The Hobbes Fanclub at Glasgow Popfest 2011

For better or worse, it was the need to evangelise about The Hobbes Fanclub which persuaded me back into jotting down thoughts on music.  I'd all but given up on it as posting blogs on myspace was proving too slow and untidy and time always seemed to be short.  "Outside Myself", however, changed that.  It always sounded like a song that could be chill-inducing to hear live and so it proved when they played it at the recent Glasgow Popfest.  Thankfully, the wonderfully named Rafa Skam was on hand to film it.  Of course a YouTube clip can't convey the true extent of the brilliance of the performance but I'm still glad someone was savvy enough to record it for posterity.

Doin' the splits

If ever a band deserved to take centre stage on a record all of its own it's the The Hobbes Fanclub.  It's bound to happen very soon but until it does I'll content myself with wearing out their split singles: a 3" cd-r pairing with Young Michelin (Cloudberry) and a (soon to be released) 7" with Leach Me Lemonade (Dufflecoat).  Although they don't physically occupy separate sides of a piece of vinyl, their contributions to both records feel like they were intended to; with propulsive guitars and instant melodies, "Outside Myself" and "The Boy From Outer Space" sound like natural A-sides while the more subdued "And Just Like That" and "Love From The Stars" would make neat flips.  In recent years there can't have been many more glorious first singles than "Outside Myself" (I mean, what a solo!) and if there's a song with a more thrilling change of gear than happens 1 min 29 seconds into "The Boy From Outer Space" this year  I'll have to book a few hours in a flotation tank to calm down.