There is No Ending: Arab Strap & Chemikal Underground

There's only ever been one photo released of Aidan Moffat without a beard. His image – green parka, head swaddled in thick black hair playing records at Nice'n'Sleazy's or enjoying some al fresco fish and chips – hasn't really changed since Steve Lamacq first played their debut single 'First Big Weekend'.

Now they're splitting up and Mr Moffat's as hirsute as ever. Is his image a Samson and Delilah thing? "I decided as a young man I would never shave again," he says, "after a few accidents with a razor. Since then, I've always preferred a bit of hair. I don't know if I'd lose any power and I doubt that I'll ever find that out."

It is arguable that, at least in the pre-Kapranos days, Moffat was one of the most famous gents in Scotland, reaching number twenty five in The Scotsman's Most Eligible Men list in 2002. Justin and Colin he most certainly is not. So how did a man and his band, together with their relish for sadness, tonic wine and self-deprecation, become one of Scotland's most dearly loved exports?

Along with Chicago, in the nineties Glasgow was the undisputed epicentre of the avant-leaning post rock scene, which scrapped the hackneyed traditions of rock'n'roll for an entirely new approach. It seems unlikely in the current cultural climate, in which Glasgow bands have been swotting up on Postcard Records reissues, but the Arab Strap and their Chemikal Underground label mates Mogwai were heavily influenced by American music. "Most of Mogwai and myself had a borderline obsessive appreciation of Slint. Maybe that had something to do with how we all ended up sounding."

Eschewing the cutesy pop of The Pastels, Teenage Fanclub or Belle and Sebastian, Arab Strap were altogether more unsettling. Aidan mumbled, sang or pseudo-rapped about the dole, Merrydown Cider, ecstasy and The Arches in his Falkirk burr, winning the affection of almost everyone with lines like 'You know I'm always moaning, But you jumpstart my serotonin.' But Are Arab Strap really as melancholy as they appear? "I've always been drawn to sad songs and songs of longing, ever since I was young and I took a shine to Motown. I don't know why, but I think I was born dark."

One puzzling contradiction in Arab Strap songs was, considering how bitter, sad, angry or resigned Aidan's lyrics suggested he was, there was a seemingly endless supply of romances to moan about. "All what women?" he says when The Skinny asks what his secret is. "Most of the songs are about a core group of about four ex-girlfriends, but it is certainly all true… There's no secret, just persevere until you become a nuisance and women will shag you just to get rid of you!"

Love songs rarely come in a form as cutting, brutal and raw as Arab Strap's. The characters in Arab Strap are rarely positive: "Everyone is at fault in my songs, myself included, and the songs were always meant to be morally ambiguous. Very few men write songs about being vulnerable, and those who do sound pretty pathetic. Hopefully I've found a balance somewhere."

But this is the end for Arab Strap. Their final compilation, Ten Years of Tears, is out, they've played their last gigs in London and will be performing for the final time at the Glasgow ABC on the 4th. Aidan seems upbeat about the end of his band, keen to stress that he'll continue making music. His band mate, Malcolm Middleton, once described by the NME as the Mark Knopfler of post-rock, has already released two fantastic albums, which have won him fans as unlikely as Kelly Osbourne.

Aidan himself has a third installment of his Lucky Pierre project, which is named after the man in the middle of a threesome, coming out soon. Collaborations with Ian Rankin and David Shrigley are also in the pipeline. Unfortunately, there's no plans for any more of Aidan's weepy karaoke. "It's very difficult to find a karaoke machine that has all the sad songs, it just ends up like a hen party."

Chemikal Underground are also moving on, with a brand new studio opened in the hinterlands of Glasgow and fantastic signings like Mother and the Addicts and De Rosa. Things are changing: Arab Strap's last album even has a few cheerful moments. Aidan says: "Well, we've had our moments of happiness. The intention was to represent all we'd done together, and that includes our uncharacteristically cheerful moments."