Parka

Bounding over to the bar of King Tut's and offering his hand, the most immediate impression of drummer Neil – and indeed the rest of Glasgow quartet, Parka - is how enthusiastic they all are to be at this point in their young careers. The big grin on Neil's face belies the fact that the band have just come back up to their old home turf (they recently moved south in the pursuit of the Whittington dream) on the back of a long and extensive tour. It's a tour that has no sign of ending, as Matt (vocals and guitar) relates: "We've got dates coming in all the time. We're not really thinking of it as a fixed tour. It could go on forever."

The catalyst for Parka's non-stop schedule can be traced back to late 2005 where, having lost faith in his musical education, Matt began recruiting members for the band from various websites and adverts in shop windows. Completed by bassist Ian, keyboardist Mark and saxophonist Bob, the group were offered a deal for their demo which included a version of the track currently tearing swathes through indie disco land, Disco Dancer (a track also recorded by Matt's former band, recently disbanded Skinny favourites O.B.E). This brought Parka to London where they now reside, in an old strip club, in between touring and returning to their native Glasgow. As Neil explains, "You have to edge your way down south, or at least get your management sorted there."

Skipping forward to the future, Parka's debut album is due for release shortly, something Matt describes as "a long time coming." There was a time, however, when the album could have been shelved. "It was a weird time, everyone was at each others throats, and the label (Jeepster) wanted to know if we had any new material," says Matt. "So I just started making songs up on the spot. Lazy Change and Saturday they were called. It's a wonder we didn't get dropped." But they don't regret signing to Jeepster. "They're like friends really," says Neil. "And they're total music experts, so it's been great with them," says Matt.

As for the present, Parka are just enjoying touring the country - sometimes enjoying it a little too vigorously. "I remember Matt doing this leap of faith off of the stage, says Neil. "Then he just played these horrible chords, and I thought 'Oh No, Matt's broken something.' I mean, he did land on his face." Pressed on this lunge into the unknown, Matt says it's all in a day's work. "There are some people who just shouldn't be on stage," he says. "I reckon as long as what you're doing isn't contrived, and you're just having fun then people will respond to that."

With a straight up work ethic like that, there's just no arguing.