On the radar: Incrediboy and the Forget-Me-Nots

Published on Wednesday 27 January 2010 17:33

Play: Incrediboy and the Forget-Me-Nots - Cinderella on the green button

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Glasgow's own musical superhero - Incrediboy, and his group of instrument-slinging sidekicks, The Forget-Me-Nots.

"The name came from a woman I saw singing one night in a tiny bar in Glasgow" explains Incrediboy himself - or rather his Clark Kent alter-ego, Christopher Pranks.

"She was singing a song about "indestructaboy" and I thought something better as a name would be incrediboy, and at that point I thought, 'I will be Incrediboy'."

One swift change in a phonebox later, the band which had been Remarkable Rocket and the Jealous Moon Band became Incrediboy and the Forget-Me-Nots.

Their adventures first began a couple of years ago when Christopher, then a frustrated bassist "sick of waiting for guitarists to start writing songs", learned to play guitar and bought an eight-track.

Sourced from scotsman.com/utr

Influenced by Bright Eyes, Elliot Smith, and other such talented wordsmiths, he began writing and recording dreamy, wistful folk pop in his bedroom. "I've always had more of a kinship with words rather than music, and these artist have such an unbelievable grasp of language," Christopher says. "Elliot Smith, in my eyes, is the best musician of our generation. To me he's all four Beatles in one body."

The band is now happily heading in a slightly different direction - with more input from the other members.

"Writing songs is much more of a collaborative experience these days", Christopher says. "Normally I have something in my head for each instrument, but the others are normally on the same page and if not, then the parts they introduce are better than what I've devised.

"We've been described as a folk-pop band with post-rock tendencies before, and I think that's pretty accurate. Recently there's a lot more energy to the songs, they are much more upbeat."

Plans are in place to record an EP in February which Christopher promises will include "a new song, untitled at present but probably the best we've every written."

Their next challenge will be to top their first ever gig - at the Carling Academy with French Wives. "It's yet to be surpassed", says Christopher. "The Wives are a fantastic band, and we've been friends since the start. The success they're enjoying is nothing more than deserved."

Incrediboy and the Forget-Me-Nots play the Captain's Rest on Friday (29 Jan) with Laura Healy and Digital Dinosaur, from 8pm.