didn’t want the night to end but the evening finish feels just about right.
The happy crowd wandered off into the Saturday night, Greg and I were not finished. We had some old friends to go see playing live up in Falkirk. the mighty Buzzards of Babylon.
Sweet P captured this cracking shot of Weird Decibels
The second festival within a year marks a confident return for Falkirks greatest music festival in recent times.
Photograph Sweet P
On the 24th May 2025 Day at the Dobbie takes place at the ethereal Dobbie Hall, the line up is a captivating mixture of local and national acts this year we will see:
You can find out more about these artists by hitting the links. Now is a good time to take you back through the history of Shuffle Down and Day at the Dobbie. Below are links looking back to some of the best editions of Shuffledown at the Dobbie Hall. The line ups have been, for me, a rich discovery of artists, some that have went on to ascend the astral heights of the Scottish charts. There have been some engaging headline acts and hidden gems. (to this day I will never ever forget Paddy Steer)
Lets not forget the hours that the organisers Rikki, Laura and their team put into this festival. After the 2020 lockdown Shuffledown suffered the fate of hundreds of musical events across the country, but somehow they found the spark to bring it back in 2024.
2024’s Day at the Dobbie took tentative steps towards success, very similar in a way to the 2015 edition of Shuffledown. Day at the Dobbie firmly found its feet in a world that had changed so dramatically (cost of living is one consideration for any artist or promoter these days) starting out again after the momentum that carried the festival to confident heights (the 2020 edition had two days of music!)
Falkirk and Scotland needs Day at the Dobbie, to have it back is incredible for local artists that could do with a little time beside more established acts, an opportunity that is often rare in arriving.
There are few tickets left, so come along, discover some new music, listen alongside a friendly family oriented crowd. Last year sold out…just saying…
The Socials played their first gig at Behind the Wall 20th September 2024′
Words Pabs.
I’d literally just unlocked the front door to the house when the phone pinged. Greg would be kindly picking me up in thirty minutes. I dropped the works bag and the laid the laptop down, another week done.
With this much rushing about I didn’t really have a chance to think of the night ahead. Social Dancing’s debut gig, Greg and I’s first gig for some two years, and we hadn’t played in Falkirk since 2017 (again at Behind the Wall) and Kevins for two decades! I guess I was nervous but I felt prepared, the biggest worry was playing as a three piece, with me on guitars and vocals mistakes would be noticed.
Of course, there is an advantage to being an unknown band, no one knows your songs. If I forget the lyrics? Who cares! Just make them up! (and I did, a little)
Behind the Wall has recently been synonymous with the local music scene, many nights have been set aside for cover bands during the early 2000s, then progressing to some fantastic nights, including RiFF, a short-lived rock night that Weird Decibels were part of. Some notable acts have also graced the stage, King Creosote springs to mind (incredible to think, as the last time I saw him live he had sold out the Queens Hall and this year plays the Usher hall).
To really cement our rock and roll credentials we had some hard coffee (no milk), then gulped down some pizza (BTW do good Pizza, really fresh). Soundcheck followed, It was great to be back on the BTW stage.
First up was Adam Donaldson, who has taken some of his solo work and developed it with the band ‘An Opening Lie’ featuring Dario Palazzo, Gavin Paterson & Julián Pombo.
I really enjoyed these guys, there was a real energy to their set. Well-paced set with hints of Doves and the grittiness of Mastersystem. Thankfully the crowd had arrived on time and these guys enjoyed a god crow who lapped up their music.
After their gig I nipped back up to the greenroom, I enjoyed the moment of quiet, grabbed a few bottles of water then headed downstairs back into the bustling crowd. It was then that I realised how busy the place was, I was really pleased to see family and friends, it was the first time that many of us were in the same room at the same time.
After a quick tune up I laid the setlists down.
We played.
Little Kingdom
Mark as Read
They Asked You a Question
Dracula
You Can’t Have It All
Turn to Glass
Breathing
I was nervous playing Little Kingdom, a couple of weekends before we were recording at Studio257, my playing on Little Kingdom was all over the place (thankfully the first take turned out well, it was the rest that were a car crash.). I lowered the tempo a little bit and it seemed to work fine. Mark As Read went down well I think, by this time I found myself really getting into the gig. Greg as usual, looked calm, taking things in his stride. Looking back Kevin seemed to be enjoying it, but there was a hint he was holding on for dear life! He nailed it though and our confidence grew.
