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Post by noise is a friend on Sept 8, 2006 13:37:08 GMT 1
News from Chemikal Underground today::
ARAB STRAP | TEN YEARS OF TEARS
Farewell compilation album released 27th November 2006.
After six studio albums, three live albums and countless gigs, Arab Strap are to split up. A book-end compilation album and a celebratory farewell tour will mark the end of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton’s ten year relationship. The Last Romance, released in 2005, will remain their final studio offering.
“There’s no animosity, no drama. We simply feel we’ve run our course,” explains Aidan. “The Last Romance seems the most obvious and logical final act of the Arab Strap studio adventure. Everybody likes a happy ending.”
Titled Ten Years Of Tears (a nod to the critics who frequently pegged Arab Strap as ‘Falkirk miserablists’), the compilation is by no means a traditional ‘Best Of’ collection. Comprising B-sides, demos, remixes, new recordings, live tracks and Peel sessions, it’s a handpicked selection designed to give a full picture of this unique band.
“The idea of the compilation is to capture the essence of the band over our ten year career,” says Malcolm. “Sometimes the albums were a bit stifled because we were worrying too much about making a good album. I think that live versions of songs and b-sides etc show a truer, more relaxed side to the band. Ten Years Of Tears can serve both as an introduction to Arab Strap and also a fitting finale to those people who have followed us along the way.”
Acquaintances on the Falkirk scene, Aidan and Malcolm became friends in 1995. They soon began making music together, telling twisted tales of messy sexual encounters, shit jobs, titanic drinking sessions and the twisted chemistries of human relationships. They called themselves Arab Strap after a sex toy Aidan spotted in a porn mag.
And it wouldn’t be the same without a farewell tour, ending appropriately at the venue where the Strap played their first gig:
November 1st NOTTINGHAM RESCUE ROOMS 3rd NORWICH ARTS CENTRE 5th PORTSMOUTH WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 6th LIVERPOOL THEATRE 7th BRISTOL THEKLA 8th LONDON SCALA 29th MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3
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Post by rob strong on Sept 8, 2006 16:58:14 GMT 1
December 1st EDINBURGH CABARET VOLTAIRE 2nd ABERDEEN TUNNELS 3rd GLASGOW KING TUTS 4th GLASGOW KING TUTS
Signing to Chemikal Underground, they released their debut single, The First Big Weekend, a tale of Aidan and Malcolm’s adventures on the weekend Scotland were knocked out of Euro ’96, in September of that year. A cult classic, it’s included on this compilation along with a recording from their debut live performance. Over the years that followed, we were given countless glimpses into the intimately private lives of our two protagonists, whether they were pondering the risk of STDs (Packs Of Three) or wondering if they’d get to shag that friend of the cellist from Belle & Sebastian (I Saw You).
“No one really writes honest, hateful love songs,” Aidan once said. “The kids never hear it like they should hear it. They should know of the farting, the fighting and the fucking. The pain and the pleasure.”
Together, Aidan and Malcolm have created some of the most beautifully observed and brutally painful music of the last ten years. The album ends, appropriately enough, with the triumphal There Is No Ending. The story continues with Malcolm’s solo career (he’s currently recording his new album with Tony Dougan at The Castle Of Doom in Glasgow) and Aidan’s recordings as his alter ego L. Pierre (new album ‘Dip’ released early 2007) and a spoken-word album and tour in late 2007. And then there’s this album, which serves as a key to that astonishing back catalogue. Future generations who want to know about the farting, the fighting and the fucking will hopefully know where to look.
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Post by rob strong on Sept 8, 2006 17:02:19 GMT 1
A damn shame this, I thought The Last Romance was a fine record and was hoping for a follow-up.
Iain and I have spent many happy nights at their shows over the last nine years, and they've been churning out consistently enjoyable records for even longer.
RIP the Strap
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Post by tracy on Sept 10, 2006 15:47:41 GMT 1
Sad news, a band I have grew up listening to. Aidan feels like some mate I never met in person but got to know everything about.... a couple of their albums are truly wonderful and seeing them live was always a magical experience, look forward to the November farwell tour...
thankyou
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blip
elvis ramone
Posts: 17
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Post by blip on Sept 12, 2006 20:05:33 GMT 1
Yeah, not a good day with news like that. ah well.
at least there will be more solo stuff coming from the bhoys
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Post by Chrille on Sept 12, 2006 20:14:33 GMT 1
what's a scaffie?
