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No Sad Homecoming
IN the spirit of the Homecoming celebrations The Twilight Sad will be appearing at the SECC's showcase event fresh from a tour of the USA and Europe.
We caught up with vocalist and writer James Graham at home in Banton after a gruelling three-month stint on the road.
"It was a really enjoyable tour, and the sixth time we've gone to the United States.
"When we were in New York we played the Bowery Ballroom – one of the most famous venues in the world – and sold it out."
The US was early to applaud the Sads – following their discovery by FatCat Records, whose New York offices helped the lads gain a foothold, the outstanding critical response to their debut album Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters which really caused the Sads to get noticed.
Word soon spread and the Sads' popularity is growing rapidly at home and on the continent.
When not headlining gigs themselves, they have supported the likes of Mogwai, The Smashing Pumpkins, Snow Patrol and Idlewild.
What's more, they recently learned that they have also been selected for NME's Top 100 albums of the decade.
"Not bad for some stupid wee gadgies from Kilsyth Academy," was the tounge-in cheek way James put it.
Their addition to the Homecoming Scotland lineup was a recent development, and will see them join the Dykeenies at the SECC.
Also playing will be Cumbernauld's Jon Fratelli with the Codeine Velvet Club, the new band he is playing with while the Fratellis are on hiatus. Jon was unavailable for interview at time of press.
"We're doing a 20-minute set," said James.
"It's a bit difficult to choose a short setlist when most of your songs are about ten minutes long, but we'll mix newer stuff with bits from our first album."
Life on the road has had its share of adventures, some of them printable, such as the time they were robbed in Italy.
They were on the outskirts of Rome when they were pulled over by a man in a police uniform with a marked car.
Talk of counterfeit money convinced the lads to hand over their wallets, at which point the thief made off with around 2,000 worth of cash.
"He had a complete uniform including a marked car and a gun," said James. "We'd already been pulled over a few times due to our British plates, so we just went along with what he was saying until he drove off, chucking our passports and van keys away.
"We called the police to report the theft but they hung up on us. I guess we'll never see that money again."
Now safely home, James said he was looking forward to a few days listening to music,watching movies and catching up with friends in the Swan Inn, as well as writing a few tunes for the band.
But this quiet spell won't last long - in January the Sads will release the single of The Room, with accompanying video made in New York – James described it as "our first fancy video."
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Weather for Cumbernauld
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 0 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
