Saturday’s hometown debut showcases The Chosen Lonely band

by Margaret Chrystall

Talking to Steven Barclay in the run-up to new band The Chosen Lonely’s home debut on Saturday (June 22) you ask if there might be another football song on its way from him, not for the Euros for Scotland like last time in 2021 – but to raise the spirits of his fellow Caley fans.

He laughs.

But to be honest, you shouldn’t rule it out.

These days he lists the song under Steven Barclay not The Chosen Lonely as it’s quite different from what is coming from the new band line-up for The Chosen Lonely in the next while.

There have been plenty of twists and turns along the way as the Inverness musician has explored songwriting, producing, making videos, running his own record label, going to Glasgow moving back home and touring the North of Scotland.

Even so, Saturday’s Off-Axis gig will see a big dream of Steven’s come to life, as he heads for the Tooth & Claw stage for the all-important home gig launching the four-piece band version of The Chosen Lonely.

A band has always been in his mind and songs have been created with a band in his ears.

The band actually debuted at Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, though a stand-in keyboard-player – Liza Mulholland of Dorec-a-belle and the Metagama stage production, among many projects – stepped in for the late opportunity.

But now, the big one is Saturday’s gig.

“It does feel significant,” Steven said. “I think because it’s going to be the first – well, there’s a few things that it’s the first of – but the first hometown show with a full band and it’s also the first headline one with a full band.

“But I think the intention was always to have the official launch here and it makes sense that it’s the Tooth & Claw.”

Glasgow band Tidal End will support at the city venue on Saturday.

“The Tooth & Claw is a place I’ve spent a lot of time – even back when it was still called the Eagle Bar and they first reopened upstairs.

“I think I actually did the first-ever solo performance there under the name The Chosen Lonely too, if I’m correct, supporting Brown Bear. So it’s really quite appropriate that we’re doing it there.

“I’ve played there a lot, but this is going to be the first time that my hometown gets to see what The Chosen Lonely is like as a full band.”

So what exactly what took so long?

Steven said: “The original intention when I first came up with the name, The Chosen Lonely, it was supposed to be a band, but then it just didn’t happen. I still had the name, and when I wanted to go back out and do some solo shows I thought the name actually still made sense.

“That very early show at the venue with Brown Bear was just an acoustic set. But then from that point on, I did a few shows with an electric guitar and some synthesisers.

“Then during lockdown, I started recording full band arrangements on a lot of the releases. They’ve got electric guitars, keyboards, drums and it started to sound like a band and I think from that point on my aim was to get a band to perform live with. Then there was lockdown and then relocating between the Highlands and Glasgow ­- and back.

“There were a couple of bands in development at times that just never saw the public eye.”

Fans of the many solo gigs that Steven has played across the area over the past year shouldn’t worry, as it doesn’t sound as if the acoustic format will disappear.

“I still like the acoustic arrangement stuff because quite a lot of the songs were maybe either written on an acoustic guitar or I’ve been able to do something interesting and different with them that way,” Steven explained

“But I just felt, I don’t know what the word is, but there was something missing from the fact I wasn’t able to deliver the studio sound live – and I really wanted to be able to do that.

“And since playing with these guys I’ve got in the band, I’ve been reminded of just how much fun it is to share those kind of experiences with other people.

“It’s been a long time since I actually did that consistently with other band members.”

Steven – who was previously in the band Ralia among other guises – reckons the last time must be in Wick seven years ago, at a gig with Sergeant.

But when he put out an advert for band members/musicians on Facebook and Instagram, he didn’t have quite so long to wait.

“It was just to see if there was any interest and I got a message back quite quickly.

“The bass guitarist Andrew Stewart – Badger ­- is actually the same bass player who played with me before.

He got in touch to say along the lines of ‘I’m more than happy to get involved and help you out to get started’, but I thought straight away ‘Yes!’.

“You know, there’s common ground.”

Drummer Donna Smith – formerly of Cherry Park – had already been following The Chosen Lonely music.

Steven said: “That was a bass player and a drummer and approaching the day of the first rehearsal – I always intended to have a keyboard player because I think keyboards are quite a central part of a lot of music – and I just put a thing onto one of the Facebook groups saying ‘There’s myself, a bass player and a drummer meeting up in the Music Shed and we’re just looking for somebody to play some sounds on the keyboard. I can provide the instrument as required’ – because at that point we were struggling to find a keyboard-player.

“They seemed harder to come by than other instrument. But luckily, pretty much a day or two before we all met up, Andy Bannerman got in touch and it’s quite funny because he and the bassist have played together before too!”

The initial jam seemed to go well.

“I’m just grateful that all four of us who met up at that first rehearsal are still the four of us playing now,” Steven said.

In a way, the initial gig in Edinburgh was a bit of a trial run. Though Andy had always been going to be away on holiday for the date, the offer of the gig came in and seemed too good to knock back. So Liza stepped in to cover.

Steven said: “It was a good first show for us to do.

“It was tremendous and really great of her to do it.

“I had great fun in the weeks either side of that gig running up to the show, playing the music for it. I think Liza seemed to really enjoy herself as well. I think it was maybe a bit different from what she’s normally playing.”

For Steven and the band, it sounds fun to have gone through the process of resetting the songs for a live band, maybe learning an evolving their sound as they went.

“It’s good to have been able to rework the songs and I think there are some pretty cool versions of them now,” songwriter Steven said.

“It will definitely probably be closer to what the songs sound like on the record than it has been when I’ve been up there onstage on my own doing acoustic arrangements.

“But it’s still not going to be just like a complete re-creation of what’s recorded. I think the live music is going to be its own kind of thing as well, I hope.”

There are plans for what comes next – hopes for a few films and maybe some singles.

“We got a couple of brand-new songs that emerged very recently,” Steven revealed.

“They’re not going to be in this show, but naturally, playing in the band has been bringing out some new ideas as well.”

Even Steven’s fun former football song’s streaming numbers have been doing OK in the run-up to the Euros.

‘Just
remember not to waste another day’
 

Charlton Lane by The Chosen Lonely

“I think it must have been added by a few people to Tartan Army weekend playlists, or something,” he laughed.

“I guess for me it’s trying to find that balance of taking myself seriously as an artist, but then also not taking myself too seriously where it’s music that was really about having fun!

“I’m happy I did it and I’m quite proud I’ve produced the whole thing on my own – and in student halls in Glasgow, at the time!”

You can hear the same enthusiasm in the musician’s voice as he talks about letting people in his hometown hear the new band on Saturday.

“I’m really excited,” Steven confessed.

The Chosen Lonely headline and make the band’s home debut on Saturday, June 22 at the OffAxis gig at Tooth & Claw, Inverness, with Glasgow band Tidal End (@tidalend). There are also two weekend Belladrum tickets  up for grabs in an OffAxis draw when you buy your tickets for The Chosen Lonely Saturday gig: https://offaxisgigs.com/product/the-chosen-lonely/

The Chosen Lonely will also be playing Belladrum’s Seedlings stage on Saturday, July 27.