Centered around Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, Arab Strap has been one of the most important and influential Scottish indie bands since they were picked up by John Peel in the nineties. Alongside Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian, they were the poster boys for the famous Glasgow scene. Their music, carried by Moffat’s heavily accentuated voice, consists of a uniquely poetic character, and explores beauty, sadness, sex, drugs, love, and death.

10 years after the band’s goodbye in 2006, the band reunited for some heavily hyped comeback shows. This led to a new album in 2021, ‘As Days Get Dark’. Critics and fans were unanimous in their praise. “It’s Arab Strap as an ‘older and wiser band’”, Moffat proclaimed. With the addition of new instruments and sounds, it sees the band explore new territories with abandon.

Their unique combination of shades of post-rock, subtle electronics, pounding drum beats and Moffat’s half-sung, half-spoken-word stories is as vital as ever, and is even enhanced through some disco grooves and atmospheric saxophone. It’s another layer on top of their intense sound, which creates an extra dynamic to push the band’s live sound to another level. Arab Strap unifying beauty with decay is like a wave you can only let waltz over you.