We chatted to Glasgow 4 piece CATHOLIC ACTION ahead of their appearance at RADIO 1'S BIG WEEKEND....
Catholic Action are a product of Glasgow’s famously fertile music scene but have won fans across the UK thanks to their peerless pop masterpieces. We heard that they were venturing down South to appear at the Radio 1 Big Weekend event in Exeter at the end of May so thought it would be nice to have a chat and find out a little bit about them before Devon accepts them into its loving arms......
You’re called Catholic Action and you're from Glasgow - Tell us a fascinating fact about you that not many people know….
There's a Facebook group where people purely post photos they've taken of Ryan called Ryanclarkspotting complete with a surprising number of rules to deem your 'spot' eligible. Don't ask......
He wasn't joking folks....
How did the name ‘Catholic Action’ come about?
Chris likes to describe a "Catholic Action" as a decision made which has been affected by Catholic guilt, and that works for me.
You’re playing the BBC Introducing stage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend on Sunday 29th May, how did you feel when you heard that were on the bill?
It's pretty exciting and very humbling to see how far we've gotten in such a short space of time. I think my little cousin in Australia was even more excited than me, she sent me a handwritten letter saying "I can't believe you're famous" and asking me to get her Coldplay's autograph.
How did it all come about?
We released our debut UK single, L.U.V, on Luv Luv Luv records back in March and somehow it ended up on the Radio 1 playlist. This is just the icing on the cake.
How have BBC Introducing helped you as an artist?
They've been great to us so far, especially Uncle Vic up here at Radio Scotland. He was one of the first people of note in Scotland to sit up and take notice of us. We did a live session for him recently which was the first time playing live on radio for 3/4 of the band, a quite thrilling experience.
Who are YOU most looking forward to seeing live at R1BW this year?
Tame Impala. We've all been big fans for a very long time and have seen them live together a number of times, a thoroughly talented man and band.
How do you approach the whole songwriting process?
We have two main processes from which songs can arise; either Chris will write a complete song with him and a guitar and we will work it up from there or one of us will have a wee riff or something that we like and we will jam it out in the rehersal studio. It's very helpful to have more than one method of working, if one route dries up the other is usually flush with ideas.
It’s a long drive from Glasgow to Exeter, how will you kill time when on the road?
Play ABBA Gold very loud.
It’s a jungle out there, so many bands and acts, what do you do in order to try and stand out from the rest?
Just try to write good music and hope that somebody out there likes it. If we appeal to one person out there we are happy because we just bloody love making music together.
What advice would you give to an artist or band who is thinking of getting in touch with BBC Introducing?
Why not?
We'd like to thank Jamie for taking the time to answer our questions, we wish him and the rest of the band all the very best for the future and look forward to catching up with them at the R1BW in Exeter. Please spend a few minutes exploring their social media channels, they're all below, just point and click....simples!
Social Media