5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Scottish singer on Glasgow roots and the return of 90s band
Everything comes around, agrees Grahame Skinner, probably best known as vocalist of internationally successful 80s funk-soul-pop band Hipsway, but also for an assortment of other Scottish musical outfits: The White Savages, The Jazzateers, The Skinner Group, The Cowboy Mouth.
In most, his partner-in-crime has been Douglas MacIntyre, musician, producer and founder of Frets Concerts at the Strathaven Hotel. The two men met at the latter's 21st birthday party and formed a short-lived band, White Savages, who were influenced by the New York sound of Television and early Talking Heads.
The bass player in White Savages was Douglas's friend Laughlin Allan, who had been in a band at school in Strathaven with drummer Dougie Hannah. Now, Douglas, Dougie and Laughlin join Grahame as the revamped, revitalised The Cowboy Mouth, who play Frets on Friday (June 6).
The Cowboy Mouth - Dougie Hannah, Douglas MacIntyre, Grahame Skinner and Laughlin Allan (Image: Les Hoggan Photography)
'The connections between us all go back years,' nods Grahame. 'Douglas and I had drifted apart, musically – I was in London, he was in Glasgow, but we remained friends. He started up Frets, and said, maybe we should do something…'
Around the same time, visionary Glaswegian record label Late Night From Glasgow, which has released assorted albums by Scottish bands of the 1980s and 1990s under its Past Night From Glasgow imprint, re-released The Cowboy Mouth's first album, Life as a Dog, on vinyl.
'We thought we might do a wee show, just to cap that off, so we did Frets and it was great,' says Grahame.
'We really loved playing together.'
He adds, wryly: 'Like most things I do it either happens pretty naturally, or not at all…..'
Grahame Skinner (Image: Newsquest)
The band has since performed at gigs in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and recently unveiled their excellent new album, Faultlines, at a Last Night From Glasgow showcase in Cottier's Theatre, to great acclaim.
The new record is a triumph, a mix of upbeat pop and melodic reflection, with Grahame's voice as rich and soulful as it ever was.
'Well, thanks,' he says. 'You make it for yourself, and you hope other people like it. And anybody I've spoken to who's heard it has liked it, so I can't really ask for more than that.'
Grahame grew up in Maryhill, a couple of streets away from where he now stays in Kelvinbridge.
His early musical influences are a diverse mix, he acknowledges.
'My mother got out of bed and put the radio on,' he says. 'Whether I wanted to or not, I was listening to music all the time.
'And my granny played the piano in pubs. There's always been music in my life.'
He 'fell into' bands, he says.
Grahame Skinner (Image: Newsquest)
'I used to hang about with pals who went to Strathclyde Uni and they were all in bands – I ended up being in a band with a guy I hardly knew, a friend of a friend," he says. "That's what you had to do in Glasgow back then, there were just so many bands.'
The 80s was a great time for music in Glasgow, he agrees.
Hipsway (Image: Newsquest)
'There were huge bands coming out of the city – Simple Minds, Altered Images, The Bluebells and, I'd like to think, Hipsway,' he says. 'It never felt competitive. We all knew each other, we were friends, and many of us still are.'
At the band's peak, Hipsway (original line up Grahame, Harry Travers, Pim Jones and Johnny McElhone) had a gold-selling album, performed on Top of The Pops, supported Eurythmics and Simple Minds, and headlined their own American tour.
They have reformed once before, releasing their first album in 30 years and selling out the Barrowland, but there are currently no plans to do so again, says Grahame.
'Never say never,' he acknowledges. 'I'm not Hipsway on my own. I'd only do it if Pim wanted to do it.'
Music in Glasgow is 'like a religion', says Grahame.
'People in the city go absolutely bonkers for music,' he marvels. 'People come to the city to play gigs and I mean, I've never heard of them, but they are selling out huge venues. People know their music in Glasgow, whatever kind of music it is.'
He grins. 'My uncle used to sing songs from Carmen. He was a signalman on the railway.
'Never underestimate a Glaswegian, they will always surprise you.'
There has been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing in his life and musical career, he acknowledges – from Glasgow to London and back again, in and out of bands. He takes a moment to consider whether the here and now is finally where he feels most settled.
'You never know what's round the corner, but I do love this line-up,' he says. 'It's such a laugh – the easiest record I've ever made."
Another album might be on the cards, adds Grahame.
'I've got lots of songs, certainly, and Douglas is a songwriting machine, so if we can find some space to record them, maybe…' he says.
'It would be good to do more. I genuinely love these guys."
The Cowboy Mouth play Frets on June 6, supported by labelmates Sister John and Chris Thomson (of The Bathers).
