1997

Arab Strap undertook support tours with Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Mogwai, and ended the year with a UK tour of their own.

14/02/97 : KING TUT'S WAH WAH HUT, Glasgow, UK
The 'Strap were supporting Urusei Yatsura and the gig was filmed for Sky TV. Apparently the band used a theremin on some songs and it was accidentally set off by one of the camera men.

21/02/97 : BARROWLANDS, Glasgow, UK
Supporting Gene and The Supernaturals - "The more eagle-eyed among you might recognise the couch on the cover – that's the downstairs bar at the Barrowlands. The photo was taken the night we (technically) played there for the first time, supporting Gene and The Supernaturals, February 1997.

05/03/97 : The POINT, Oxford, UK
06/03/97 : HIGHBURY GARAGE, London, UK

Start of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci support tour
13/03/97 : The LEMON TREE, Aberdeen, UK
14/03/97 : WESTPORT BAR, Dundee, UK
16/03/97 : The STAGE, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
17/03/97 : KRAZY HOUSE 2, Liverpool, UK
18/03/97 : The DUCHESS OF YORK, Leeds, UK
19/03/97 : The ALLYCAT, Reading, UK
20/03/97 : ARTS CENTRE, Gloucester, UK
End of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci support tour

26/03/97 : JOHN PEEL session, BBC Radio 1
Set-list : The Smell Of Outdoor Cooking / Soaps / I Saw Her / The First Big Peel Thing
First broadcast date. Recorded 4th March 1997, MV4, BBC Maida Vale Studios, London

13/04/97 : ILS NE MAURON PAS, Brambily Mauron, France

22/05/97 : KING TUT'S WAH WAH HUT, Glasgow, UK
Set-list : I Saw You / Gilded / Packs Of Three / The Clearing / Kate Moss / Drug Song For Paula / Blood / The Night Before The Funeral / A Cunt's Trick / Little Girls / The First Big Weekend
A fairly average gig for around this time with plenty of rarities and funny moments. Supporting Prolapse.

23/05/97 : The ATTIC, Edinburgh, UK [supporting Prolapse]
24/05/97 : The RICHMOND, Carlisle, UK [supporting Prolapse]
25/05/97 : PHYSIO & FIRKIN, Leicester, UK [supporting Prolapse]

Start of Mogwai support tour
27/05/97 : The CORNERHOUSE, Middlesborough,UK
28/05/97 : The RIVERSIDE 2, Newcastle, UK
29/05/97 : KRAZY HOUSE 2, Liverpool, UK
30/05/97 : The VARSITY, Wolverhampton, UK

31/05/97 : ARTS CENTRE, Gloucester, UK
Random Comment : "First showing on UK terrestrial telly of Reservoir Dogs . Also notable because one of the advertising breaks features the first showing of the Guinness advert featuring The First Big Weekend. Arab Strap sit onstage watching a black and white portable T.V. while Mogwai play, and the show stops and the audience (of approx. 40) gathers around the stage for the big event." (Rob Strong)

01/06/97 : ARTS CENTRE, Colchester, UK
03/06/97 : The DUCHESS OF YORK, Leeds, UK

04/06/97 : The ROADHOUSE, Manchester, UK
Set-list : I Saw You / Gilded / I Work In A Saloon / Packs Of Three / The Clearing / Kate Moss / Drug Song For Paula / The Night Before The Funeral / A Cunt's Trick / The Smell Of Outdoor Cooking / ?? / The First Big Weekend

05/06/97 : The STAGE, Stroke-on-Trent, UK
Set-list : I Saw You / Gilded / I Work In A Saloon / Packs Of Three / The Clearing / Kate Moss / Drug Song For Paula / Not Quite A Yes / Soaps / The Night Before The Funeral / Sooty (A Cunt's Trick) / Little Girls / The First Big Weekend
Kicks off with rare live performances of I Saw You, Drug Song For Paula and an unusual instrumental called Sooty complete with plastic Sooty masks! I think that was probably A Cunt's Trick.
End of Mogwai support tour

14/06/97 : HIGHBURY GARAGE, London, UK
Set-list : Gilded / The Clearing / Kate Moss / Drug Song For Paula / The Night Before The Funeral / The Smell Of Outdoor Cooking / Little Girls / The First Big Weekend / Soaps
Supporting Navigator and Mogwai. The First Big Weekend has a drunken Brendan from Mogwai on backing vocals.

12/07/97 : T IN THE PARK, Kinross, UK
16/07/97 : The DOWNTOWN BAR, Letterkenny, Ireland

28/08/97 : MARY-ANNE HOBBS session, 'Breezeblock', BBC Radio 1
Set-list : My Favourite Muse / The Clearing / One Day, After School / Girls Of Summer
Broadcast live.

13/09/97 : The WATER RATS, London, UK
Set-list : A Cunt's Trick / One Day, After School / Drug Song For Paula / Soaps / The Clearing / Kate Moss / Girls Of Summer / The First Big Weekend. (incomplete setlist)
Also playing were Velocette and The Clientele.

17/09/97 : "INTERCITY CRAWL", London, UK
18/09/97 : "INTERCITY CRAWL", Manchester, UK
19/09/97 : "INTERCITY CRAWL", Glasgow, UK
28/09/97 : NICE N SLEAZY, Glasgow, UK

29/10/97 : CAMDEN DINGWALLS, London, UK
Set-list included One Day After School / Girls Of Summer
Supported by Dawn Of The Replicants and David Holmes. Melody Maker and the NME both did reviews which you can read below.

30/11/97 : The ARCHES, Glasgow, UK [supporting Mogwai]

Start of UK tour
01/12/97 : The ROADHOUSE, Manchester, UK
02/12/97 : TJ's, Newport, UK
03/12/97 : The CONCORDE, Brighton, UK
04/12/97 : The CRYPT, Hastings, UK
05/12/97 : The LOUISIANA, Bristol, UK
06/12/97 : The POINT, Oxford, UK
08/12/97 : ARTS CENTRE, Norwich, UK
09/12/97 : PRINCESS CHARLOTTE, Leicester, UK
10/12/97 : The LABOUR CLUB, Cambridge, UK
11/12/97 : FLAPPER & FIRKIN, Birmingham, UK
12/12/97 : JOSEPH'S WELL, Leeds, UK

15/12/97 : NICE 'N' SLEAZY, Glasgow, UK
Set-list included Packs Of Three / Blood
Random Comment : "Now, Arab Strap were good that night but because they are Arab Strap they're still rubbish. But rubbish in a good way. You need to hear them to know what I mean. Towards the end Brendan O'Hare was called up for a quick Brendan vs Strap scenario, which was ummm... edifying." This gig was the source for the Live 7" which was on sale during the '98 Philophobia tour.

16/12/97 : The ATTIC, Edinburgh, UK
End of UK tour

27/12/97 : The TOWN HALL, Manchester, UK - supporting Belle & Sebastian

[end of 1997 gigography]