Music – Jeff Hemmings: Teenage Fanclub

With such luminaries as Kurt Cobain calling the band the best in the world, and Noel Gallagher saying they were the second best (after Oasis, of course), Teenage Fanclub have developed a deep and loyal fanbase over the years, releasing a string of critically lauded and commercially successful albums, culminating in ‘Songs From Northern Britain’, which reached number three in 1997. Last year Dave Grohl, ex-Nirvana, asked the band to support his Foo Fighters at Old Trafford, eulogising about them on stage, too. Indeed, Teenage Fanclub’s 1991 album ‘Bandwagonesque’ was voted best album of the year by Spin magazine, beating Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ in the process.

Teenage Fanclub’s 1991 album Bandwagonesque was voted best album of the year by Spin magazine

Blake has been a resident in Canada for the last seven years, living with his Canadian-born wife, but he along with the other core members Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love continue their love affair with all things The Byrds and Big Star via new album ‘Here’, full of breezy numbers that ride along that west coast vibe with big guitars, strong melodies and gloriously melancholic harmonies. “I think it’s a reflection of us as people,” says Blake. “We are a fairly optimistic group of people. There’s always a bit of pessimism, but I hope that the music and lyrics are a reflection of us and our personalities.”

And it seems that despite a gap of six years between albums, the band are being warmly embraced once again. “It’s going really well. It may be the case of absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or maybe it’s people thinking, ‘you know, these guys are getting on a bit, they may not be around much longer’.”

Concorde 2. Thursday 24 November, SOLD OUT