Former I Am Kloot frontman John Bramwell has said being in Glasgow is a ‘thrill’ as he opened up about looking a wee bit like Billy Connolly these days.
“I’m starting to look like Billy Connolly, to be honest. I’ve got the hair down to my shoulders and I’ve got the belly. Billy is terrific, we’re big fans of him in Manchester and all over the world.
“Bless him, man.”
The Manc, who fronted the Mercury Prize-nominated band until they split in 2016, spoke to the Glasgow Times about his memories and love for the city ahead of his show in the East End next month.
“It is a thrill to come to Glasgow, I feel very at home in the city.
“Playing with I Am Kloot, we had a ball in Glasgow. I remember we played Oran Mor and were still in the city two days later.
“We’ve had many great gigs there, including The O2 ABC. When I played with, I Am Kloot, I remember we would often ask management can we have the day after the gig off for a rest day.”
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John’s love affair with the city began after I Am Kloot (who were thrown into the spotlight after the release of their debut album Natural History in 2001) supported Teenage Fanclub at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in the early 2000s.
The 59-year-old said: “The first gig we ever did in Glasgow was when we supported Teenage Fanclub in King Tut’s.
“After that, we did a festival in Barcelona and it was us, Belle and Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub again – so we had a great start with Glasgow.
“There is no better start really than with Teenage Fanclub is there?”
John also recalled a phone conversation he had with Aztec Camera's (Somewhere In My Heart hitmakers) Roddy Frame after he called the 80s star to ask if he could borrow the lyrics ‘they bought the bullets and there's no one left to shoot’ from the Aztec tune, Oblivious.
John and the Full Harmonic Trio are set to return to the city on March 28 as he takes to the Saint Luke's stage.
Between stories and some I Am Kloot gems, what else can attendees expect from the upcoming show?
John said: “We do about nearly two hours for the shows, and I play some Kloot songs, but most of it is of course the new stuff.
“I think these shows I am doing are more of a listening gig, and I tell a lot of stories, it is more like ‘an evening with’.
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John will be releasing his sophomore album The Light Fantastic on February 23, ahead of the show and UK tour.
Speaking on the release, he said: “I’m getting nervous.
“The last time I wrote and released an album myself was about eight years ago now and I recorded at home and sold it at gigs, I didn’t really make it an actual release.
“So, I haven’t really done anything official since I Am Kloot. I am starting to feel like I am going back out into the world again.
“We’ve gigged the album a bit in London and Manchester to quite big rooms and the songs have so far gone down a storm, so I am quite happy with that.
“After this one comes out and the tour, we are straight back into making a new record – which I have already written.
“We will be releasing that follow-up in 2025 and will be doing some festivals this year and next too.”
Tickets for the upcoming Glasgow show can be purchased HERE
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