Aidan John Moffat

Aidan John Moffat (born 10 April 1973) is a Scottish vocalist and musician, and member of the band Arab Strap.

Early life

Moffat was born and raised in Falkirk, Scotland. The first album he bought was ''Elvis Sings for Kids'' by Elvis Presley. Whilst at Falkirk High School, he listened to such groups as Pixies, Dinosaur Jr. and Slint. His first ever gig was at the age of 16, and saw David Byrne at Glasgow Barrowlands in 1989. In 1990, aged 17, he was expelled from school, with no Higher Qualifications. He then worked for four years at an independent record shop called Sleeves Records, resigning one morning in 1996, due to having a hangover and wanting to go home.

Career

Arab Strap

In 1995, Moffat and Malcolm Middleton began making music under the name Arab Strap and sent in demo cassettes to record companies. Only one, Chemikal Underground, replied, and they were soon signed to them. Moffat and Middleton briefly reunited in November 2011 for a gig as part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of Glasgow venue Nice N Sleazy. They reunited again in 2016, for three shows at London's Electric Brixton, Manchester's O2 Ritz and Glasgow's Barrowlands Ballroom. A second Glasgow show was added after the first one sold out in under half an hour, along with a warm-up show in Newcastle. On 24 November 2020 the band announced their new album, ''As Days Get Dark''. The album was released on 5 March 2021 and was followed by extensive touring in the UK, Europe and Australia.

Outside Arab Strap

In 2002, after being challenged by Malcolm Middleton to record a solo album, Moffat released a solo album entitled ''Hypnogogia'' under the name Lucky Pierre. In 2005, after changing the name to L. Pierre, Moffat released an album called ''Touchpool''. In 2007 he released ''Dip''. In early 2013 Moffat released a new L. Pierre album, ''The Island Come True''. In July he released another full album, ''The Eternalist'', which was made available for free online and recorded on Vine.

From 1991 to 1996, Moffat recorded with a band called The Angry Buddhists, which consisted of himself, Gavin Moffat, Stuart the Postman, "Cheg" Taylor and The Stobe. They recorded "over 40 songs on dictaphones and 4-tracks", but never played live. Moffat was also the drummer in Bay, a band who released two albums: ''Happy Being Different'' (1994) and ''Alison Rae'' (1995).

Moffat provided guest vocals on the Mogwai song "R U Still in 2 It" from ''Mogwai Young Team'', recorded in the same studio in Hamilton) where the same time as Arab Strap were recording ''The Week Never Starts Round Here''. He also contributed vocals to the Mogwai song "Now You're Taken" from ''4 Satin''. Mogwai have a song dedicated to him on their second album, ''Come on Die Young'', entitled "Waltz for Aidan". In 2002, Moffat, Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai and Colin "Sheepy" McPherson released an eponymously titled EP under the name "The Sick Anchors".

Aidan Moffat & the Best-Ofs are a four-piece band fronted by Moffat. They played their first gig supporting American band Slint at the Glasgow ABC in Scotland, where they debuted the songs "Big Blonde", "The Last Kiss", "Ballad of the Unsent Letter", "Living With You Now" and "Atheist's Lament". Their first album, titled ''How to Get to Heaven From Scotland'', was released on 3 March 2009.

In 2011 Moffat and pianist, bassist and former Arab Strap collaborator Bill Wells released ''Everything's Getting Older'', which in June 2012 won the first Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award from the Scottish Music Industry Association. A second album, ''The Most Important Place in the World'', followed in 2015.

In May 2018 Moffat released a joint album with longtime friend and collaborator RM Hubbert titled
Here Lies the Body
'. Within a year they went on to release a Christmas album, ''Ghost Stories for Christmas'', a live album and a concluding single, "Cut to Black".

In 2020 Moffat released ''Aux pieds de la nuit'', an ambient album, as Nyx Nótt.

In 2022 Moffat and The Twilight Sad frontman James Graham released a collaborative album under the name Gentle Sinners. The album, ''These Actions Cannot Be Undone'', was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2021 and reflects the anxiety of those times. It was released digitally and on CD in May and on vinyl in September 2022.

Writing

Moffat used his own name for his 2007 poetry album, ''I Can Hear Your Heart''. In 2009 Moffat wrote an advice column for the online magazine '' The Quietus''.

Where You're Meant To Be

In 2016 Moffat appeared in the documentary ''Where You're Meant to Be'', in which he toured Scotland performing his reinterpretations of traditional Scottish folk songs. The film, directed by Paul Fegan, also features the traditional singer Sheila Stewart who is critical of the project, viewing it as disrespecting the tradition, but ultimately performs alongside Moffat during a show at the Glasgow Barrowlands.

Personal life

Moffat lives in Glasgow with his partner and two children, a boy and a girl.

He is known for his distinctive facial hair, which he has commented on, saying

Albums

*''Hypnogogia'' (as Lucky Pierre) Melodic 2002
*''Touchpool'' (as L. Pierre) Melodic 2005
*'' Dip'' (as L. Pierre) Melodic 2007
*''I Can Hear Your Heart'' Chemikal 2007
*''Everything's Getting Older'' (with Bill Wells) 2011
*''The Island Come True'' (as L. Pierre) 2013
*''The Eternalist'' (as L. Pierre) 2013
*''Vagrants_09_14'' 2015
*''The Most Important Place in the World'' (with Bill Wells) 2015
*''Where You're Meant To Be'' (live/soundtrack album) 2016
*''Here Lies the Body'' (with RM Hubbert) 2018
*''Ghost Stories for Christmas'' (with RM Hubbert) 2018
*''Aux pieds de la nuit'' (as Nyx Nótt) 2020
*''These Actions Cannot Be Undone'' (with James Graham, as Gentle Sinners) 2022

References

External links

Official Aidan Moffat website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moffat, Aidan
21st-century Scottish male singers
Scottish songwriters
People from Falkirk
1973 births
Living people
Rock Action Records artists
Chemikal Underground artists
British male songwriters