Malcolm Middleton

Malcolm Bruce Middleton^[1] (born 31 December 1973) is a Scottish musician best known for his work with Aidan Moffat in post-folk indie band Arab Strap, and his subsequent solo career, writing and producing. To date, Middleton has released six solo studio albums. Performing under the pseudonym Human Don't Be Angry, Middleton released a self-titled album (Human Don't Be Angry) in 2012.

Whilst promoting his 2009 solo album Waxing Gibbous, Middleton noted that he would be refraining from performing and recording under his own name in the future, stating "I'm starting to feel like I've done as much as I can with this creative voice.".^[2] Since then, however, he has performed occasionally under his own name.^[3]

Early life

Middleton was born in Dumfries but raised in Falkirk, Scotland. He attended Graeme High School.^[4] He played bass, guitar and sometimes sang in several bands in the 1990s, including Purple Bass Plectrum, Rabid Lettuce, Pigtube and The Laughing Stock.^[5]

Career

Arab Strap

In 1995, Middleton and Aidan Moffat, after bonding over their love of musical artists such as Smog and Will Oldham, began making music under the name "Arab Strap". The band released six studio albums before splitting up in 2006.

After they briefly reunited for a show at Nice n Sleazy in Glasgow in 2011, Middleton has said that he would be open to another Arab Strap gig at some point, but ruled out another record: "I don’t think we’ll ever record again but it might be good to do a gig.”^[6]

Solo career

Middleton released his first solo album 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine in 2002, followed by Into the Woods in 2005. After Arab Strap split in 2006, the album A Brighter Beat was released in 2007. The first song on the album "We're All Going To Die" was released as a single on 17 December^[7] and started off with odds of 1,000–1 against becoming the Christmas number one – reportedly the highest odds ever quoted. After support from social networking websites and from BBC Radio 1 DJ Colin Murray, the odds dropped to 9–1, and Middleton was 4th favourite for Christmas Number One behind Leona Lewis, Katie Melua ft Eva Cassidy and The X Factor winner Leon Jackson. Murray started supporting the song as a response to repeated Christmas chart domination by manufactured pop acts churned out by the likes of The X Factor. Middleton has said that, despite the song's negative-sounding title, he feels the song perfectly sums up the spirit of Christmas – the need to make the most of life while we have it.^[8] On the UK singles chart dated 23 December 2007 the song reached number 31, with the Christmas Number One being a cover of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston's When You Believe performed by Leon Jackson. The publicity around the single gave Middleton significant mainstream exposure for the first time in his career.

Middleton's next solo album Sleight of Heart was released in 2008.

Middleton's fifth solo album, entitled Waxing Gibbous, was released on 8 June 2009. The single "Red Travellin' Socks", released on 18 May 2009, preceded the album's release.

Despite previously saying that his fifth album could be his last, in 2013 Middleton embarked on a new solo tour in support of a vinyl reissue of 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine by Chemikal Underground. He has also indicated that new material is on the way.

"Where I am now, it's good to just sit and write, and know there's an audience but just not think about it… It's good to have a break, and I've been writing again loads recently... “It's good to go out and do some dates around the reissue but I didn't want to do a, dare-say-it, silver 60s-type tour, just going around doing old stuff. So I'll play some songs off the record because I will be selling the record at gigs but the main thing will be doing new songs and some back catalogue stuff.^[6]

In April 2015, Middleton announced new material expected under his moniker of Human Don't Be Angry - a vinyl trilogy, the first of which will be released in June 2015.^[9][10]

Discography

Studio albums

• 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine (2002)
• Into The Woods (2005)
• A Brighter Beat (2007)
• Sleight of Heart (2008)
• Waxing Gibbous (2009)
• Human Don't Be Angry (2012)
• Music and Words (2014)
• Electric Blue - Human Don't Be Angry (2015)

EPs and other releases

• Girl Band Pop Songs (2009)
• A Quarter Past Shite 18 previously unreleased songs (2011)^[11]

Live albums

• Live at the Bush Hall (2007)^[12]
• Long, Dark Night / Live In Zurich (2010)
• Live In Leeds - Human Don't Be Angry (2011)

Singles

Notes

External links

• Official website