The Pastels

Biography

The Pastels are an indie rock group from Glasgow formed in 1981. They were a key act of the Scottish and British independent music scenes of the 1980s, and are specifically credited for the development of an independent and confident music scene in Glasgow. The group have had a number of members, but currently consists of Stephen McRobbie, Mitch K Mitchell, Tom Crossley, John Hogarty, and Suse Bear.

Formation

The group formed in 1981 amid the peak of the Postcard Records era of independent music in Glasgow. Brian Taylor, a friend at the time of Postcard's Alan Horne, recruited McRobbie, Hayward, and Simpson for his new band. The band first performed at Bearsden Burgh Hall, booked by McRobbie after he attended a Crass gig at the same venue.
The band released their first single, "Songs for Children×Songs for Children1982 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Heavens AboveA2Tea-Time SongB1Something Going OnB2Till Morning Comes," on Whaam! Records in 1982, followed by their tape "Entertaining Edward" that same year on Action Tapes.

Singles

The band released a series of singles from 1982–1986, starting with "Something Going On×Something Going OnDecember 1983 · ReleaseSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksASomething Going OnBStay With Me Till Morning" and B-side "I Wonder Why×I Wonder WhyApril 1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI Wonder WhyBSupposed To Understand" in 1983. The latter record was later separately released by Rough Trade after McRobbie travelled to see Geoff Travis at the label's office in London, where he insisted that they were "the next big thing out of Scotland." The band then released "Million Tears×Million Tears13 September 1984 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksA1Million TearsA2Surprise MeBBaby Honey" in 1984, "I'm Alright With You×I'm Alright With YouDecember 1985 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracksAI'm Alright With YouB1Couldn't Care LessB2What It's Worth" in 1985, and "Truck Train Tractor×Truck Train TractorJune 1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksATruck Train Tractor4:16BBreaking Lines3:06" in 1986, all on other labels after their relationship with Rough Trade declined as the label focused more heavily on their other artists such as "shinier new signings" Scritti Politti and the Smiths.
These releases were published on a variety of labels including Whaam!, Creation, and Glass Records, and all had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time.
Prior to their breakout album, the band appeared in a John Peel session×Peel Session5 October 1997 · Broadcast · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Ship to Shore3:552Advice for the Graduate3:193On the Way3:384Frozen Wave1:25, as well as a variety of zines. McRobbie at this period undertook a master's degree in librarianship at Glasgow University, which would ensure the band remained rooted in Glasgow during their newfound fame.
The Pastels' sound continued to evolve and, although part of NME's C86 compilation, in interviews they always sought to distance themselves from both twee and shambling developments.

Up for a Bit with the Pastels

Their debut album, Up for a Bit with The Pastels×Up for a Bit With the Pastels1987 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Ride2:252Up for a Bit3:373Crawl Babies2:464Address Book4:035I'm Alright With You3:416Truck, Train, Tractor4:197Breaking Lines3:158Hitchin' A2:029Get 'round Town2:1710Automatically Yours2:4311Baby Honey5:5212If I Could Tell You2:45 (Glass, 1987; re-issue Paperhouse, 1991) moved from garage pop-punk through to ballads with synth orchestra splashes. The album launched to industry praise, with praise from acts including Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, but the record did not "set the world alight" as some had expected. In 2003, it was named the 37th best Scottish album by The Scotsman. The Guardian describe the album as integral in helping "to inspire confidence in the Glasgow scene (showing) that bands didn’t have to move south but could let the record industry come to them." The album is attributed by the paper as attributable to the later release of Glaswegian output including Belle and Sebastian's Tigermilk, Mogwai's Young Team, Franz Ferdinand's self-titled arrival, and even Chvrches.

