Backstage

Glasvegas

February 2009 | Alternative

Glasvegas are one of the hottest indie bands in the UK today. Their 2008 debut album was a highlight for music fans and topped many critics' end of year polls. The band features James Allan on vocals/guitar, Rab Allan on guitar, Paul Donoghue on bass and Caroline McKay on drums.

Having recently returned from a tour of the US -where they have been wowing audiences with their well-crafted retro pop hooks, touches of lyrical melancholy and '50s outlaw aesthetic- they are currently headlining the NME Awards Tour with newcomers White Lies.

We fired off a few questions to lead guitarist Rab Allan and waited for his responses...

The interview

Hi Rab, how are you today?

I'm very well. I'm in a hotel in Sheffield, watching the snow outside.

Ah, no doubt thinking of your Christmas song, "A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss)". But I'm interested to hear about your latest single, "Flowers and Football Tops..."

It was one of the first songs James brought to us. It's really powerful. James had been reading the newspaper and there were stories about teenagers that had been murdered - James put himself in the position of the mum and wondered what it would be like if that happened to his mum.

Alan McGee, Creation Records founder and discoverer of Oasis, was one of your early champions - how did it feel to have the support of such a legendary industry figure?

When I first realised I wanted to be in a band it was when I saw Oasis on "Top of the Pops". So for Alan to like us so much gave us a lot of confidence. We're just really good mates now. He was at the two Carling Academy gigs in Glasgow. He told us the secret to Creation's success... "The Formula". It's a secret though.

Your debut album was widely regarded to be one of the best albums of 2008 - did you imagine it would be such a success?

I've always believed in James' songwriting and thought it was special. When I heard It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry, I knew we were going to go somewhere. It was unquestionable. I guess you never know how big something can get. It just kept growing and growing.

What were the highlights in 2008 for you personally?

My highlights... there were so many great things last year: being on the cover of the NME, T in the Park, recording the album, appearing on Jools Holland and playing with Oasis. It would be a very long list.

You're headlining the NME Awards Tour with White Lies - you've toured with them before. Do you have any advice for them?

I don't really like the thought of giving [other] bands advice. People should make their own mistakes and I'm probably not the best person to give them advice anyway. We did tell them to ditch their tour manager Giggsy and get wasted... that's a daily thing though!

What are you plans for 2009? A new album?

We are going to be touring the rest of the year - America and Europe mainly. I think Australia and all the festivals during the summer too. We'll probably start the demos for the second album around October time and hopefully start recording January 2010.

Thanks for speaking to we7 today!