Trashcan Sinatras - Summer Sundae

United Kingdom | by Susan Le May | 12 August 2005

Speaking after a delightful but largely unreported set at Leicester's Summer Sundae Weekender, Trashcan Sinatras' lead singer Francis Reader talks about ambition, disappointment and the band's 15-year struggle for recognition.

Before Teenage Fanclub and Belle & Sebastian shaped a tangible identity for sincere Scottish indie pop, a little known quintet was sculpting glorious guitar-driven melodies punctuated by intelligent lyrical sentiment. Ayrshire's Trashcan Sinatras emerged from a post-Smiths musical Britain in the late 80s to produce three resplendent albums. In 2004, after a tumultuous eight years, they released their fourth and finest record so far, yet remain the overlooked pioneers of infectious, eloquent West Coast pop.

Trashcan Sinatras are not long off stage, heading over to the signing tent on their manager's orders. "Nobody's gonna want us to sign anything," jokes lead guitarist Paul Livingston with more than a hint of realism. Nevertheless he and bass player Davy Hughes trudge off obligingly, leaving frontman Francis Reader to spokesman duties. Despite nerves during the headline set on the Musician's Acoustic Stage, Reader has enjoyed himself, playing to an unusually packed tent - a testament in his mind to the strength of the band's last album. 'Weightlifting', released at the end of summer '04, is the band's fourth album - the record that should never have been.

The five-piece were signed to Go! Discs and in 1990 they released their debut album 'Cake', a work of explosive pop gems bursting with youthful swagger and beautiful lyrical prose. Three years later the band produced a further collection of captivating imagery-rich tunes with 'I've Seen Everything'. 1996 saw the release of 'A Happy Pocket', another potentially hit-packed masterpiece that was grossly ignored at a time when the music buying British public was more concerned with iconic grunge-rock suicides and the farcical PR pantomime of Britpop.

The label eventually went bust, forcing the Trashcans into bankruptcy at a time when they could/should have been the pied pipers of the UK folk-pop renaissance. They were forced to sell their Kilmarnock Shabby Road studios and even lost the rights to their own songs. Their devoted fan base stuck by them, keeping in touch via their website at a time when such a necessary tool was far less commonplace than today. They picked themselves up from the gutter, scrimped, saved and signed-on. A collection of demos, b-sides, rarities and covers was compiled, odd jobs were taken and a Scottish Arts Council grant was secured. 'Weightlifting' was finally possible.

This is an incredibly beautiful and majestic album that trips effortlessly through the spectrum of human emotions, gliding through optimism, despair, hope and tragedy. It's the sound of a band letting go of years of baggage: "It's a miracle we try anything at all, you pour your heart out, knowing full well it could fail, but how could we know back then?" Reader sings on 'It's A Miracle', a three-minute catchy as hell piece of perfect pop. This is a special album that's perhaps all the more lovely for its obscurity. But, like a fine string of pearls, its sparkle could fade if tucked away in a box.

"I'm not overjoyed with its reception", says Reader of 'Weightlifting'. "I'm a bit pissed off... because I'm proud of the record and I'm unhappy that it hasn't been played on the radio and it's hard for us to get into festival lineups and things like that. People are quite resistant to us and I just find it really frustrating. Most people when they see us really like us and are surprised that they've never heard us before, and people really like our records when they hear them, that's why it's frustrating."

The day after Summer Sundae, TCS played the Tartan Heart Festival in Inverness before a couple of low-key shows for the T on the Fringe festival in Edinburgh at the end of August. For the most part, however, they've gone unnoticed through the UK summer festival season, despite some glowing reviews for their latest piece of work. But the Trashcans have never been overly concerned with seducing the music press. The reason for the critics' apparently endemic lack of interest in the band isn't totally clear, but things have never really gone the group's way.

"I think our timing is better now than it has ever been but it still doesn't get us played on the radio", muses Reader. "There's been a greater reception for us now because there's more of a climate for melody and singers with high voices! I'm not disappointed by the reaction of the people who have heard the record, I'm disappointed that we can't get it played anywhere, because the people that like it seem to love it. We have a loyal fan base, which is really great. I've met an awful lot of people in the past year who are really happy that we've stuck around."