Arab Strap are a Scottish
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band whose core members are
Aidan 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. ...
and
Malcolm Middleton
Malcolm Bruce Middleton
(born 31 December 1973) is a Scottish musician and member of indie band Arab Strap. He has also released seven solo studio albums and three albums performing under the pseudonym Human Don't Be Angry.
Early life
Middleto ...
.
The band were signed to independent record label
Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in ...
, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to
Rock Action Records
Rock Action Records is a Scottish, Glasgow-based independent record label, founded and maintained by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. The label has showcased such diverse talents as Part Chimp, Errors, Chris Brokaw, Trout, The James Orr Complex ...
in 2020.
History
Vocalist and drummer
Aidan 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. ...
and multi-instrumentalist
Malcolm Middleton
Malcolm Bruce Middleton
(born 31 December 1973) is a Scottish musician and member of indie band Arab Strap. He has also released seven solo studio albums and three albums performing under the pseudonym Human Don't Be Angry.
Early life
Middleto ...
grew up in
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
, Scotland,
and bonded over their mutual love for
Drag City recording artists such as
Will Oldham
Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...
(who at the time recorded under the name
Palace Brothers
Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...
) and
Smog
Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and '' fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odor. The word was then inte ...
. They began collaborating in 1995, and their debut album, ''
The Week Never Starts Round Here
''The Week Never Starts Round Here'' is the debut studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap. It was released on 25 November 1996 on Chemikal Underground. The album was reissued in 2010, with a bonus CD which includes the band's first s ...
'', was released the following year. At this point Gary Miller and David Gow joined the band and became the rhythm section, creating a more dynamic live experience when the band started touring.
Over the course of their ten-year existence Arab Strap worked with numerous musicians, including Jenny Reeve and Stacey Sievewright, as well as Adele Bethel, who went on to form
Sons and Daughters.
Stuart Murdoch of
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes ...
featured on the album ''
Philophobia'', but the Belle & Sebastian album/song "
The Boy with the Arab Strap
''The Boy with the Arab Strap'' is the third studio album by Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, released in 1998 through Jeepster Records.
Recording and production
Stuart Murdoch recalled the recording process for this album felt very d ...
" would later create something of a feud between Moffat and Murdoch.
Arab Strap's marked characteristics include sordid, personal, yet honest, lyrics – described by the ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' as "fly on the duvet vignettes". Like fellow Scottish band
The Proclaimers
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
, their lyrics are sung in their native
Scots tongue. At first essentially an electro-acoustic band with a brooding, spare sound, later albums and gigs saw them develop a fuller sound that drew deeply on both indie and dance music.
Arab Strap's first two albums, ''The Week Never Starts Around Here'' (1996) and ''Philophobia'' (1998), depicted the desperate decadence of post-Thatcherite Britain. The former album's "The First Big Weekend", a five-minute piece of drunken mayhem that end with a joyous singalong, "Went out for a weekend, lasted forever / Got high with our friends, it's officially summer," which was later also used as the chorus to "Hey!Fever," one of the tracks on the EP ''The Girls of Summer'' the following year. The 1999 live album, ''
Mad for Sadness
''Mad for Sadness'' is a live album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap
Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Under ...
'', demonstrated how the sometimes spare recorded sound of their early music could lift into a celebration of a sexually empty, drug- and alcohol-dependent life. After these albums, Arab Strap's music became much more musically polished, but continued to focus on drink, drugs, and existentially bereft versions of sexuality.
In keeping with the theme of
sexual allusion, Moffat records as a solo artist under the name Lucky Pierre (later changed to L Pierre) – slang for the man in the middle of a gay threesome. This work is also characterised by a brooding, spare sound, but is instrumental in nature. Middleton also has a solo career under his own name, releasing two albums with
Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in ...
and three more via Full Time Hobby Records.
On 9 September 2006, the band announced on their website that they were to split up. They celebrated the ten years since their first studio album with the release of a compilation record, ''Ten Years of Tears''. They went on tour in Europe for the last time at the end of the year, and played their final show at the end of a secret tour of Japan at Shibuya O-Nest on 17 December 2006.
