A few minutes with French Wives

Here's my recent interview with Stuart Dougan from Glasgow indie band, French Wives...

How did French Wives come about?
Scott and I were in a band that split up after one day, so the two of us decided to start a new band. Chris, Jonny and Siobhan were recruited over a number of months via friends of friends.

Where did you get your band name?
A friend was going to name their band French Wives, but opted out of it, and we needed a name for out first gig at short notice so we used it and it stuck. It's also the name of an erotic movie. Fact.

Where do you rehearse?
A- Side Studios ... not nearly frequently enough.

What was your best gig so far? why?
I'd say our single launch as everyone sang all our songs or possibly our Loopallu Festival appearance as there was about 1,000 people there.

And the worst gig? why?
Underground in Dundee as we drove from Glasgow only to find out the gig had been canceled.

When you guys hang out what music do you listen to?
It really depends on whos iPod we have and who's car we are in. Chris only listens to "Bitte Orca" by Dirty Projectors and I only listen to "Yeah So" by Slow Club.

Where did you get the title for your song "Give Him America"?
It's a lyric in the song. It's about lots of things, none of which are Barack Obama.

You recently had a signing for your double A-side single "Halloween/Dogfight" at Avalanche Records in Glasgow. I heard the singles sold out, but more will be released? When will they be available? And where can people find them?
Yeah, the first batch that we got through all sold out within a couple of days. It's back in stock now in Avalanche in Glasgow and should be available in other independent record shops throughout Scotland by the end of the week. It can also be downloaded from iTunes etc.

Do you have any weird phobias and/or band superstitions?
Nah, not really. If anyone makes any mistakes during a gig they get cut up by Scott's imaginary knife. That's not even a joke.

What's your band's fashion sense/style? Any favourite clothing shops?
We were once described as 'style over substance' so I'll say that (we're not by the way). My friend Greg has a clothes shop called We Love To Boogie which is dead good.

Describe your fanbase in 3 words:
Sparse but nice.

What's better - downloading, still buying CDs, or collecting vinyl?
CD shopping is dead good, but for convenience and cost effectiveness I'd say downloading.

Best band you've seen live?
Arcade Fire, Sigur Ros or The Boss probably.

Is there anything (previously unknown) about your band that you'd like to share with the world?
Chris Barclay's middle name is Akabusi.

What are your plans for 2010?
Not too sure yet. Planning on going down south in March, I believe. Then hopefully lots of gigs and meeting nice people. Looking forward to everyone finishing Uni so we can spend more time on this music lark.

Thanks Stuart! x

French Wives' myspace
We Love to Boogie vintage clothing