AHEAD of the next Yala Records’ tour date in Glasgow on 4th December, TTV get co-founder Felix White and Katie Lynch of st.martiins together to interview each other. In the first of a two part feature, Felix asks the big questions exploring the awes-trucking music coming out of Scotland and Glasgow’s special music venues.

1. We are awestruck by the amount of good music being made in Scotland at the moment. It seems to both never end and come from a really tangible chain of word of mouth (everyone’s in five bands, played with each other etc). Do you see yourselves as part of that?

I’d really hope we are part of that. I look up to so many bands in Scotland at the moment, not only just musically but the independence artists seem to have here. Everyone is doing their own thing but exactly as you said simultaneously doing a million things. Mark and I are a bit like that, since building our own studio we are able to work with loads of other people aswell as our own band. 

2. What was the first album you ever heard in full and how do you feel about it now?

Avril Lavigne’s album was given to me when I was 8 and I honestly loved it so much. Like she was so cool to me haha. One of the other albums I first remember listening to though was Radiohead’s ‘Pablo Honey’ as it was often on my parents stereo. There music filled me with this weird fullness and emptiness, and it still makes me feel like that now. 

3. I’m always interested in the way modern songwriters compose. Are you the type that is always trying to find a corner in a public space to whisper an idea into your phone or do you need a guitar with you?

My phone is an absolute mess with notes of lyrics and poems. My flat has a million notebooks with just one page written on. I’m such a messy writer. I’m quite lucky that I can write and retain song ideas in my mind so I just have to try my best to remember things until I get home to show mark or actually hear it out loud. I think about music and language really closely, so like even if I don’t have a melody immediately, the way I work words together is so rhythmic I know I can piece it with music Mark writes. Also loads of ideas are actually just so crap but I keep it all anyway. 

4. What’s the best record, show, film and book you’ve heard/seen/read/heard this year?

The best single I’ve heard so far this year is ‘rangerover’ by Porches, it is so short and I just kept listening to try understand what it was actually about. I also cannot stop listening to ‘handshakes’ by Do Nothing. One of the most exciting bands I’ve heard in so long. I saw a film called ‘a ghost story’ this year and it actually destroyed me. It encompassed parts of grief I’ve been through myself and there is only one song in the whole movie which was chosen so perfectly. I was given a book called ‘Paradise Rot’ by Jenny Hval by a friend this year which spoke to me on so many levels.

Check out ‘Rangerover’ below:

5. Have you been to Glasgow McChuills before?

I have! For the Willie J Healey Yala show. I was completely blown away by the music and the sound of the venue that night. I was so glad I came to that because it is where I was introduced to what Yala was all about. The band are so excited about performing there on December 4th. 

Catch st.martiins live at the Yala Records tour date on 4th December alongside Jacob Slater & Chinatown Slalom. Get tickets here. Stay tuned for Katie’s interview with Felix White coming soon.