We stumbled on They Asked You a Question, coming back into the second verse after a pause we tripped up but after a little laugh it was all good. Dracula is fast becoming my favourite. It’s strange, if you play and write music for years there is an urge to write ever complex chord structures that take you further from your early ideas (and playing). Sometimes however, its good to let the song come alive on its own. Dracula is one of those songs. A possible crowd favourite could be You Can’t Have it All, it was my turn to hang on for dear life, as the only guitarist, one slip up…and the chords fall apart. Just got through it. Turn to Glass is our moment to breath, my inner Belle and Sebastian coming out. It felt like seconds had passed and we were on our final song Breathing. To have the crowd still with us as the end felt great.
Headliners Aretsan which includes Ronnie Bisset on vocals alongside son Bryce on guitar, on Bass Dickson Telfer who recorded both Kevin and Weird Decibels for his late lunch series which aired back in the mid 2000s, so we did a little reminiscing in the green room. I enjoyed a few beers listening to the tunes of Aretsan, really nice mix of rock and alternative, they fling in a few different instruments for a bit of texture. Really enjoyed their set.
I had some time to catch up with friends, family and neighbours, it felt like a real community gathering. Our Derek was there, it was great to see him. Of course, our thoughts turned to Weird Decibels and getting the tenth record recorded. I alter caught up with Greg and Kevin, we had some photos taken. It just felt good to be playing live again. Long may it continue.
A huge thanks to all that paid a fair sum for a ticket. The place was busy, we met some news friends and re-connected with old. We decided that night (we had been talking about it for a while) that all profits from the band will go to charity. Thanks to you guys we have some money to give back to the community.
*I only write about music that I have purchased, this record was bought on Bandcamp
An often unsung hero of the Stirling music scene Kenny Bates has had a significant influence within the folds of a rather healthy community within the gateway to the Highlands.
His lo-fi, alternative carefree approach has resulted in four releases that are available on Bandcamp (and a new album soon) to pick from I had purchased the 2021 release “Good Things Come to You” intrigued by the 4 track approach, namely taped to a Tascam 424 which is the very multitracker on which I cut my home recording skills.
Kenny sent through a cracking wee parcel with the cassette inside, a little laminate of the Tascam, a handwritten note (nice touch) and the tape itself painted glitter yellow, sparkling under the late spring sun as I loaded it into my old DCC player.
Slightly nervous, hoping the DDC wouldn’t eat the tape like a pup with a slipper the heads thwumped onto the tape and a little nostalgic pang erupted in my head as my speakers gently hissed.
The record contributors Mark Lough, Kyle Wood, Andrew Pankhurst and Luc Grindle provide the bass, loops and guitars alongside the composer Kenny, each feature on one of the five tracks. Written and recorded by Quitter over various 4 tracks then posted to the collaborators to add their parts.
Tremolo drenched opener Full Marks begins proceedings with a nice groove, when the beat stops to allow some space in the track, little snippets of studio talk can be heard, I always like this approach, it gives it a live vibrancy. The dreamy Stone has that warm fuzzy analogue sound I miss from my early days of recording, even the DI’d guitar will remind many musicians of their early approaches to recording, the intimacy of this unhurried track is its strength.
Never-ending Naval- gazing has that carefree approach to writing and reminds me of Kenny Andersons early musings. Bridging the final act is Evidence Board, part of the joy of recording music is letting ideas and sounds just flow, in essence capturing a moment that is unlikely to be repeated live. Its looping guitar is surrounded by experimental samples and towards the end simple beats as the pace picks up. Finally, Spoil The Island, arrives with other worldly alien like beeps before the guitars and live drums kick in to cap a thoroughly enjoyable 25 minutes or so.
I often think that supporting the local music scene is far more rewarding than people realise, you just don’t get music parcels like this, indeed Bandcamp still has many artists that fly under their ‘Bandcamp daily’ headline. Other examples include the brilliant Firestations (we’ll get to them later…)
Check out Quitters music on Bandcamp and grab this great wee record before it sells out at the time of writing there are just 6 remaining.
