Arab Strap unveil Fife gig for 25th anniversary of their classic second album

Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton are marking the 25th anniversary of Philophobia - the pair’s classic second album - with a series of gigs which include a night at PJ Molloys, Dunfermline, on Tuesday, December 5. Ticket info is here

They will perform the album in full, presenting its 13 tracks in their most intimate form in suitably intimate settings. Originally released on 20 April 1998 Philophobia Undressed peaked at number 37 on the UK Albums Chart, and was top three in the UK Independent Albums Chart.

While never ones to dwell too much on the past, the duo found it difficult to ignore the anniversary, and decided to honour the album with a fitting tip of the cap.

They said: “With a new album about halfway ready for release next year, we thought we could easily ignore our second album’s 25th birthday, but we find it hard to say no to Philophobia.

“If our first album was a ramshackle oddity filled with in-jokes and formerly private tape moments that we never expected to bother many ears, it was Philophobia where everything started to come together, when we began to realise making music might have a future for us, and the Arab Strap sounds and themes began to take shape.

“If you’ve seen us play in the past few years, you’ll know we still include quite a few of its songs in our set lists. These tunes seem to have endured, and it’s probably the only album we’d ever consider performing all the way through.

“The Philophobia Undressed tour will feature the album in full, but performed by just the two of us – Malcolm & Aidan with a guitar or two, some drum machines and probably a digital Mellotron – as we sing our old songs about being young, in intimate surroundings and, in some cases, visiting towns we haven’t played in a long, long time. We’ll probably play some new songs too.”