Career
Arab Strap
In 1995, Middleton and Aidan Moffat, after bonding over their love of musical artists such as Smog and Will Oldham, began making music under the name "Arab Strap". The band released six studio albums before splitting up in 2006.
After they briefly reunited for a show at Nice n Sleazy in Glasgow in 2011, Middleton has said that he would be open to another Arab Strap gig at some point, but ruled out another record. The band did indeed reunite for a string of dates in 2016, marking their 20th anniversary, continuing the tour into 2017. In 2021 the band released their first new album in over 15 years, As Days Get Dark, also marking their return to performing live.
Solo career
Middleton released his first solo album 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine in 2002, followed by Into the Woods in 2005.
After Arab Strap split in 2006, the album A Brighter Beat was released in 2007. The first song on the album "We're All Going To Die" was released as a single on 17 December [4] and started off with odds of 1,000–1 against becoming the Christmas number one – reportedly the highest odds ever quoted. After support from social networking websites and from BBC Radio 1 DJ Colin Murray, the odds dropped to 9–1, and Middleton was 4th favourite for Christmas Number One behind Leona Lewis, Katie Melua ft Eva Cassidy and The X Factor winner Leon Jackson. Murray started supporting the song as a response to repeated Christmas chart domination by manufactured pop acts churned out by the likes of The X Factor. Middleton has said that, despite the song's negative-sounding title, he feels the song perfectly sums up the spirit of Christmas – the need to make the most of life while we have it. [5] On the UK singles chart dated 23 December 2007 the song reached number 31, with the Christmas Number One being a cover of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's When You Believe performed by Leon Jackson. The publicity around the single gave Middleton significant mainstream exposure for the first time in his career.
Middleton's next solo album Sleight of Heart was released in 2008.
Middleton's fifth solo album, entitled Waxing Gibbous , was released on 8 June 2009. The single "Red Travellin' Socks", released on 18 May 2009, preceded the album's release.
Whilst promoting Waxing Gibbous, Middleton noted that he would be refraining from performing and recording under his own name in the future, stating "I'm starting to feel like I've done as much as I can with this creative voice." [6] This was followed by the first album released under the Human Don't Be Angry moniker.
Despite previously saying that he would no longer perform or record under his own name, in 2013 Middleton embarked on a new solo tour in support of a vinyl reissue of 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine by Chemikal Underground. In 2014 he released Music and Words, a collaboration with the artist David Shrigley. [7]
In April 2015, Middleton announced new Human Don't Be Angry material, the album Electric Blue, which was released in June 2015. [8] [9]
Middleton released a new album under his own name, Summer of '13 , in May 2016, followed by Bananas in 2018. In 2020, Middleton released the latest Human Don't Be Angry album, Guitar Variations.
Belle & Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle & Sebastian" comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1966 children's book by French writer Cécile Aubry adapted from a television series of the same name. Though consistently lauded by critics, Belle & Sebastian's "wistful pop" has enjoyed only limited commercial success.
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland, by rock band The Delgados. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties.
Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Records in 2020.
Nude Records is an independent record label, established in August 1991 in London. The label was set up and operated by Saul Galpern, who had previously worked with artists such as Simply Red, The Fall, Julian Cope, The Triffids, The Slits and Au Pairs.
Ballboy is a four-piece indie band from Edinburgh, Scotland. Formed in the late 1990s, the band released five albums between 2001 and 2008.
Paul Savage is a Scottish musician and record producer, best known for being the drummer in the Scottish indie rock group The Delgados.
The Week Never Starts Round Here is the debut studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap. It was released on 25 November 1996 on Chemikal Underground. The album was reissued in 2010, with a bonus CD which includes the band's first session for John Peel, from March 1997 with guest appearances from Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch and Chris Geddes, and their first ever live gig, at King Tut's in Glasgow in October 1996, as recorded live for Peel's show.
Barry Burns is a Scottish musician best known for his work with post-rock band Mogwai.
The Last Romance is the sixth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap, released on 17 October 2005 on Chemikal Underground.
Monday at the Hug & Pint is the fifth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap. It was released in Europe on 21 April 2003 by Chemikal Underground and in the United States a day later by Matador Records. The album features appearances from Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and Barry Burns of Mogwai, among others.
The Red Thread is the fourth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap, released on 26 February 2001 by Chemikal Underground.
Aidan John Moffat is a Scottish vocalist and musician, and member of the band Arab Strap.
5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine is the debut solo album by Scottish singer-songwriter Malcolm Middleton, released on 26 September 2002 on Chemikal Underground.
A Brighter Beat is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter, Malcolm Middleton, released on 25 February 2007 on Full Time Hobby. The album is the first Middleton solo release since Arab Strap's split in 2006.
"Break My Heart" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Malcolm Middleton, from his second album, Into The Woods. It was his third single overall, and his second single from an album, released on 18 September 2005 on Chemikal Underground.
"Fight like the Night" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Malcolm Middleton, from his third album, A Brighter Beat. It features guest vocals by Glaswegian musician Jenny Reeve. It was his sixth single overall, and his third single from A Brighter Beat, released in the UK on 8 July 2007 on Full Time Hobby.
"The First Big Weekend" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap. It was first released as a 7" single limited to 700 copies, then later on Arab Strap's debut album, The Week Never Starts Round Here, both released in 1996 on Chemikal Underground.
"There Is No Ending" is a song by Scottish post-folk indie band Arab Strap. It was first released on Arab Strap's 2006 album, The Last Romance, and later as a 7" single limited to 1000 copies, both released in 2006 on Chemikal Underground.
"We're All Going to Die" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Malcolm Middleton, and the fourth single released from A Brighter Beat. The song was released on 10 December 2007. A limited-edition seven-inch record was also released at a later date.
Waxing Gibbous is the fifth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Malcolm Middleton, released on 1 June 2009 on Full Time Hobby. Middleton has stated that following the release of this album, and its subsequent tour, he will put his career as a solo artist on hold: "I want to try something new and then come back to this later on."