Over the last five years or so, Constant Follower have carefully navigated their way to this moment, the release of their debut album.
I caught them a few years back at the Mediterranea in Stirling. My phoned pinged with a message from Kenny Bates, an ever present force within the Stirling scene and a prominent member of the excellent Death Collective. He believed he was breaking an (self-inflicted) oath never to be a ‘spam guy’ by sending messages advertising the fund raiser gig.
I am glad he did.
Several brilliant acts played that night; it was then I first heard Constant Follower. It was a stunning set, I wandered over to the merch stall and purchased the ‘Gentle Teachings EP’, packaged in a neat little envelope with a download code inside it. I couldn’t stop listening to the ‘Gentle Teachings’ EP (When Weird Decibels were in the borders recording ‘February’ I took a wee walk out into the starry sky listening to Gentle Teachings, it’s a moment I won’t forget.)
It feels like every note on ‘Neither is Nor Ever Was’ is carefully considered, the tones swathe into a canvas of warm autumnal colours. Serval spins of the vinyl unravel subtle notes, neatly panned left and right. The keys and backing vocals provide a light, ethereal air to McAll’s gentle vocals. Indeed, there are many musicians on this record that add depth to the album.
There are few bands that can master subtle long held notes (Low spring to mind), few bands are comfortable giving their songs space and time. It’s incredibly tempting to fill the gaps. Constant Follower leave the notes ringing, and as one sound fades, another tone gently enters the field, Kurds playing throughout is precise but natural, his guitar adding brightness to the record.
The album starts with a sway, ‘I Can’t Wake You’ starts gently before the emotive weight builds from the second verse. Synths and keys fly upon the mix. It’s so well structured.
‘Merry Dancers on Tv’ is uplifting, the guitars and keys waltz as McAll observes “this thing is real, its blackened broke and dying”, the best artists always find a balance between dark and light.
Then there is ‘Altona’ a track that cleverly signals the end of the first act. One Word Away is beautiful, it’s impossible not to be lifted by the swelling chorus. WEICHA closes, offering new textures and perhaps a hint to where the band will go from here. I always love tracks that are off centre, landscapes of audio that transport you from the space in which you are listening. As an album it feels complete; it needs to be heard in its entirety.
‘Neither Is, Nor Ever Was.’ is a record of incredible warmth and balance. It helps close the door on the white noise that surrounds modern life. The band have (rightly) had plaudits from a wide range of critics from the national press, I hope they stay with the band in this industry of short attention.
My words may not have the weight of the press, but as a listener, I urge you to buy this record. It will spin on my turntable every time I wish to find a wee bit peace or perhaps, during the longer nights, a bit of solace.
Back in 2017, at the end of September, the nights were growing longer. Nestled in the centre of Falkirk there was a small, brief, but memorable alt. rock/punk scene playing its first showcase in Behind the Wall. It was (and still is) called RIFF. The explosive music night was driven by Dolly, the indefectible frontman of Falkirk punks Thirteen.
At the end of the night, when the satisfied crowd disbanded under the watchful ushering of the bouncers the bands involved had a chance to huddle around a table, count the ticket money and plot the next event.
At that point it felt like the start of something new.
A second successful night followed, then the momentum fell away. Thirteen regrettably imploded, leaving Dolly to pick over the remains of what was a successful era for the band.
If you listen to the 2017 pulsating ‘Spirit of Resistance’ EP you knew that this band could put out a great record. https://ukthirteen.bandcamp.com/album/spirit-of-resistance The track ‘We Will Overcome’ would become the frontman’s mantra as he refused to give up on the music.
Over the months and years that followed Dolly sought and found new personal for the band. Then came the lockdown. This didn’t stop them; instead, they headed to the studio to lay tracks for what would become ‘Ego Trap’.
Press play on the CD, and the guitars leap out, they have familiar tone that had me expecting Axl Rose to start screeching ‘You Could Be Mine’, but Dolly bursts in with his trademark vocals and Thirteen come alive with their own classic, high octane take on punk.
It’s an excellent production from Bryan Ramage, the pace is relentless, the second track, ‘I Am the Fire’ sparks off a flurry of snarls and guitar screeches. ‘Pearls and Piss’, perhaps the highlight, is uplifting. ‘How did to come to this? Drowning in Pearls and piss!” asks Dolly.