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blip
elvis ramone
Posts: 17
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Post by blip on Sept 15, 2006 19:23:07 GMT 1
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Post by engine on Sept 26, 2006 13:36:27 GMT 1
i hope i'll be able to see them in italy
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molly
elvis ramone
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Post by molly on Sept 26, 2006 19:28:43 GMT 1
It is sad news indeed.
I was however, cheered by the thought of seeing them in King Tuts but as soon as I got my tickets the venue changed to the ABC, which is rather a good venue but not quite as intimate as King Tuts.
Nevermind, it should be a fab tour
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Post by Chrille on Oct 1, 2006 15:24:31 GMT 1
i'm going to see them when they play in sweden. i felt it was a opportunity i couldn't miss. i've heard a couple of songs like "cherubs", "here we go" and the brilliant black sabbath cover "changes". i have to buy all their albums so i can be prepared.
can anyone tell me what this song is called? thanks.
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Post by punkasfuck on Oct 2, 2006 6:36:13 GMT 1
Indeed, it would be a worty endeavour to purchase all their albums. They made some damn good music up until the end. Aidan is one of my faves just for doing 'R U Still In 2 It'. a f*cking brilliant song. malcolm has made a few excellent solo albums as well, and I'll continue to follow his work. hope the future treats them well.
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Post by Chrille on Oct 26, 2006 17:01:36 GMT 1
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Post by theeddie on Oct 27, 2006 3:47:20 GMT 1
sounds like that song you refer to might be "new birds", which incidently is my favourite arab strap tune
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Post by Chrille on Oct 27, 2006 5:08:46 GMT 1
sounds like that song you refer to might be "new birds", which incidently is my favourite arab strap tune yes, that's the one, i remember you could hear a pin drop when he said those lines. cheers!
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Post by noise is a friend on Oct 27, 2006 15:38:51 GMT 1
really nice photos, too
...I hope people will look out for future solo works -- most seem to prefer Malcolm's semi-acoustic pop-rock over Aidan's electronic/sampling stuff...it's the other way for me, but I would recommend both
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Post by gus on Nov 1, 2006 21:59:14 GMT 1
Does anybody know the setlists or where i can find them for the recent shows! Official site down at the moment Need to know now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chars G x
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Post by rob strong on Nov 1, 2006 22:31:05 GMT 1
If anyone is attending a show on this tour, and can pick up a copy of the tour-only ep for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Drop me a PM.
Having seen the Strap 20+ times in the past, I'm gutted to be missing their last tour, but the nearest show is 70 miles away and it ain't gonna happen for me.
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Post by winstonsmith on Nov 4, 2006 19:09:38 GMT 1
With the Strap's official site down, there is very little news around about the tour - has anybody seen any gigs (thanks Christian for your comments and photos), got any set lists, line up details etc.? I'll be in Portsmouth on Sunday and will be bringing a large box of tissues to wipe away the tears I will let you know how it goes ...
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Post by tracy on Nov 6, 2006 10:35:05 GMT 1
Off the Liverpool gig tonight, the last time I will ever see Arab Strap live Am hoping for a classic gig..
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Post by winstonsmith on Nov 7, 2006 0:10:57 GMT 1
Portsmouth last night, disappointing crowd and the amosphere was lacking but nethertheless it was an extraordinary gig; nearly two hours, the encore must have be at least five or six songs, with band members leaving over the course of the first few numbers just leaving Aidan and Malcolm at the end.
Spine tingling moments throughout the set and Aidan's performance was stunning at times, still really putting heart and soul into his performance. For me the highlights were Who named the days and the final song, an acoustic version of The Shy Retirer, you could here a pin drop during a few seconds silence in the middle of the song. Magical moment.
