IT HAS been almost a quarter of a century since The Bathers released new music, but this record, Sirenesque, is worth the wait.

Fans of the Scottish band can hear the whole album performed end to end at Glasgow University Debates Chamber on Thursday (June 20).

It’s a decidedly “old school” approach to a gig, says Chris Thomson, who founded the band in 1985.

“A lot of musicians of my vintage are going back to the format we all know and love,” he says, smiling. “In reality, people probably don’t listen to an album all the way through any more – they’re dipping in and out, picking up the odd song on Spotify.

“But you spend a lot of time and care and attention into making it all sit nicely together as a piece of work, so it will be interesting to perform it end to end.”

(Image: Chris Hogge)

The band recently played their 1997 album, Kelvingrove Baby, end to end at Frets Concerts, the acoustic gig series in Strathaven.

“Frets is such a great set-up to do it, because audiences are there to listen,” says Chris. “You feel like they are willing you on.

“When we were first starting out, in the early days when there was so much competition, you always felt like half the audience wanted to see a complete disaster.

“There’s much more goodwill now.”

The Glasgow gig will be the first time The Bathers have performed some of the tracks live, adds Chris.

“In my mind, we’ll do the album in full for the first 45 minutes, then in the second half, relax and chat a bit and play some older tracks,” he says, adding with a laugh: “So, serious faces for the first half. There will be a lot of concentrating, we want to get all the details right."

(Image: Chris Hogge)

The reaction to Sirenesque, an exquisite collection of songs and lovely string arrangements (by Esté Visser, performed by the Scottish Session Orchestra, a Glasgow-based group that has worked on Craig Armstrong's new album and with Hans Zimmer on his Dune film soundtrack) has been one of joy and delight.

Reviewers and fans have been falling over themselves to praise it, and the phrase ‘record of the year’ has been liberally bandied about.

“It seems to have gone quite well,” says Chris, modestly. 

Sirenesque is a record full of emotion, with a clutch of stand-out songs including Garlands (the first single) and Lost Bravado, brimming with nostalgia, heartbreak and longing.

“There is a lot of emotion in the album, drawn from childhood memories, from a life lived,” agrees Chris.

“Hopefully, there will also be a freshness to the songs.”

Since the last album release in 1999, Chris got married and had children, who grew up - and then it was time to get back to the music.

“I’m a bit more methodical, I think, in my songwriting now,” he explains.

“When you’re younger, you’re maybe scared to go back to something, to refine it or hone it down, in case you lose it.

“But I think I’ve developed more confidence in doing that, a bit more rigour.”

In the 80s and early 90s, Glasgow still had a ‘gritty’ reputation, industrial and violent, perpetually grey.

Then, The Bathers came along, as part of an arts and culture movement helping Glasgow shake off its ‘no mean city’ image, and made it feel like the most romantic place in the world.

“To be a small part of that feels like a great thing,” says Chris. "Glasgow has been part of our story since I first moved into Finnieston in the late 80s, definitely."

That was a different Finnieston, pre-Hydro, “pre-trendy”, he laughs.

“That was an experience, a proper taste of old Glasgow,” he recalls. “There were no wee cafes or restaurants back then.

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“I remember when we first moved in we thought we’d pop out for a sandwich, and all we found was this guy, who served up what was an approximation of a Morton’s roll with a slab of some kind of meat in it….."

He grins. "It was good though. It felt more like Glasgow in the 50s than Glasgow of today.”

Now The Bathers are officially “back”, with gigs in Edinburgh and London to follow, plans to tour to Germany early next year and more Scottish gigs soon, there is even more good news for fans.

“It won’t be as long until the next album,” says Chris, firmly. “I built up quite a cache of material that didn’t make it on to this record, so hopefully, there might be an EP or an album soon.”

He adds: “Maybe even later this year. I want to keep things moving forward.”

The Bathers play Glasgow University Debates Chamber on June 20. Tickets from Last Night From Glasgow.