60 second interview: Malcolm Middleton

Avril Cadden

What's your Burst Noel Christmas party about?

It's the first one and if it goes well, I'd like to make it a yearly thing. I was just bored doing gigs in the usual places so it's going to be in a club like something out of Phoenix Nights.

It's at Fairfield Working Men's Club in Govan, Glasgow, on Friday.

It's going to have cheap drink, lots of glitter balls, Christmas decorations and a few bands. It'll be like a Christmas office party for people who like music.

Because I don't have a proper job, I've never had an office Christmas party, so I thought I'd just organise one for myself.

What did you think of all the attention your Christmas single got last year?

It was a joke that got out of hand but it's not really changed my life or damaged me. There is a video for the single We're All Going To Die. Maybe VH1 Christmas Classics will wheel it out along with stuff like Wham!'s Last Christmas and Band Aid but I doubt it somehow.

Will you release another one this year?

No. It was a laugh but I think I'll leave it. Who knows, maybe with iTunes people will buy it again and it will go top 10.

How will you spend Christmas?

Just the usual family stuff. I still have family in Falkirk, so I'll go there on Christmas Day and I'll also do stuff with my girlfriend.

Do you play any Hogmanay shows?

I try not to because it's my birthday that day.

It's a rubbish day to have a birthday.

So what else have you been up to?

I've been busy writing new stuff. It should finished by the end of next month to be released in March or April.

The name of the album changes every day - one day it was called "the day is s*** and there's nothing round the corner and I've nothing good to say about any of it" but I think that was more to do with how I was feeling at the time. The working title for today is "Why?" I'm just having fun with it.

Do you get writer's block?

I've never really had it so I'm not sure if I have it now or if I just don't like everything that I'm writing. If I get over that, I'll let you know. I'm too critical. I'll probably write a song about writer's block then I'll be fine.

What about gigs?

I'm doing a few, including one in London called Nine Lessons And Carols For Godless People with Richard Dawkins and people like that. I think it's like a humanist Christmas party. I'm going to sing with a 22-piece orchestra.

What got you into music?

I used to stay up all night when I was 14 watching heavy metal programmes.

It was quite exciting when STV went 24-hour. They had one show I'd watch at 3am - I'd be bleary-eyed staying up just to see some Guns'n'Roses stuff.

I wanted to be a heavy metal guitar player.

I didn't really plan on being in a lo-fi indie band for 10 years.

Will you do an Arab Stap reunion with singer Aiden Moffat?

I don't think there's that much demand for it.

He's DJing at the Christmas party and has another solo album coming out next year. I liked his last one. When you put it on it's like having a friend in the room.