“Life’s too short to be self conscious about your art, who cares what anyone thinks!”

Former Champ is Glasgow’s freshest supergroup featuring Irish vocalist Claire McKay (Martha Ffion), alongside members of Savage Mansion, Catholic Action and Secret Motorbikes. The five-piece band formed in the summer of 2021 after years of talking about doing it. Inspired by both their shared experiences of their home city and their Irish heritage, there are also nods to Thin Lizzy, Teenage Fanclub and The Cranberries in their all killer, no filler power pop.

We spoke to Craig Angus about their most recent release, their debut EP, and the future of Former Champ.

You recently released the single ’Stella' as part of your debut EP 'Vol.1'. Can you tell us a bit about the track and how it came to be a single? And how would you describe the EP as a whole to a new listener?

Stella is a collaborative effort that was written mostly by me and Claire. I had written this melancholy drinking song and she came in, changed a couple of chords and we rewrote the words together. That’s quite typical of the songwriting process in FC. Usually someone has the original idea and then if it strikes a chord we move forward with it as a band. Everyone is encouraged to suggest things. Nothing is ever just one person’s song.

What is your creative process when creating music? Do you have a specific technique for writing/composing or is it freestyle?

I’ve no specific technique, historically. I’ve recently been thinking about creative flow though, inspired by a Blindboy podcast, and I think my ideal writing state is to lay down a lot of ideas without thinking too much about it, devote a good chunk of time to listening back and reflecting, and then another big chunk of time on finessing and editing. Separating all those processes and thinking about the separation has been eye opening. I think all my best songs are ahead of me.

What was your favourite show you played/went to last year?

Our favourite show we played last year was Left of the Dial in Rotterdam. It was our first time out of Scotland with this band, we did a couple of shows at it, and it felt like the perfect inner city multi venue festival to me. Really well curated, we got treated well (as is the case in Europe, god bless them), and Rotterdam is a really cool city I didn’t know much about beforehand but loved hanging out in. Reminded me a bit of Glasgow, although it might have been the fact it rained constantly. We got to catch up with our old mate Romeo Taylor who is playing drums in The Tubs - great band - which is always eventful. There was a backstage bar that we christened “the shebeen” because you could smoke in it and the pints were free, so it felt too good to be legal. Let me tell you the journey home on the Sunday was rough.

Tell us your three desert island albums.

Picking three is so brutal, my god. But three essential records that have informed Former Champ as a band are 'Is This It' by The Strokes, 'Let It Be' by The Replacements and 'Alvvays' by Alvvays.

If you could collaborate with anyone on future music, who would it be?

I’d love to make a Former Champ record with John Parish. I talk about that a lot. I think the records he produces and engineers sounds amazing. And really put an emphasis on great arrangements that value space as much as playing. Which is something we try and think about.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are looking to establish themselves in the Scottish music industry?

Write every day, even if it’s just notes on your phone. And don’t be self conscious - life’s too short to be self conscious about your art, who cares what anyone thinks! I wish I’d had that realisation ten years ago.

Lastly, what can we expect to see from Former Champ in 2024?

We are releasing more music - two of the best songs I’ve ever been involved in recording are out before the summer, and then gigging more and writing an album. Come see us.

The band kickstart their year at The Rum Shack on Friday 22 March, for all things Former Champ, and tickets to the gig, click here.