Music Q&A:
Catholic Action

What informs your music and songwriting?
In short: the trials, tribulations and (often) painful awareness of living (almost) entirely in one’s own head. Plus classic songwriting, inverted melodies and loud guitars.

How have you evolved as an act over the years?
We’re more efficient at channeling the above in an entertaining manner. From producing some cassette tapes for essentially just our friends in Glasgow in my bedroom to having finished our first full length album, we’ve came a very long way. It’s seen us both despairing and euphoric and back again. Margo Broom (our co-producer) pushed us down the rabbit hole and encouraged us to find our way back out. We did, and we’re a much better band, and a healthier collection of humans for it.

What are you up to at the moment artistically?
I pay my rent by producing bands in Glasgow and London and I’ve been working with some brilliant acts lately. As I’m writing this, I’ve just found out one of the albums I produced earlier this year has been named as BBC Radio 6 Music’s album of the day – Siobhan Wilson’s There Are No Saints. It’s a truly beautiful record – I cannot recommend it enough. Other acts I’ve been working with lately that come highly recommend are Palm Honey, The Pooches, Herbert Powell and Kelora. I’ve also fallen into directing music videos after my DIY effort for our track Breakfast got some good coverage My completely uncompromising schtick is that I use a VHS camera and make it for as little money as possible. Record labels like that, apparently. As for the band, we’re stockpiling songs for our second album. It’s a healthy kneejerk reaction to everything that’s been happening. We’re never really out of the studio these days. We’re creating because we love doing it. It’s also nice creating with the “validation” of having a record label fully behind you.

What’s on your rider?
Buckfast Tonic Wine, hummus, vegetables and every local copy of the Sun and the Daily Mail the rep can find. Buy them out and bin them.

Tell us your most embarrassing or surreal experience.
Meeting Seymour Stein after one of our recent shows in LA was rather surreal. He’s a true legend in the music industry. He walked (unaided – a miracle!) right up to the stage as soon as our last song was over and was everything you’d expect him to be. I was well chuffed. I think our managers wet themselves.

What song do you wish you’d written?
I actually made a Spotify playlist with songs I wish I had written once. But for now, I’ll have to answer Thirteen by Big Star. It’s the best love song ever written.

What’s your worst lyric?
“Rita. Ora. Use me. Roughly.” Need I explain further?