Post-breakup and 2016 reunion
In a 2008 interview, Middleton stated: "It was a good time to call it a day. Unless there's a definite need and desire for us to play, I don't think we should ever get back together. We always said we would
ollaborate againwhen we split up, but I think maybe it's still too soon. Maybe in a few years when we've got time, we'll maybe try something for a laugh. Who knows?"
In December 2009, ''
Monday at the Hug & Pint
''Monday at the Hug & Pint'' is the fifth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap. It was released in Europe on 21 April 2003 by Chemikal Underground and in the United States a day later by Matador Records. The album features appearan ...
'', ''
The Red Thread'' and ''
The Last Romance
''The Last Romance'' is the sixth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap, released on 17 October 2005 on Chemikal Underground.
Vocalist Aidan Moffat stated that the album is "a lot more upbeat, but still deals with some of the darke ...
'' entered ''
The Skinnys "Scottish Albums of the Decade" list at no. 7, 12 and 25 respectively.
In April 2010, the ''Scenes of a Sexual Nature'' box-set was released, featuring early albums, live recordings, and a newly recorded track. The following year Moffat and Middleton released a cover version of
Slow Club
Slow Club were an English duo formed in Sheffield in 2006. The band consisted of multi-instrumentalists Charles Watson and Rebecca Lucy Taylor, with Watson contributing piano, Taylor contributing drums, and both performing guitar and vocals. ...
's new single, "Two Cousins", under the name "Two Cousins 1999". Moffat noted, "It’s not an Arab Strap performance as such, rather it’s the two guys who used to be Arab Strap recording their own, informed pastiche". On 17 November 2011, the band reformed for a one-off show as part of Glasgow venue Nice N Sleazy's 20th birthday celebrations.
In an interview in April 2013, Middleton said that he would be open to the idea of future gigs, but cast doubt on any more Arab Strap records: "I think, with Arab Strap, it was good at the time. But we could only write songs of that ilk at a certain age. So I don't think we'll ever record again but it might be good to do a gig".
On 11 June 2016 a new website for the band was revealed with a countdown and a lone statement, "Hello Again", teasing a reformation. Arab Strap confirmed on 15 June that they have reformed for three shows at London's Electric Brixton, Manchester's O2 Ritz and Glasgow's Barrowlands Ballroom, all scheduled for October, marking the band's 20th anniversary. With this announcement, the band released a new version of their debut single, titled "The First Big Weekend of 2016", as remixed by
Miaoux Miaoux
Julian Victor Corrie (born 20 June 1985), better known by his stage name Miaoux Miaoux, is an English producer, musician and songwriter based in Glasgow, Scotland. He is signed to Chemikal Underground Records, who have released his albums ''Light ...
. They later added a second date in Glasgow (after the first one sold out in under half an hour) and a warm-up date in Newcastle. A string of festival dates in 2017 followed.
In August 2019, ahead of the release of his third studio album as ''Human Don't Be Angry'', Middleton's website updated to state that they "
erecurrently working on a new album for release in 2020". On 1 September 2020 the band issued their first new material in 15 years, with the release of the single "The Turning Of Our Bones", which is reported to be the A-side of an upcoming 7". The B-side of the single is to be called "The Jumper".
On 24 November 2020 the band announced their new album, ''As Days Get Dark'', their first in 16 years.
On 17 February 2021 Arab Strap released the music video for "Here Comes Comus!". The controversial music video was directed by
Bryan M. Ferguson.
On 5 March 2021 Arab Strap released their new album, ''As Days Get Dark''.
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Extended plays
Singles
References
External links
Arab Strap discographyat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
Arab Strap pageat
Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in ...
Arab Strap Album Reviews on Pitchfork.comArab Strap entryat ''
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
''
Melodic Records May 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arab Strap
Scottish alternative rock groups
Scottish indie rock groups
Musical groups established in 1995
Musical groups disestablished in 2006
Musical groups reestablished in 2016
Musical groups from Glasgow
Sadcore and slowcore groups
Chemikal Underground artists