INTERVIEW
ARAB STRAP
ALI WELFORD TALKS TO ARAB STRAP’S AIDAN MOFFAT ABOUT GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER, DISCOVERING A NEW FANBASE AND REAPING THE REWARDS FROM ARTISTIC GROWTH Getting the gang back together isn’t always a fool’s errand, yet few cases reap such handsome dividends as Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton’s resurrection of Arab Strap. Indeed, five years, dozens of rapturously received gigs and a superlative new album later, it’s easy to forget the Scots’ second coming actually began in Newcastle with a jam-packed warm-up show at The Cluny – surely one of the finest evenings the venue has ever hosted. “It was the first gig we’d played for a decade, and the main thing I remember is that none of us realised how small the stage was going to be!” Aidan recalls. “I don’t think we knew quite how much space we needed at that point. There were six of us, so it was quite a
38
struggle!” Besides that 2016 show, the city holds a bank of fond memories for the vocalist – from travelling down as a schoolboy for a Babes In Toyland show to frequently visiting the original Riverside during his teenage years. It’s a collection he’s every intention of adding to, beginning with September’s visit to the Boiler Shop. “It’s snuck up on us a wee bit to be honest, because none of us thought these gigs were likely to go ahead. It wasn’t until July that we realised: ‘Shit! This might actually happen. We’d better rehearse!’” For punters, the new tour offers a first opportunity to experience fresh classics from March’s As Days Get Dark in the flesh – from
