Sometimes when you’re speaking to the next-best-thing in music you encounter a band so pretentious in their responses that you develop an instant dislike and overwhelming feeling of disdain for them and their future success.
Thankfully, there’s no danger of that happening when Clash finally catches up with Glasgow’s 1990s on a dodgy phone line somewhere in middle England.
From the beginning lead singer John McKeown (just call him Jackie) immediately puts Clash at ease with no subject off limits, so long as you don’t ask him the usual “shit” generic questions.
Especially the one about whether or not he thinks he’s part of a Glasgow mafia or art house scene. “It’s just a load of shit man, I don’t want to answer that question,” he quips. “I’ll happily talk about anything just don’t seriously ask me about whether we’re part of a scene. What does that mean? Honestly, I’m sick of that question.”
“It’s just party music, a lot of it came from being at parties and trying out things that we thought would be fun”
With that warning committed to memory the minutes that follow hears Jackie and his cohorts, the heckling Michael McGaughrin and Jamie McMorrow, lay serious substance to their claim that they just want to have fun; with their music, their shows and their lives.
The thing is the Glasgow trio are pretty long in the tooth having hung around this music malarkey for several years in various guises, including acclaimed Glaswegian art rockers the Yummy Fur and its 50% Franz Ferdinand content.
Bitter or invigorated from those experiences Jackie conveys a real sense they just want to write songs for themselves, and if the rest of us like it then good for us.
“It’s just party music, a lot of it came from being at parties and trying out things that we thought would be fun,” Jackie states. “I just finished reading that some guy from The Killers said he felt under pressure from the record label to produce a big hit to match some song from their first album. What a fucking dafty! That’s total rubbish you can’t make records for other people. It’s got to be for yourselves I don’t see how else you can do it.”
Having signed to Rough Trade it seems the 1990s have found their perfect fit, with the label’s laidback approach to their artists winning Jackie’s praise. “There were other labels interested but Rough Trade has always been my favourite label,” enthuses Jackie.
With Bernard Butler at the helm the band recently completed their as yet untitled album including their infectious debut single ‘You’re Supposed To Be My Friend’, with the former Suede man focusing the band’s carefree attitude.
With the serious stuff out of the way Jackie is true to his word and waxes lyrical about anything and everything. From his alt country band Country Teasers with The Long Blondes Kate Jackson to travel advice for East Berlin and a debate over the 1990s’ favourite Pipette.
“It’s just a case of ticking boxes man,” Jackie states. “There’s not that novelty factor for us because we’ve been here before in other bands. This is just about enjoying ourselves and if we can go places we’ve never been that would be great.”