Departures and Sittin' Pretty

The band's 1989 follow-up, Sittin' Pretty (Chapter 22, 1989) was harder but less eclectic. Reports started to appear in the UK music press that the group was splitting up, and Taylor, Hayward and Simpson all departed.
Eventually it became clear that a new line-up was configuring around original members, McRobbie and Wright (Aggi), now joined by Mitch K Mitchell. This line-up is probably the best known of The Pastels' various phases, and often featured either David Keegan (of Shop Assistants) or Gerard Love (of Teenage Fanclub) on guitar. They signed with the then emerging Domino Records and completed two albums, Mobile Safari×Mobile Safari11 April 1994 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Exploration Team3:05A2Mandarin3:26A3Yoga4:18A4Mobile Deli1:33A5Exotic Arcade2:59A6Classic Line-Up3:18B1Flightpaths To Each Other2:13B2Basement Scam4:51B3Strategic Gear1:52B4Token Collecting3:13B5Coolport3:32B6Worlds of Possibilities3:46Disc 2C1Safari Companion 1C2Safari Companion 2D1Safari Companion 3D2Safari Companion 4 (1995) and Illumination×Illumination9 December 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1The Hits Hurt3:492Cycle4:343Thomson Colour1:444Unfair Kind of Fame4:215Fragile Gang2:396The Viaduct5:097Remote Climbs2:468Rough Riders4:319On the Way3:3910Leaving This Island2:3111G12 Nights1:1212Attic Plan4:2313Mechanized1:31 (1997), with the musical approach of the latter described as "mellowed and evolved into a form of gently psychedelic off-kilter pop, adorned with orchestral instrumentation." A remix set featured My Bloody Valentine, Jim O'Rourke and others on the album, Illuminati×Illuminati21 November 1998 · Album · RemixSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Magic Nights (My Bloody Valentine mix)1:162The Viaduct (Kid Loco mix)6:013Windy Hill (Cornelius mix)3:424One Wild Moment (Stereolab mix)4:595Attic Plan (Mouse on Mars mix)6:306Remote Climbs (Cinema mix)5:157Remote Climbs (John McEntire mix)5:388The Viaduct (Ian Carmichael mix)4:539Thomson Colour (To Rococo Rot mix)3:5410Cycle (My Bloody Valentine mix)6:3911On the Way (The Third Eye Foundation mix)5:5212Rough Riders (Future Pilot A.K.A. mix)4:3513Rough Riders (Make Up mix)4:2614Frozen Wave (Flacco mix)5:5215The Viaduct (Bill Wells mix)2:1316Leaving This Island (Jim O'Rourke mix)2:35 (1998). The band also featured that year on the soundtrack for the film The Acid House.
In 2000, Wright left the group to focus on her career as an illustrator though she still provides artwork for the group. Their next release was the soundtrack to David Mackenzie's The Last Great Wilderness×The Last Great Wilderness4 August 2003 · Album · SoundtrackSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Wilderness Theme2:472Winter Driving1:053Vincente's Theme2:484Flora's Theme0:375Charlie's Theme3:036Everybody Is a Star2:587Flora Again0:558Dark Vincente3:039Wilderness End Theme3:3610I Picked a Flower3:35 (Geographic, 2003). It featured a track recorded in collaboration with Pulp's Jarvis Cocker. In 2006 The Pastels developed and completed new music for a theatre production by Glasgow-based company, 12 Stars.
In 2009, The Pastels, in collaboration with Tenniscoats from Tokyo, Japan, released an album called Two Sunsets×Two Sunsets7 September 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Tokyo Glasgow2:552Two Sunsets4:303Song for a Friend5:244Vivid Youth4:255Yomigaeru1:506Modesty Piece1:327About You3:058Boats3:319Hikoki1:2210Sodane3:4911Mou Mou Rainbow6:5212Start Slowly So We Sound Like a Loch3:00, which critics called "a playful, spontaneous and spellbinding must-hear."
In 2013 they released their first album proper in sixteen years, Slow Summits×Slow Summits27 May 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Secret MusicA2Night Time Made UsA3Check My HeartA4Summer RainA5After ImageB1Kicking LeavesB2Wrong LightB3Slow SummitsB4Come to the Dance, again through Domino. The Guardian described the album as "their most complete set since Up for a Bit, with its 10 summery, groovy flute and french-horn-licked songs, trippy in the sense of the kind of trip that lands in a pile of freshly mown grass." The album was shortlisted for the 2013 Scottish Album of the Year Award.
The Pastels now operate their own Geographic Music label through Domino, and are partners in Glasgow's Monorail Music shop.

Legacy and influence

Despite their contrarian musical approach, the Pastels soon after forming enjoyed an emerging fanzine culture identified with the group's sound and image, and slowly started to influence a new wave of groups, as well as gathering the attention of NME and other UK media. The band features in the book Postcards from Scotland detailing the 1980s and 1990s independent music scene in Scotland. The band Black Tambourine has a love song to Stephen Pastel, "Throw Aggi off the Bridge". Talulah Gosh have a song called Pastels Badge. During the early 2000s the band continued to receive attention, particularly in Japan where they became "incongruously wrapped up in the hype surrounding Britpop in Japan, jostling for position in magazines with the likes of Blur and Manic Street Preachers."

Current

Stephen McRobbie (or Stephen Pastel) – guitar, vocals (1981–present)
Mitch K Mitchell – drums, vocals, guitar, keyboards (1989–present)
Tom Crossley – flute, keyboards (1990s–present)
John Hogarty – guitar (late 2000s–present)
Suse Bear – bass (2010s–present)

Former

Brian Taylor (or Brian Superstar) – guitar (1981–1992)
Martin Hayward – bass, vocals (1982–1989)
Bernice Simpson – drums (1983–1989)
Annabel Wright (or Aggi) – vocals (1984–2000), keyboards (1984–1990), bass (1990–2000)
Eugene Kelly – backing vocals, violin, guitar, autoharp (1987–1989)
David Keegan – guitar (1992–2000)
Gerard Love – guitar / bass
Jonathan Kilgour – guitar (1994–1997)
Norman Blake – guitar, bass
Sandy Forbes – drums
Alison Mitchell – trumpet (2003–2020)

Contributors

Gerard Love – guitar, bass guitar, drums
Norman Blake – guitar, bass guitar, vocals
Colin McIlroy – guitar
Charlie Dinsdale – drums
Chris Gordon – drums
Michael Giudici – bass guitar
Dean Wareham – guitar
Maureen McRoberts – saxophone
Darren Ramsay – trumpet
Liz Dew – bass

Studio albums

Up for a Bit with The Pastels (1987)
Sittin' Pretty (1989)
Mobile Safari (1995)
Illumination (1997)
Slow Summits (2013)

Compilation albums

Suck On (1988)
Truckload of Trouble (1994)
Illuminati (1998)
Summer Rain (2013)

With Jad Fair

Jad Fair and The Pastels – This Could Be the Night EP (Paperhouse, 1991)
Jad Fair and The Pastels – No. 2 EP (Paperhouse, 1992)

With Tenniscoats

The Pastels and Tenniscoats – Two Sunsets (Geographic, 2009)
The Pastels and Tenniscoats – Vivid Youth / About You (Geographic, 2009)

With Sonic Youth

The Pastels and Sonic Youth – Sonic Youth and the Pastels Play The New York Dolls (Glass Modern, 2021)