The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert
Gardyne Theatre, September 19
Acclaimed songsmiths Aidan Moffat and RM Hubbert’s first Dundee gig will also be their last.
The pair joined forces last year for award-listed album Here Lies The Body before also releasing separate Christmas and live LPs.
However, new horizons beckon and frontman Aidan says their four Scottish gigs next week will close the door on a fruitful collaboration.
“This is the end, this is absolutely it,” he insists.
“Our last show’s in Glasgow then we’re both moving on to other things. We only really planned to do it for about a year anyway and that’s kind of all you can expect these days, so it was the right time.
“It just feels we’ve exhausted all our possibilities. Making a Christmas album in the baking sun in the middle of the summer with the shorts on was great fun.
“We maybe would’ve made a second album had we not made that, but certainly we’re very happy with what we’ve done in the space of a year.”
Reflecting on Here Lies The Body, Falkirk-born Aidan, 46, credits the project with helping him adopt a new creative mindset.
“Normally when I write lyrics for an album they’re from personal experience, but this was more about writing a story,” he explains.
“Obviously it’s emotionally truthful but I took a lot from other sources.
“I read about a woman whose mother had left the family and how it affected not only her but the way people treated her mother.
“That’s kind of what inspired the whole thing. There’s a story running through the album.
“As I get older I’m more interested in telling stories than I am exposing my life. There’s no point writing a song about the school run in the morning, it’s not very exciting.”
The tour is named after the duo’s new single Cut To Black, a song they consciously wrote as a farewell.
“It’s the Sopranos ending, the cut to black,” adds the Arab Strap founder. “It’s got a wee list of romantic moments from films with people saying goodbye. It’s a wee pub quiz too – you can try and spot the references.”
Fans can look forward to hearing two other new songs in Dundee, B-side Song On Song plus the LP out-take Devils Of Dusk. At least a couple of tracks off Ghost Stories For Christmas will also feature, despite it only being midSeptember.
The duo played in store for Assai Records in April but Aidan says he is looking forward to their Dundee debut proper after finally securing a venue. “I don’t know the Gardyne at all but it’s good to get up there on our last wee run,” he declares.
Support on Thursday comes from Glasgow alt-rock trio Cloth.