5 july 2006 -

EXCLUSIVE Interview: Popup
Chuck Norton, deadjournalist.com

The heart of the Scottish music scene is in Glasgow - and one of the fastest rising bands in that scene is the indie-pop band Popup. For years, Scotland as produced some of the most critically acclaimed bands of their time - whether it was Arab Strap, Franz Ferdinand, Teenage Fanclub, Bell and Sebastian, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, Orange Juice or Primal Scream. With an infectious sound and intelligent lyrics, Popup may be next in the long, but underappreciated, lineage of Scottish rock music.

Popup formed in 2004 after hanging out at a Halloween party. The band is made up of singer/guitarist Damien Gilhooley, bassist Michael Cross and the brother and sister combo of guitarist Nicholas Giudici and drummer/vocalist Adrienne Giudici.

The band is building quite a buzz for their high-energy, live shows and their manic touring schedule. Sighting influences as diverse as Aztec Camera, Super Furry Animals and Frank Sinatra, Popup is most concerned about good music - enjoying it and creating it.

DeadJournalist.com recently had the opportunity to chat with Adrienne Giudici and Damien Gilhooley about the band, their live performances, and to ask just how sexy they looked in those Halloween costumes. For more information on the band, visit their Web site: www.popuptheband.com or visit their MySpace.com page.

For people in the States, who may be unfamiliar with Popup, what should they know about the band?

DG: They should know our songs. They should listen to them and consider whether or not they induce any significant emotion for them personally. That's ultimately the only thing worth knowing about any band.

AG: We basically enjoy writing and performing music. We were never expecting to get as far as we have. It just kind of took off unexpectedly.

Your first single, "Lucy, What You Trying To Say?" is coming out on Hijacked Records on July 6th. Is there excitement about this release within the band?

DG: We've been working really hard for a good while now. All the gigs, sessions and everything else all seem a little phony because we haven't hitherto had anything concrete to support. Our first single gives us something to be judged by. It's all part of growing up as a musician, and personally I'm very excited by it.

AG: We are hoping to get a reasonable amount of airplay which is really exciting, especially for people randomly hearing it whilst driving to work. We don't expect it to really get big - just that a bunch of people get to listen to our song on CD is enough for us.

Is the band working on a full-length album?

AG: We are always writing new stuff and hopefully with enough work we will have enough to keep us ticking over for the foreseeable future.

DG: Since we started writing songs with each other - however long ago that was - I suppose we've been working on an album. I think we're getting close to having one that we can let the world hear. We should be recording productively later in the year.

How valuable is playing in front of a live audience?

DG: It's the reason to be in a band. You make your music, you share it with people. The most intimate way of doing that is by getting about and playing as many shows as you can without killing yourself or the rest of your band in the process. We love to play live. We always enjoy it and I'm sure our audiences will come round eventually.

AG: Playing live really helps us to develop the skills we need to entertain a crowd. And its very enjoyable, especially now that people are starting to know the songs and are shouting back the lyrics!

What is the most important aspect of your live show?

DG: Enthusiasm. Music is the property of anyone with the enthusiasm for it. I think we have some really good songs but the studio is the place to tie-up the sound to the best of your ability. The stage is the place to show that you believe in your music. You might be sloppy as fuck but that shouldn't matter if you're really with each word, chord, beat and bump.

AG: As long as we play with lots of energy and good feeling, musical performance doesn't matter as much. So if we make mistakes it doesn't really matter as long as we put on a good show, and that the crowd likes it.

How does the music scene in Glasgow differ from other parts of the UK?

AG: Playing in Glasgow, people know us and appreciate us as they understand the accents! Sometimes, in different parts of the UK, I think people perhaps see us as a bit strange because our music is quite different to what you usually get. In saying that, sometimes it can be even more rewarding when playing to new faces and people really go for it.

DG: Whenever we've played elsewhere, we've never been there long enough to get any real sense of the "scene" as such. I've basically lived in Glasgow my whole life and so I don't know much about the other scenes, other than whatever big sensation might come out of them every few weeks.

Glasgow's great though. It has a great legacy from Orange Juice to Lloyd Cole and The Commotions to The Blue Nile to The Bluebells to The Delgados to Belle and Sebastian to Mogwai to Franz Ferdinand ro Sons and Daughters … I could go on forever but my favourite Glasgow band in years has to be My Latest Novel. They are off the fucking chart.

Has there been any talk of playing shows in the US?

DG: We're a bit too poor at the moment and we should probably make our album first, but we'll get there. I lived in Austin, Texas for a few months in 2005 and it was amazing. I'd love to do some shows out there.

AG: We would really love to as we have had some good reactions from people in the US - from MySpace particularly. There has been some talk of playing SXSW in Austin, which would be fantastic.

The night that Popup formed, you were at a Halloween party. So what were your costumes?

DG: I dressed up as Che Guevara because I'm a sexy communist. Adrienne was a sexy witch. Nick was a sexy, glam-rockish zombie. Michael put on a green t-shirt, drew a fake beard on his face with a brown crayon, and said he was Shaggy from Scooby-Doo ... but everyone knows he's sexy anyway!

The disguise we kept was that of a band, worn by four pals that loved music but had no particular right to have the balls to perform. We did. We do.

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