‘Trampled Flag’ offers a well-judged change of pace before the EP concludes with the squalling menace of ‘Thirteen’. This is a statement from the band; “I will never tire” asserts Dolly, “We are Thirteen” replies the band.
This is a great record; created and recorded throughout the most challenging of years. What once was the Spirit of Resistance now appearing to be the Spirit of Resilience.
‘Ego Trip’ is Spirited call to arms for all the Punks, Rock and Rollers and we know that they are out there in Falkirk, they’re just waiting for the shout. This could be it.
It’s Thursday evening, I made my way downstairs to lock up the house. I look out the window up to the night sky, in the darkness hangs the moon, or the super moon as I would later learn it was called. I’m stunned at how clear it is. I wonder if my eyesight has suddenly improved or perhaps…with the planes no longer flying above us, that I haven’t been aware of how polluted the sky above my home is. It’s a reminder of the weird times that we live in.
As I write from the heartlands of Scotland I think this is week seven of the lock down. Many people now believe that the pandemic has been with us a lot longer. Slowly and silently creeping unseen through the streets, workplaces and homes of our nation.
It was just a couple of weeks ago when I learned of the passing of my friend, colleague and manager Stevie Leslie. He was a gentleman, he guided me throughout my career with a calmness that I have always wanted to emulate. He had a brilliant sense of humour. He knew I was a keen runner and would often drive past me on the way to work. His small car had a sharp horn that he liked to beep every time he passed me as I ran. Every time I would jump three feet in the air. I would look towards the offending car to see Stevie’s broad shoulders shaking with laughter as he drove down the road. I will miss him greatly and my heartfelt condolences go to his family.
It was a brutal reminder of how horrible this disease is, it can touch anyone, this made me more determined to follow the lock down guidance as much as possible. When I look in horror at the daily increase in the numbers of people sadly passed, I think of all the loved ones that will be forever affected by this tragedy.
Weird Decibels, like every other musical artist has had to adapt. We have put out another LiveCast and we are currently stitching together all the live performances for LiveCast 4. It’s our wee effort to try and pass time for people. It’s the most active we’ve been for months!
Just a few days ago I went for a run, I run a lot, but I had been injured so exercise was curtailed for a couple of weeks. As I ran my belly shook, not just a wee wobble but a proper wave. It was like my stomach had a time delay from the rest of my body. Then the wind caught my hair, my growing, peppery barnet that, for some reason I’m refusing to cut until my favorite CrossCuts in Linlithgow reopens. I find myself sweeping my hand through my locks like some washed out middle aged rock star…it feels like I’m growing my hair again, just like I did back in the 90’s when the band started.
Its Friday I open the blinds. It’s another morning, the news lasts five minutes before I switch it off. I’m trying my best to home-school. I never took school seriously when I was young, now here I am as a stressed out parent hoping my kid will realise his potential while I’m trying to work out fractions. He’s correcting me.
I still have to go to my place of work, I like my job but the thought is always at the back of my head. What if I catch it…It’s good to speak to people, everyone speaks as normal, there are some laughs but every conversation eventually returns to how bloody depressed I looked in Live Cast 3.
That was a pain to perform, but yeah I wasn’t in a good mood that day and I think the songs were quite sad. It was however great to get Stu and Greg involved. Derek is laying parts for the next one. I’m loving playing the old songs though. Stripping back the tunes to a bare minimum seems to give them new life.
The doorbell goes. I open it to find a small man walking to a white van. He returns staggering with a heavy box full of beer, he keeps his distance before cheerful shouting ‘That’s you sorted for the lock-down eh?’. I look around the street hoping the neighbours aren’t watching. I store my lock-down booze in my secret vault. I do some more verbs and nouns with the boy. The door goes again. Another box of booze sits on the doorstep.
The 3rd LiveCast has done quite well some people actually liked the more reflective mood of this one, this lifts my spirits. Shuffledown had a virtual festival online, they played acts from festivals past and it was nice to be included. I got in touch with family and friends and things seem to be ok. There are things I like about the lock-down. The silent skies that give way to birdsong, the clear air. Even just being away from busy roads and masses of people. I worry a little that I’m starting to like being separated from society. That thought leaves when I phone my family and then it hits how much I miss them.
