Hot with the HOSTESS

BANGKOK MUSIC fans get to listen to such true indie sounds next week as the Thai version of the popular Japanese Hostess Club music festival makes its debut in the City of Angels.
Among the acts taking part are Real Estate, Temples, Tune-Yards, Caribou, Thurston Moore and Glaswegian popsters Belle and Sebastian.
The Scottish sextet has released nine studio albums since forming in 1996 and its latest. “Girls in Peace Time Want to Dance”, has plenty of people talking about it.
Known and loved more for their clever, poetic indie pop sounds than fantastic commercial success, the group’s hits include “Expectations”, “Beautiful”, “I’m a Cuckoo”, “I Love My Car” and“Step Into My Office, Baby”.
We chatted with guitarist Stevie Jackson about the latest album and Scottish music scene.

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT “GIRLS IN PEACE TIME”?
I think the songs were written about the end of 2013. They have a strong feeling to them because they are one selection of songs from one particular time. There was a sort of feeling that maybe disco was in the air, up-tempo was in the air. We had a chance to work with Ben Allen, who is more from a hip-hop background and that seemed to be out of our safety zone. The hip-hop way of making records is very different from recording pop music.
The band was constructing and cutting things up, kind of like making a hip-hop record, and that in itself was a strong stylistic identity. Some of the lyrical preoccupations led to strong political statements, but there is certainly a feeling lyrically of looking at the world around as opposed to focusing on our thoughts.

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND “THE PARTY LINE”?
It was written with Bob Corday, who plays the bass and guitar and was the first time he actually brought a song to the group. He had mapped out how it should sound. The structure changed a little but basically it had the chorus and he had an idea what the song was about. It’s a new direction in the sense that there’s a new member of the group contributing. I think that is what gives a fresh sound – something new for the band.

WHAT IS THE INDIE MUSIC SCENE IN |SCOTLAND LIKE?
It’s full on. I don’t know if all the bands would call themselves “indie” – that description constantly changes in meaning as time goes on. Certainly in terms of underground music in Glasgow, it’s always happening. There is a lot going on. I can only really talk about Glasgow because that’s where I live, but I think that’s mainly where the action is. People in Scotland go there to form bands, and they come from England as well. There’s music all the time, every night. Little bars, little clubs; everyone is on the go. There’s some exciting things coming up just now, I recently heard a young artist called C Duncan. He’s from Glasgow and he’s amazing!

WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DID YOU GREW UP |LISTENING TO?
As I kid I loved disco music. A\\ favourite was “Do the Hustle” by Van McCoy – it’s the first song I remember loving. I think I was five! As I got older I liked to play Patty Labelle, the Bee Gees, Andrea True Connection and Donna Summers. And I loved pop! The first record I actually owned was by the Police, who have been playing a lot again recently. The first concert I went to was The Smiths, which was memorable. While this was all going on, I was listening to all kinds of music. Classics by Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones meant a lot to me when I was a teenager – I was fascinated by underground and 60’s sounds.

WE’VE HEARD OF SWEDISH POP, EURO DANCE AND BRIT ROCK. IS THERE A TYPICAL SCOTTISH SOUND?
No. That’s the thing, there isn’t. It keeps bouncing back. The people who came up the same time as us like Mowgai, the Delgados and Arab Strap are nothing like us and we are nothing like them. There isn’t really a defining sound. There was a bit of a stylistic thing going on during the ’90s with BMX Bandits and the Soup Dragons. Now it’s pure pop and kind of loose. While there’s an attitude or spirit to what is produced in Scotland, stylistically it is very diverse. You get all kinds of avant-garde stuff, pure pop and dance. Folk music is very big at the moment.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOUR SHOW IN BANGKOK NEXT WEEK?
A fantastic night out, We play a real mixture of songs. Some of our early numbers might be old but they come alive when we play them live. The set changes every night, I’m not even sure what we will be playing! You can expect a good time. It will be fun!