Original subtitles

Stuart M: We got together about a year ago to record a record for a Glasgow college called Stow College.

And it's funny, because it seems to have been fated by various different things and it's...

l can't decide who gave a tape to who. And it all seems to have been a devious plan

by our drummer Richard because he heard the tape and he was at the college and...

he ended up being the drummer in the band... and my flatmate.

l still can't figure out how it happened.

Every time there was a song on the radio it got you in the same way

l can remember writing to somebody afterwards and saying

''well y' know, l know it's yourjob but thanks for playing that anyway because it's quite possibly the best moment of my life.''

Which doesn't say much about my life up to this point.

1995, it's just a kind of sunny wilderness.

l can remember it was boiling hot for about four months solid.

But l spent it in a, pretty much a windowless, airless concrete box

looking at the wall with a pair of headphones on... Dreaming about the outside world

so maybe that's what inspired certain songs to come along.

l'm lsobel and l play lots of different instruments... lt just depends what suits the songs.

When we were asked to pick something we liked best to show people for the television l couldn't think of much.

Everything l like best happens when l don't expect it. When l plan things l get disappointed.

lt all got very confusing and complicated for a while but then Stuart David explained.

He said this part was to be like 'Why Don't You'. So this is why l'm shuffling around the Victoria Park with my dog Aldo.

He used to be a guide dog for the blind.

He worked in the city and was no stranger to the London Underground.

Now he stays at home most days, dreaming up fantasy dinners

while he waits for my brother to finish school.

This is where l bring him on days when there is nothing to be done

and in the summer l bring my diary. Sometimes we feed the ducks

but mostly we just throw sticks.

My name's Chris. l play piano and organ in the band Belle & Sebastian

and l wanted to take you to Celtic Park because l've always supported Celtic

and it's a place l... Well l like going along to the games.

Last year l was doing kitchen work and stuff for this agency and one of the jobs l was doing was

just working in the food bits at Parkhead selling the pies.

When you're there watching the game, you're up at the top and you can look down over the pitch

and it's strange 'cause you're quite disconnected from it. lt's like watching a game of Subbuteo or something

but at the same time you're dead involved in it as well.

The first gig we done as Belle & Sebastian was through in Edinburgh

and it was a bit of a shambles. That was the first time l'd met the people from Jeepster Records as well

and l just remember they seemed totally, totally insane at the time.

l'd only justjoined the band at that point and on the songs l didn't play on l'd sort of get up and

just go to sit down somewhere and the woman from Jeepster was going

''What're you doing? What're you doing? Get back on that stage!''

and l'm like ''l'm not playing on this song y' know? Just, just leave me alone''

l'm on buses quite a lot. l just really wanted to maybe get into the cockpit or something.

Whether it be in the bus depot or where the buses go to sleep at night

just really somewhere to be as close to the buses as possible

and to get behind the scenes rather than being a punter.

Basically l've moved up the social ladder 'cause l've got a Zonecard instead of a Bus Pass

which gets you on the tube as well, so that's a nice wee change but you always get drawn back to the buses.

Obviously when you become an experienced city traveller like myself

you know which ones are smelly, you know which ones are cold

you pretty much know the friendly drivers, and so as long as you're not actually going anywhere specific

then you can choose your vehicle carefully.

My name is Richard Colburn. l play drums.

The reason l wanted to be filmed cooking was that l'm the most fussiest eater on Earth

and l like about five things.

lt's Pasta and Chicken Soup Surprise, the surprise being that it's not very good at all.

And l thought l'd throw in a side order of rolls with bran flakes.

Myself and Stuart, we live in a church hall which is quite a bizzare place to live.

lt's actually a flat above the church hall, and we're actually the caretakers in a kind of way

where we have to look after the hall and make sure the running is good

and we have to put tables and chairs out for coffee mornings

and keep the doors open for any clubs that are coming in.

lt's quite an unusual place to live but l suppose the landlord must be God.

l used to have a camera called a Zenith but l gave it to Wee Karn and she used it

to take photographs of pavements for a while but when l went to get the camera back

she said there was a bit of dirt in the lens. To make up for it she gave me a really good pen she had.

