Fueled by non-alcoholic beer on the remote Isle of Eigg in the midst of winter collective Lost Map presents Weird Wave discovered musical synergy.
Eight musicians from influential Scottish record label Lost Map convened in a hostel on a windswept hillside on the tiny Hebridean island.
The collaboration was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of influential Lost Map, the record label founded by Johnny Lynch, aka Pictish Trail.
A frantic week of improvisation and recording forged an eponymous debut album.
Now Aberdeen music fans can hear that album played in its entirety at a much anticipated headline show at the city’s Tunnels on Friday November 3.
And Johnny confirmed the Granite City show will be unique as Pictish Trail will also play a full set before Lost Map presents Weird Wave take to the stage.
Speaking from his home on Eigg. Johnny said: “Eight of us spent a week on the island to see what music would come out of that.
“If you are in a band and hire somewhere for a week with the intent to do music you normally just end up having horrible hangovers for the duration.
“With this we knew we had to come up with something and there was a time-frame.
“I had put on the Howlin’ Fling festival in 2022 and bought a lot of non-alcoholic drink for it.
“But we only sold one can.
“So I had tons of non-alcoholic beer stock-piled which we just drank for that week.
“It was very un rock n’ roll but most of the album was fueled by non-alcoholic beer.
“If it had been normal beer I’m not sure we would have been so productive.
“The music came out beyond what my expectations were as it was a fully formed band sound and record.
“We had that bond and chemistry.”
Intense musical sessions in winter
Led by Johnny, Lost Map presents Weird Wave is a psychedelic , kosmische collective featuring a multitude of artists that have released music on the label.
The collective includes members of Tuff Love, Kid Canaveral, eagleowl, Savage Mansion and L.T. Leif.
Lost Map presents Weird Wave is Kate Lazda (guitar), Craig Angus (guitar/keys), Bart Owl (bass), Susan Bear (synths), Iain Stewart (drums), L.T. Leif (vocals/keys) and Robyn Dawson (violin) and Johnny, Pictish Trail (vocals, keys, programming).
No music was pre-prepared and the musicians played and recorded in the living rom of the Glebe Barn hostel on Eigg, an island only five miles long and three miles wide.
Johnny said: “We took over the bottom floor of the hostel and set up the equipment in front of the roaring fire.
“It was a really cozy, wintery vibe as it was late February into early March and the weather was still terrible.
“We knew we had to buckle down and create so it was also intense.
“Without that time constraint and pressure it would probably have ended up as an improvised drone that went on for about five hours.
“Some of the best material we did came about through mucking about in the evenings.
“By just opening up an instrument and seeing what happens.”
Aberdeen set for unique performance
Lost Map presents Weird Wave have delivered acclaimed festival performances at Howlin’ Fling, Green Man and Sea Power’s Krankenhaus,
Now they will deliver a unique show in the Granite City.
Johnny explained: “Aberdeen will be a really special show.
“We will do a full Pictish Trail show and after that we will do a headline set with Lost Map presents Weird Wave.
“Aberdeen is the only place where we will have two full band sets.
“I’ll be exhausted by the end but I love doing two sets, it’s so much fun.
“Pictish Trail will do all the big bangers from the albums.
“Then Lost Map presents Weird Wave will play the album from start to finish.
“So much of the album was born out of improvisation, being present in the moment and making music on the spot.
“I’m excited to see how the album mutates in a live show.”
Importance to Aberdeen of Interesting Music Promotions
Lost Map presents Weird Wave is the latest gig to be brought to Aberdeen by influential Granite City based Interesting Music Promotions.
At the heart of the city’s music scene for almost two decades IMP have delivered legendary shows.
Those include Boredoms, Kuunatic, Broadcast, Bo Ningen, Ariel Pink, Faust, Thee More Shallows, TUnE-yArD…and many, many more.
Seven week on Frid 3rd Nov, superb line up of @LostMap artists supergroup #WeirdWave + @PictishTrail (full band) @lauraleif (solo) @tunnelsaberdeen https://t.co/BGLqn2KKO1 pic.twitter.com/gVo871Fe5U
— Interesting Music Promotions (@IMP_aberdeen) September 11, 2023
Johnny said: “I’ve been doing shows with IMP for about 18 years now.
“They are so supportive and have a real passion for music. They really look after us.”
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