Top of the plots
George Mair
Crime writer Val McDermid has told how being the singer in a covers band has become an important part of her life and helped her through lockdowns.
McDermid, known to her fans as the Queen of Crime, has bumped off hundreds of characters in more than 30 years as a novelist.
But she’s now singing in The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers with her fellow best-selling authors Mark Billingham ( guitar/ vocals), Stuart Nevi l le ( guitar/vocals), Luca Veste ( bass), Doug Johnstone (drums/vocals)and Chris Brookmyre (guitar/vocals).
The band, f irst formed in 2017, perform crime-themed tracks, from the Clash classic I Fought the Law to Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer and Kaiser Chiefs I Predict a Riot.
On Thursday, they will take to the stage at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree venue for the opening night of the city’s Granite Noir crime writing festival.
The gig will be their first since last summer, but McDermid, 67, said the band had become an important part of her life, as belting out songs is a
release f rom thee sol itar y day job of plotting crime novels.s
She said: “We’ve got a really close bond between the six of us.
“We really got into playing together before lockdown and then in lockdowns it was good for us to be able to meet up and have a chat online. It’s really good to have friends who are writers, not because you spend all your time sitting around talking about what you’re writing but because you have common concerns and the way we live our lives is similar.
“It makes you feel less isolated at times.
“The last thing I expected was to spend my 60s hanging about with a bunch of guys – but it’s been a big thing.”
McDermid, who grew up in Kirkcaldy, has sold more than 17mi 17m l lion books across the world, wo translated into more thanth 40 languages.
She is currently two books intoin a five-part series of novelse featuring news reporter AllieA Burns, set at 10- year intervals int starting in 1979. You Yo can see The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers at the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, Aberdeen this Thursday at 8.30pm.
And for all the latest news and views from the Queen of Crime herself, the following evening will stage Granite Noir: In Conversation with Val McDermid at The Music Hall, Aberdeen at 8pm.
Val and pals love to play songs with crime themes
The last thing I d was to expecte sixties spend my about hanging with a bunch of guys