A Space Pen. The instructions said it was the most advanced writing instrument in the world

and it was designed for astronauts to use on their way to the moon

lt can write upside down, over grease and fingerprints,

in blazing heat and even under water. So l took that.

l wasn't planning on going to the moon but l thought maybe l could sell it to buy a new camera.

But it didn't turn out to be worth much

so in the end l decided what l would do is, l would just take photographs with the pen instead.

l would just write the picture down, and it turned out quite well.

The first good thing is no one really notices when l'm doing it

l can watch people doing things and they just stay natural 'cause there's no camera pointing at them

and they don't know l'm taking their picture and that makes the pictures better

'cause l see people doing the craziest things.

l'm Sarah Martin, l play violin and a couple of other things.

l joined the band through friends of friends just in time for the second album to be recorded.

l was going to climb a tree for my little sketch but l just thought well the weather's not really

particularly great for it and l'd probably fall out.

And l've recently moved into a new flat and l've been putting up a lot of shelves

'cause l've got loads of stuff and l've just got to get it off the floor.

And it's become a kind of hobby. l can't stop.

We decided to do a gig in the Mitchell Library as part of the Mayfest in Glasgow.

We ended up bringing another stage in which even wasn't big enough for the whole band

we had the band on two separate stages and it was quite a strange gig.

Slide shows and tables and chairs and everybody's parents were there

it was a kind of funny concert but it was really good fun.

Stuart M: You get a little tickle in your tummy and then you start to write something down.

To tell you the truth l can't remember writing any of the songs really

so that's quite lucky in a way. 'Cause l do quite like some of them.

Stevie: l think it's good. l think it's probably had an effect that we're far from London.

Which is, y' know, traditionally the, y' know, where you go to be a musician

or where you go to make it in the pop world.

And l think it's been good that we've not been part of that because maybe that makes us distinctive.

l think there's a tendency for things to get gobbled up in this big thing that is London y' know?

They get... There's an expression, it's called Londoned Up.

People, people y' know? People start off in bands and they go to London and they come back

and they're Londoned Up, you can... just see it y'know?

Stuart: Ah cannae sing in any conventional sense of the word.

Chris: You can't do patter in any conventional sense of the word either.

Stuart: That's great... Fantastico

l think we, l think we... We maybe don't kind of have a terribly high production rate

but then you hear about Seal making his third album now.

l think in terms of getting records out we still do. l mean it's maybe not, l don't know

l think it would be cool to still be banging out an album every year

and a few singles and stuff as well, 'cause l kind of would,

l kind of would enjoy being able to be that bit more casual about music and doing it like that

but even so it's still better than only getting to do an album every like, three or four or five years or something.

Richard: l think sometimes people see the band as being a little bit up our own arses.

But there's other people as well, that kind of see us as a bit mysterious and stuff

and we've actually done quite a lot of interviews and personally l do quite a lot.

Stuart D: And the record company have said that they can't see it going past

the number of people who buy the records just now without us doing a lot more promotion

and l think that might be... lt won't go beyond the numbers just because of the type of band it is.

Stuart M: We've hit our peak y' know? As far as like, record sales go and stuff like that, y' know? lt...

Andy Symington: How do you know that? Stuart M: 'Cause we, 'cause we just have.

IsobeI: l think we've got... We've not fulfilled our potential quite yet but

l've no idea when that could be because it's quite... lt's quite erratic.

Stevie: ln the past l kinda got it from Lazy Line Painter Jane

and there's a new song called The Model which l get it from.

You can really feel a buzz from something y' know? lt's good.

l think 'cause we're becoming more experienced hopefully there'll be a... Y' know?

it'll happen less by accident and a bit more by design

Chris: Everytime you play something or everytime you think about how you want a record to sound

you've got your record collection looking over your shoulder at you.

