Glasvegas should include a cover of With a Little Help from My Friends at every gig, because for this Scottish foursome it's more important to play with untalented people you like, than with a talented lot you don't get along with.
True story. When the Glasgow band lost their original drummer, lead singer and primary songwriter James Allan asked if his BFF Caroline McKay wanted to join even though the 35-year-old had never actually played in a band because, well, she didn't know how to play an instrument.
In fact, until she joined the band in Dec. 2005, her only experience with rock 'n' roll was the music she listened to at the vintage clothing store where she worked.
"It was all about friendship," McKay says while on tour outside Boston, where the band was reunited with Allan (who had gone AWOL for a week) before opening for Kings of Leon. "Look, there are 6 million better drummers than me, but there's only one me, and I was the coolest person they knew. Now, the chemistry between the four of us is so special it wouldn't work with anyone else."
You can hear the chemistry inside Glasvegas (a combination of Glasgow and Las Vegas) on their eponymous 2009 disc which was nominated for both the Mercury Prize and the New Musical Express Award for best album.
Fronted by Allan and his cousin Rab on guitar, Paul Donoghue on bass and McKay, the band's been garnering rapturous reviews in the U.K. and is just about to focus on the American market, moving to L.A. next month.
Like most of the big Scottish bands of the past 20 years, including Simple Minds and Big Country, Glasvegas combine soaring guitarlines with driving, primitive, almost tribal percussion that gets the adrenaline pumping.
"This is our sixth tour of the U.S. and the fans here are passionate about the album because the songs are so emotional. Allan writes a lot about loss and guilt. It really grips your heart."
McKay knew joining Glasvegas would be fun, what she didn't anticipate was how busy her life would become with the constant demands of touring, recording and performing.
Following the release of their single Daddy's Gone in 2007, all the major record labels were bidding for the band's debut album. They played this year's NME Awards, opening for Oasis, and their album was chosen fifth-best of the year by Q magazine.
When the tour ends later this month, the band will record a new album, and then it's touring the globe all over again.
"It's incredibly hard work being in this band but it's also incredibly fun," McKay says. "We haven't stopped working in more than a year. I haven't had a chance to think about anything else. But if it wasn't fun, none of us would do it."