Some hazy memories due to the beer, they started with Stink, and F*ucking Little Bastards, I remember Cherubs, Pyjamas, Piglet, Packs of Three, New Birds, Here we go, Peep peep, Loch Leven, Blood, Screaming in the trees, No hope for us, Dont ask me to dance, Speed date, Dream sequence, among others ... You thought they would finish with There is no ending (2 audience members invited on stage to sing backing vocals!) but they went straight into The first big weeekend as the final song of the set.
A live recording of this tour would be a great way to remember the night.
Would really like to see the full set list.
Cheers Aidan and Malcolm
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Post by Chrille on Nov 7, 2006 17:14:38 GMT 1
they played 'cherubs', eh? i've never heard it but it seems a wee bit complex song to perform live. how did it sound? just saying this because mogwai rarely played 'tracy' live and it's the same for the 'strap with 'cherubs'. correct me if i'm wrong.
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Post by winstonsmith on Nov 7, 2006 23:15:33 GMT 1
Mmmmm,48 hours on I wouldn't swear to it ;0) - it's not one of my favourites so didn't really stick out for me. Lets hope the new Strap site will hold set lists like this one.
You've been unlucky with "Tracy" I've seen them play it twice this year ...
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Post by Chrille on Nov 15, 2006 19:04:35 GMT 1
the official site is up, the gigography page has never looked better!
i like this review:
31/05/97 The Arts Centre, Gloucester, England Review: "First showing on UK terrestrial telly of Reservoir Dogs . Also notable because one of the advertising breaks features the first showing of the Guinness advert featuring 'The First Big Weekend'. Arab Strap sit onstage watching a black and white portable TV while Mogwai play, and the show stops and the audience (of approx. 40) gathers around the stage for the big event." (Rob Strong)
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Post by rob strong on Nov 16, 2006 16:51:42 GMT 1
31/05/97 The Arts Centre, Gloucester, England Review: "First showing on UK terrestrial telly of Reservoir Dogs . Also notable because one of the advertising breaks features the first showing of the Guinness advert featuring 'The First Big Weekend'. Arab Strap sit onstage watching a black and white portable TV while Mogwai play, and the show stops and the audience (of approx. 40) gathers around the stage for the big event." (Rob Strong) It was a decent show, that.
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Post by anagrama on Dec 1, 2006 13:56:46 GMT 1
Saw the Last English AS Gig in Newcastle last night, fucking great show all round, and it was fantastic to hear live versions of First Big Weekend, Gilded & I Saw You after years of only hearing them on shoddy bootlegs. I've posted the set-list (as best as I can remember) over on the AS forum. Rob - give me a shout if you're still looking for the tour cd - I picked up a couple of spares
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Post by Chrille on Dec 3, 2006 15:24:30 GMT 1
aidan moffat's article in today's issue of sunday herald:
I NEVER thought I'd see the world in the summer of 1995. My options in Falkirk, teasingly half-way between Glasgow and Edinburgh, were limited at best. I'd been expelled from high school with no higher qualifications and went straight to work in our local independent record shop, which was a dream job at first. I discovered more music working there than I could have anywhere else, with the obvious exception of John Peel's show, whose weekday evening timeslot was partly responsible for my lack of academic success.
It was my profession to know about what I already loved. But the pedestrian tastes of the average Sleeves Records customer became infuriating and the wages were paltry. I stuck it out for more than four years and announced my resignation one morning mainly because I had a horrific hangover and wanted to go home. But on leaving I found myself in the pub, phoning my future bandmate Malcolm Middleton to tell him the exciting news; we ended up in the cells that night for breaching the peace.
We had already recorded our first few songs together by then, on borrowed equipment for our own amusement. We'd known each other through mutual friends for a while but had only became pals the previous summer after finding we had a few things in common, including, at the time, a girlfriend. I'd been making tapes as Arab Strap (a device used to maintain erections - I thought it sounded pretty snappy), a name we decided to use because we couldn't think of anything better. But my head wasn't filled with dreams when I left my job - like most early 20-somethings, I just didn't know what to do with my life.
I was already deeply suspicious of the record industry. It seemed to me that truly original and passionate music was rarely rewarded, while fame-hungry fashion victims and plagiarists were topping every chart. Nothing has changed in the decade since but it's never been easier to discern fake from flair. You can spot right away who makes music because they have to - the kind of artists who wake up every morning and write or sing or perform because it's in their blood - and who makes music because they want to be in magazines. So when Malcolm went to work on Mull, leaving me to send out our demo, I had already decided I would submit it to independent labels who put out great records.