I’m going to keep busy with work, family life and the band. It seems like some people think the lock-down is coming to an end, the roads are getting a little busier and people are going out more. It’s not the end, we have to see this through. Please stay in as much as you can, join us on LiveCast 4 if you can, we are playing some songs from the HMR vaults and our Derek will be involved. Take care.
Oh the house martins (not the band…the birds) have returned! All is good!
I often shake my head in disbelief when I comprehend the times that we life in now. Things will get back to normal they say, not so sure about that. Anyway, closer to home I had started to think about the band.
Before this all kicked off (trying not to be flippant at how serious Covid 19 is) we weren’t practising too much. Greg and Tina had given the world the most beautiful baby boy, his name is Ben, he is a wee gem. That rightly curtailed our practices for a while. After that though, I must be honest, it was easier to not practise, a habit we seemed to be getting into.
Then, like most of the population, we were forced to be apart. We had a brand-new album to promote and twenty-five years to celebrate. All this was insignificant in the unseen menace of the corona virus. We cancelled practise and, on the text thread, I think I said, ‘see you in the summer’, that might he a wee bit optimistic now.
We had to adapt. Like many bands have, we now do everything online.
For some reason, at the start of the lock-down, I remember thinking I was lucky enough to have a garden, but it wasn’t enough. I was growing anxious. The state was telling me I couldn’t do things and my world started to close in. The usual shit started to happen, the shortness of breath and my horizon went a bit slanted. I put it down to the drink, that probably didn’t help, but yeah, I get anxious and yes, I hide it.
I hide it well.
The solution? I had to keep busy, picking up the guitar was a good idea. I flicked through the songs that the band have written and, to be fair, there are a few. I had to practise everyday to re-learn the songs. This gave me focus and it felt good. Then I recorded the first session; I didn’t care how it went down. I hoped it would pass some time for people.
Then ‘I’ll Always be Here’ happened. It was always going to be a single, but now the lyrics seen so relevant, so much that I started to wonder if I was self-isolating before all this shit happened. Maybe just in my head… Anyway, the band couldn’t shoot a video, so we had to catch a theme and it was the video calls that everyone was forced to do in order to keep contact with loved ones.
I recorded bits of footage in the studio, but Derek took it to another level. He got the kids involved; I was nearly in tears when I saw what he had filmed, I was so happy. Then Greg sent footage of him playing the bass with Ben and I swear I did weep.
I asked Lewis if he wanted to be in a music video, he said, in kinda pre teenage way, ‘yeah’ but once he got into the studio, he was in his element. My heart danced at his footage.
I put all the clips together, now I was really missing my friends and my family. We all are. But we hoped by doing this video we would give folks a wee bit hope, that this will end, and we will meet up again. (some won’t, and this breaks my heart.) It was well received, and we were happy about that. Fecking miss the guys.
I started to rehearse a new set of songs for our second LiveCast, I knew Stu would be in the hoose (how did I know that?!) so I asked him if he’d like to get involved (I would love all the band to be involved but I haven’t worked this out yet) to my delight Stu said yes. It took hours to line up all the clips, any recommendations for decent video editing software are welcome.
I had been worried about one of my best mates, I was concerned that he was finding the lock-down difficult. I was so happy when he got involved. He sent MP3’s back to me with his guitar parts and I manged to put most of it onto our live performance. It felt like we were jamming again. Seeing him on the screen with the guitar was very comforting, the dude hasn’t lost it.
The second LiveCast went out and it is doing well, I’m happy folks are enjoying it and that it is passing their time. Now here is the weird thing, I’ve felt more connected to the band than I have done in the past few months. Its funny how these things work out.
We will continue to record mini gigs and as Stu suggested we may put a CD album of the sessions (hell why not). As I write this, I’ve had a few beers (hey, don’t judge, I’m on a weeks holiday) and I know I’m going to sleep (later). Last night I didn’t, I was sober. I lay in bed looking at the ceiling, fighting with my thoughts…one of which was a game of tig. Wondering when the virus was going to tag me and how it would affect my family, my wife who was sleeping peacefully beside me and my son sleeping in the next room. How do I protect my family? Something we are all asking.
