MUSICIANS from some of Scotland’s biggest bands, including Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, will be performing at a special Aye Write event this weekend.

On Saturday, May 27, Malcolm Ross and Campbell Owens will join Douglas MacIntyre on stage at the Glasgow literary festival to celebrate the latter’s book, Hungry Beat: The Scottish Independent Pop Underground Movement 1977-84.

The book has been described as the “definitive oral history” of record labels Postcard in Glasgow and Fast Product in Edinburgh.

Douglas, who has played with countless Scottish acts including The Bluebells, Love and Money, Lloyd Cole and The Bathers, explained: “After the book was published by White Rabbit last September, it created a lot of energy.

“There’s an audience of those who were there at the time, but also, of younger people, who are interested in that period when Fast Product and Postcard Records emerged, and became the prime Scottish indie labels.”

He added: “We’ve had a lot of interest, we’ve done live events and been invited to talk about the book - it’s been quite incredible. It’s sort of taken on a whole life of its own.”

Glasgow Times: The Hungry Beat bookThe Hungry Beat book (Image: White Rabbit)

The event is part of We Could Send Letters, a literature and music spin-off from Douglas’s successful Frets Concerts series at the Strathaven Hotel.

Frets has welcomed a string of well-known musicians and singers, plus a variety of emerging artists, since it launched in 2019.

“The name, We Could Send Letters, comes from the Aztec Camera song, which just seemed to work,” says Douglas. “It will encompass interviews with musicians who have written books, with some live performances, and the Aye Write event is our first ‘official’ outing.”

Glasgow Times: Roddy Frame, of Aztec CameraRoddy Frame, of Aztec Camera (Image: Newsquest)

Largely built on interviews for Grant McPhee's Big Gold Dream film with, among others, members of The Human League, Orange Juice, The Bluebells and more, Hungry Beat offers a comprehensive overview of the two labels that changed the landscape of British music.

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At the Aye Write event, which takes place in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Bob Last of Fast Product will also discuss the role artwork played in the label’s releases and musician Malcolm Ross will talk about the tenure of Josef K on Postcard Records.

Bob, Macolm and Douglas will be in conversation with Nicola Meighan, and there will be a live performance at the end featuring Douglas, Malcolm, Campbell Owens and some surprise guests.

The paperback version of Hungry Beat is out in August.