I only ever sent three 10-minute cassettes in a handcrafted green cardboard cover that I was very pleased with (good presentation was essential when sending out demos - labels used to receive thousands of them daily and if you wanted to get noticed you had to stand out). These days, sending a tape or CD by mail is almost quaint. But in the mid-1990s it was the only way to get our Arab Strap songs to prospective labels - we didn't play live because we couldn't be bothered.
From the three labels I chose, there was only one reply. Alun from Chemikal Underground Records posted me a scribbly hand-written letter and suggested we meet, which we did one weekday evening in a Falkirk pub. I don't remember much of those early meetings but I remember being ecstatic. I hadn't expected a great deal from Arab Strap, so by the time we were sitting in the Chemikal office (back then, a chaotic kitchen), putting stickers on our first seven-inch single, I was starting to at least hope my life had some semblance of direction.
That single, The First Big Weekend, seemed to register with a few folk and suddenly we needed to play live, so we recruited a bass player and drummer and started touring. Not only were we pretty shit in those early days, we were twats. Every band goes through a rock'n'roll phase at the beginning. It's only natural to get carried away with yourself when you're finally living the dream, and free beer and girls can be a very intoxicating combination. We went through all the inane, pointless and puerile clichs that we'd read about: we wrecked hotel rooms, took any drugs that were offered then breakfasted on beer, scaled the roof of a cheap hotel, skilfully vandalised a ferry and often failed miserably at being faithful to our girlfriends back home. I suppose you have to get it out of your system when you're young but it doesn't take long to realise that good manners and kindness are the way forward.
The reason our performances were usually terrible was because we drank too much. Our early shows were known for being messy but presumably had a certain degree of charm because people came back for more. Our first ever performance was broadcast live on John Peel's show, and soon after that we were in the BBC's Maida Vale studios recording our first proper Peel Session. I remember thinking then that this was all I'd ever really wanted to achieve, that anything after this moment would just be incidental.
And that lasted for another nine years, a time in which we've travelled to places I'd never expected to see. Thanks to Arab Strap, I got to see the world: snowy Norwegian mountains, Sydney Harbour, the Empire State Building, a plate of freshly-caught squid by the bay in San Sebastian, karaoke in Tokyo, driving from one corner of the USA to another, Madrid, Venice, Copenhagen, Bologna, so much more.
But everything must end somewhere. Choosing to disband Arab Strap after a decade was an easy decision, a natural one. It's time to move on, though to what I'm not sure. Creatively, we've reached a peak; a decade on, Malcolm and I have simply exhausted all our artistic possibilities together. It's difficult to imagine that a new Arab Strap record could be an exciting proposition for either of us, and if it's not exciting for us then it won't be exciting for anyone else.
We're very proud of what we've created and our music seemed to become stronger over the years, our live performances improved immensely and we're far more adept at creating the sounds we want to hear. We can now say within reason that we are professional musicians, and we leave behind six Arab Strap studio albums for future listeners to discover. We never did become the kind of rock stars we'd read about, but I would genuinely rather mean a lot to a little that a little to a lot, and at least we have the sense to split up while we still sound good.
The album Ten Years Of Tears (Chemikal Underground) is out now. Arab Strap's final gig is at the ABC, Glasgow tomorrow night
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Post by tracy on Dec 4, 2006 12:09:26 GMT 1
fantastic article, thanks for putting it up Christian
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Post by tracy on Dec 5, 2006 14:24:44 GMT 1
No more Arab Strap as of today.
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Post by Chrille on Dec 5, 2006 17:07:33 GMT 1
they're heading for a world wide reunion tour in 2008!
seriously, i'm gutted too.
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Post by tracy on Dec 6, 2006 13:28:34 GMT 1
they're heading for a world wide reunion tour in 2008! My mate shouted out, 'when is the reunion tour?' during the recent Liverpool gig, Aidan laughed and said, '2008!' They haven't ruled out touring as Arab Strap again have they?
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