We’ve put out a lot of stuff over the years and we have written lots of stories. If this helps pass some time, then that’s great, have a wee look around the site.
I recently saw a picture where Chuck Norris was drinking Covid out of a carton. The man is nails. I would normally say we should be more like more like Chuck Norris, but nah that’s not a good idea. Stay in yer hoose, stay safe and help the NHS.
Before you head off, I would like to give a big shout out to the staff of the SPS. The forgotten service.
On Wednesday the 8th of February 1995 we had our first practise; now as the 8th of February 2020 fast approaches I sit back and can’t quite understand how quickly this time has passed. I often wonder what would’ve happened if certain events hadn’t happened.
Would the band have continued had the first guy that we hired the room from hadn’t been so stoned? We waited for him to lockup but he never appeared so we left the place open. He’d forgotten all about it and let us book the room the next week (still raging at the punks who had bolted the week before…). The practise room became our home for over twenty years.
Say we didn’t get conned off Big World Music. Would we have kept our focus as a young band and break out from the local scene?
What if I hadn’t bumped into Stu in Behind the Wall during his time away from the band?
There are many junctions in our story, I do regret that we haven’t reached a bigger audience and I often cast envious looks at other bands who, in a fraction of the time, have achieved things we still dream of. I regret we haven’t tried a bit harder, pushed the music, practised more, gigged more, the list goes on.
But I wouldn’t change a thing.
Our family and friends have been so supportive over the years, the ability to leave home for a few days and record albums is priceless. The support on gig nights, unflinching. From the first school night forays at the Martell right through to the Glasgow adventures and the recent Falkirk resurgence.
Every time we’ve put out a tape, CD or dropped albums on Spotify the loyalty has been there. The support has been a huge factor in us being around for so long.
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Of course, a band needs to get along if it is to stay intact. I’ve had musical differences with people in the past, music becomes toxic, friendships break, but with these guys that has rarely happened. When we recorded February (back in November 2019) work and family commitments meant we couldn’t go away for too long, but it was a fantastic experience none the less. The few days we had away reminded me of the strong friendships that were forged back at the old practise room twenty-five years ago.
No band can function without music and thankfully we’re still able to write and record records. Sure, we’ve had mixed results but every album we’ve put out has a story behind it.
Which brings me nicely to our ninth, February. An album that practically wrote itself. These days it can take us over a year to write an album. February was going that way until we decided to get an album out for our 25th. The wee bit pressure got the creative juices flowing, by September we had an batch of songs and I couldn’t quite believe that we were booking a new cottage to record our album.
The story of this recording has been told, there is no doubt (and the guys will agree) that this was the most fun we had recording an album. Doing most of it live gave the record an energy that we’ve always struggled to capture. Mixing took just a couple of months (Weird Decibels 2 was about a year…) and the mastering was outsourced to Andy Taylor who did a fine job with the recordings, especially when you consider it took us four days on a £300 14 year old desk.
Thank you for sticking with us, that’s the first twenty-five years in. Who knows what lies ahead? Who knows what dreams we might yet fulfil? We’re still making things work. We’re Not Giving Up.
Pabs looks back at how we created and recorded our unplugged album Its A Grand Day Out. Available to buy and download stream from Bandcamp. Alternatively you can stream on all digital platforms including Spotify.
Words Pabs
Photographs Kevin Byrne (cover art, station hotel, Larbert station), various (studio)
Nearly two years ago I celebrated my 40th birthday, my how time flies. Amid the generous presents there was a gift voucher for some studio time at a place in Edinburgh. It was a great idea for a present but it got me wondering what could be achieved in 6 hours. I’m terrible for procrastination and didn’t book the studio for months. Time was passing and the voucher was due to expire. So I got thinking again.
An album would take weeks, and EP probably a weekend, certainly more than the six hours on offer. So I thought about a live studio performance, recorded professionally. It would be a great opportunity to capture our live sound. I contacted the studio from where the voucher originated and enquired if they would be able to facilitate the band playing live. They couldn’t. They did offer to move us to another studio outside Edinburgh but I didn’t feel this was an option. I suggested a refund for the voucher but the studio wouldn’t budge. I then suggested we strip back to an acoustic album. They agreed it could be done so the band started to prepare.
