Indietracks interview #12: The Starlets

Based in Glasgow, belonging nowhere, The Starlets are a melancholy pop group with ambitions to be cheerful. A wide range of influences, from the Velvet Underground via the Go-Betweens and Prefab Sprout to Judy Garland, have all inspired the band. Their debut album ‘Surely Tomorrow You’ll Feel Blue’ was released in 2002 on SL Records, inspired in part by alternative guitar pop and old string-laden movie soundtracks. It won ‘Jockrock album of the year’ and was included in the top 100 albums by Scottish artists of ‘Is this Music’.The release of the band's second album 'Further Into Night Forever' (2003) was equally well-received and featured guest appearances from various Scottish friends including Isobel Campbell. It brought the band to the attention of the Japanese label Muzak, which helped promote The Starlets' first live performances in Tokyo. A new album is now nearing completion, recorded with producer Duncan Cameron (Teenage Fanclub, BMX Bandits). We caught up with Craig from the band for a few quick questions...

Hi Craig, tell us a little bit about The Starlets...

We're Glasgow's greatest underachievers.

Tell us about an unusual place you've played a gig in the past

We once played in Coventry supporting a band called, wait for it, Gash. The posters read - " Tonight Only! GASH + the Starlets" . The audience consisted of a gang of leather clad bikers (and that was just the womenfolk). The promoter later told us we weren't "his kind of thing". Can't win them all.

Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year?

In November we're going to tour Japan. By then we hope to have learned some Japanese. Currently all we can say is "Shunsuke Nakamura".

Do any band members have any particular skills, hobbies or claims to fame you wish to share?

The drummer is a human cannonball

So what attracted you to play the Indietracks festival?

I like Indie pop; I like trains. What's not to like?

And finally, who are you most looking forward to seeing at the festival, and why?

A friendly bartender, by the time we arrive from Glasgow we shall be very thirsty.

Well if the frankly indecent range of drinks last year is anything to go by, that shouldn't be a problem! As always, we'll leave you with a free MP3 from the band.

Free MP3 download: The Starlets - All To Make You Feel Brand New

Next up: From writing children's TV themes to playing dubious clubs in Rochester - it's KateGoes!