Stuart M: There was a feeling against tunes

y'know? There was definitely a feeling against songs and melodies and that sort of stuff

and it made you wanna actually make the most tuneful sort of... You just explode y' know?

and if you could find people to play with you'd make the most tuneful, lush sounding records imaginable

Chris: You could almost use them as some sort of... Stuart M: Cosh.

Chris: Well l was going to say some sort of piece of furniture.

Stuart M: What fucking piece of furniture would...(laughs) Chris: A table! a fucking table

just put two of them...

IsobeI: You should be on that game show thing where they renovate peoples homes...

Richard: l think maybe you need a break son. Stuart M: Yeah, easy big tiger.

Richard: My sister says lkea's gonna have a big sale on so they're driving down to Newcastle

it's like, better than Habitat's...

Chris: Let's hire a van... Let's hire a van and drive down to Newcastle and come back with furniture for everyone.

Richard: Furniture all round! Hey hey!

Chris: Oh God!... l can't believe you just filmed me saying that.

Stuart M: We've been on this kinda trail... On this little boy scout trail

to try and find the perfect sound or the perfect acoustic or the perfect way of working

and there is no... There certainly is no perfect way of working. We've made some pretty messy records.

But we've made some alright sounds as well.

Mick: l've not actually been at a church hall, full church hall recording session.

The quality of the recordings that have been done there definitely have a certain feel, certainly adds a lot to it.

l think Lazy Line Painter Jane sounds great recorded in the church hall.

What sort of people do you think you appeal to?

Stuart M: Bowlies. Richard: Thirtysomethings.

Sarah: Apparently we appeal to fiftysomethings in a little... a little record shop

sort ofjoined into a music and instrument shop in Blackburn.

Stevie: l've come across so many people over thirty that like us.

And even at gigs l've noticed a lot of them y' know? So l don't really think we're a...

total teenage bowlie group.

IsobeI: lt's not like Boyzone or something, there's a lot of, kind of, l don't know, thirtysomething?

Or even people a lot older and there's quite young people, like kids at school l think quite like it

and then there's some quite strange people that quite like it

there's students that like it and l think there's like, sort of, someone said

that at one of the gigs at Shepherd's Bush there was quite a few like, business men.

Stuart D: lt does quite often seem to be people that are quite alone

or feel isolated from the, sort of, mainstream.

l've nieces and nephews that are just about five or six they'll put it on to dance around to as well.

Ladies and Gentlemen. The winner is...

Belle & Sebastian.

Belle & Sebastian, a band that actually formed in an all night caf� in Glasgow.

Now the band began working together as part of a Government training scheme

and their third album, they're already on that one, The Boy With The Arab Strap

that reached number one in the lndie Charts.

Hi. This is Belle, l'm Sebastian. Well we are tonight, The rest of the band are in the studio

but, em, well don't know if this was meant to happen or not but pretty bizarre anyway but, em,

thanks to Jeepster who're sitting in the corner and, eh, bizarre night. Thanks a lot.

lt turned out to be a successful evening for the little known Glasgow band Belle & Sebastian.

They picked up the award for Best British Newcomers

but they were so sure they wouldn't win only two of them bothered to make the trip to the ceremony.

l had strict instructions to get autographs from various people for my friends

and that's basically the whole idea for us coming down.

ln Glasgow it was business as usual for the other six who prefer to stay home

and get on with mixing their fourth album than rub shoulders with the glitterati in London.

They did, however, manage to take time out to watch their success being broadcast on lunchtime Scotland Today.

l think they'll be a lot more, l don't know, animated or something than probably most of us would have been

and my mum would have killed me as well for not wearing a dress on telly or something.

l'm glad the two of them went, it was only when l found out Richard was

sat at a table next to Muhammad Ali that l really wished l'd, that l really wished l'd went.

So what's a normal day like for you whenever you're not recording?

As a Rock Star?

Do you consider yourself a Rock Star?