A couple of weeks before we were due to record the studio contacted me to say they were pulling the plug. Thankfully, perhaps in mind they were letting us down, they offered a full refund it was a turn of luck that I was waiting for.
So with the money safely back in the bank I wanted to fulfill the gift that was given to me and started to look around at studios. After a few emails I to some engineers I decided to go local and contacted Andy Taylor at Homegrown Productions in Larbert. He was happy to do the project but i’m not sure he was aware of how many tracks we were planning…
I visited the studio and met with Andy, a friendly chap who was happy to advise about the project. He was a little surprised when I suggested that we would be recording 15 tracks, I think he was expecting us to do a lot less. He offered some good suggestions, like different sticks for the drums and one really important point was practise, practise, practise.
The feel of the studio is great, hidden away on a working farm just outside Larbert, you would miss it if you weren’t looking. Its well decked out, a comfortable control room, a live room and an additional area for guitar work (we wouldn’t need this). There was a mixture of analog and digital equipment. I guess I have missed the experience of recording in a professional studio and letting someone else do the work. We agreed a booking, now it was up to us to get the heads down.
Picking the Songs
We got together and had a look through the albums to see what would work with the distortion switched off. There were a few obvious choices and some surprising picks as well.
Songs like ‘Vancouver’, ‘The Rain’, ‘Just For Today’, ‘Culture Creature’ and more recent tracks like ‘I Hear the City’, ‘Wonder’ and ‘Curtain Hits the Cast’ were picked. One thing that was quite obvious for the band was the high number of Whapper Stormer songs that were filling the set. So we looked again and found some of our forgotten favourites. ‘Flame’ has always been one of those songs we regretted not getting properly recorded. It was never mixed as we ran out of studio time. We put the track on Coldhome Street and that was never officially released (although if you are curious it is on our Bandcamp page). When we played at practise it sounded really good, it hadn’t aged much, although the lyrics were written by a heartbroken 21 year old and not the hand of someone of nearly 42 years so that was quite a strange experience stepping back into my old awkward shoes.
‘Side by Side’ was another song we hadn’t officially released (again you can find it on Bootleg 2 on Bandcamp). It was nice to play this track again. ‘Cold Calling’ was a little rusty but once Stu and I synced in it worked really well. Then Derek suggested ‘Industry’.
One of our more heavier numbers I didn’t think It would work but it did. The mood was still there, the intensity of the track was still evident. Now we were growing in confidence and curiosity, we tried ‘Educational Suicide’ but that didn’t work, we briefly tried ‘Three Days Ago’, again that didn’t fit in too well.
We were settling on songs but one was missing, a song that defined the early 2010’s for us, ‘Wonder’. It sounded good on the podcast version and went well when we practised it so it was in. Towards the end of our sessions the Rain was dropped, one of our best known songs from the early years. I was disappointed but the rest of the guys didn’t think it was going to fit with this volume of songs.
On the Day.
There is no denying that it was exciting to be going back into the studio after all these years. As much as I love DIY recording it was nice to think that someone else would be at the helm. We turned up to the small studio on a fairly overcast day broken by the cold winter sun. A sharp breeze passed the imposing wind farm nearby, the large white colossi steadily turning. Stu parked rather oddly and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Then Derek with his large SUV rolled onto the edge of Andy’s lawn. Car parking is not our strong points.
We entered into the control room, the desk was fired up and ready to go. We headed into the live room and started to set up. There was a jovial atmosphere, it was great to hear band banter flowing again, we don’t do this enough, I thought.
I look on as Andy sets up. It was strange to let someone else do all the work!
Andy entered the room after briefing introduction he got to work on setting up the sound. This was when I began to wonder if we were stretching the session too far. However it didn’t take us long to set up, after a few soundchecks we were good to go.
Playing through the first songs was straightforward, we had tea and coffee so it was all going well until the first mistake. Nerves started to creep into us all and we had to retake a couple of songs. We soldiered on, time was now an issue, we were aware of it and I think it was affecting our performance. There was one song, ‘Sky is Falling’ I think, where I completely forgot the vocal melody despite playing it for weeks on end. Our minds were just going blank as we reached into the 4th hour of our session. But we got there, a little bruised and battered, 15 songs recorded live. Now for the quick mix, could we really finish this album in 2 more hours?
