Power-pop powerhouses Teenage Fanclub pay a visit to Cambridge this month, hot on the heels of release of their tenth album, Here. It’s been a good innings so far for this much-loved Scottish band, which emerged from the Glasgow ‘C86 scene’ at the start of the 1990s.
In the mould of The Beach Boys and The Byrds, they brought the sun-tinged surf sound of America’s West Coast to rainy Scotland, making wide-eyed, fuzzy pop songs with sweet melodies and heartbreaking harmonies.
Kurt Cobain famously called them “the best band in the world”, but a few marginal hits aside, they never really bothered the mainstream charts much. Their fanbase, though, is huge, and fervid: an army of devout indie kids who’re frothing at the mouth at the prospect of their first release in six years – and they’ve not been disappointed. Lead single I’m in Love – a typically upbeat, catchy number in the vein of one of their best loved tracks, Baby Lee – garnered huge radio play and rave reviews, and the rest of the album has been lapped up by fans and critics alike.
Their Junction gig, which takes place on Wednesday 30 November, promises to be a must for fans of the band, offering a nostalgic carouse through classic hits like I Don’t Want Control of You, Sparky’s Dream, The Concept and What You Do To Me, as well as the highlights from the new album, Here of course.
Doors open at 7pm and tickets are £19.50.