This was where I was trying not to impose on Andy, I forgot we had just over an hour to mix 15 songs. Now I realised how lofty my expectations had been. I guess because I’ve recorded the band so many times that I thought it was possible. I suggested some mix changes during the first song, put the vocals up, nah drop them again, essentially I was now doing what I do in the home studio, spending an age mixing, however time was something we did not have.
So I reluctantly stepped back and opened my first beer and let Andy do his thing. 20 minutes past our time we had a CDR with the raw mixes. I had mixed feelings now.
Work starts on the mixes.
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Old Friends back in the Bar
After a healthy wee cheese and ham roll from the shop next to the pub I was ready for a fair few pints and some catching up with the band. We dropped all the gear off at Derek’s and headed around to the Station hotel for a couple. Our good friend Byrne turned up for a blether. We didn’t stay long however, we headed back to Derek’s, the guys were eager to hear the CD. I just wanted a beer.
After a few laughs and drinks by the fire we spun the CD. Already I was picking at it, what was I really expecting to achieve in 6 hours? 15 songs? An album completed? It sounded pretty good but not finished. It sounded thin, lacking in presence, my high hopes for this album were fading, but the guys around me were loving it, I didn’t have the heart to tell them at that time I wasn’t happy.
I spiralled into a bit of a downer for a few weeks after it. It was a long winter for me, I just wanted to shut myself off from everyone. I logged off the internet for nearly 3 months and didn’t go near the acoustic album. I still wasn’t enjoying the record, but the performances were good. Perhaps revisiting the mix would work. We still had some money left from the gift voucher and the guys were happy to put some extra cash into the record.
Some weeks later I returned to the album and started to take notes. I asked the rest of the guys to give me their opinion of the songs. They were generally good, one or two tracks were in danger of not making the final cut. I contacted Andy to explore further mixing.
The extra studio time comes to the rescue.
Springtime had sprung, green was returning to the trees and the last of a fairly mild Scottish winter was fading. Optimism was back in my thoughts, I had booked in another 4 hours of mixing and would be attending the studio with Andy during the May weekend. The mixes went really well, he had already started to work on the songs by the time I arrived at the studio. The tracks needed subtle tonal changes, in addition, turning up Stu’s solos and integrate guitar parts worked wonders for the feel of the album. It was now vibrant and full of personality. It was good too have input into the mixes. Andy is so laid back, he listens to all suggestions and will gently disagree if you suggest something that won’t work.
As this was a live session all 15 songs responded well to the tonal and fader adjustments so it turned out mixed a lot quicker than anticipated. There was also a desire not to lose the live feel of the record.
Mastering was booked next. I decided to step back for this. It was a subtle master, with Andy leaving a significant amount of dynamic range. Hearing the single (the Ending and Trying to Grab Hold) it makes sense, there is a good dynamic range in the streaming sound.
The Photoshoot.
Pic Kevin Byrne. WdB with some of our lifelong friends.
Kevin Byrne is a great friend, always happy to help the band and he, like many of our friends, has been there from the start (in 95!). He takes a guid photo. We needed a theme for the album, ‘Its a Grand Day Out’ so we decided to head to the pub, the Station hotel, which, as its name suggests is next to Larbert train station. The idea was to invite our lifelong friends and have Kevin shoot pictures as we got drunk. It worked quite well, there was a brilliant portrait taken of us before we left the pub.
Kevin with Greg. Kevin has taken many great photographs for us.
As we passed the station I suggested we take some shots on the platform, after all most days out start and end at a train station. These shots were superb and one made it to the cover of the album. The guys suggested releasing a couple of singles, so I looked through the photographs that Kevin had taken but none seemed to fit. Kevin stepped up and took some stunning shoots. My favourite being the speeding train blurring past the static platform, we used that for the Ending.
Pic Kevin Byrne. Brilliant picture of the station hotel where we had a few drinks after the recording session.
After the original photoshoot had taken place we headed back to Dereks and drank into the night. Surrounded by friends, listening to vinyl and building beer towers. It felt like the old days that we used to have. We celebrated into the morning hours, after two years of highs and lows we finally had the album we wanted.
Pabs
Coming soon, the track listing and the story behind the songs.
Click here to buy the album. All monies goes towards future recordings.
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