Astrid

Astrid is a UK indie band from Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The group forms around Willie Campbell and Charlie Clark, who meet on the island as children and begin making music together before later moving to Glasgow. Their early sound draws on 1960s garage rock, psychedelic pop and close vocal harmonies.

Early development

Campbell and Clark start experimenting with instruments in barns, garages and sheds on Lewis, playing songs for little more than the island’s wildlife and livestock. In Glasgow they add a rhythm section and begin performing at venues including King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Nice & Sleazy’s and the Halt Bar. Stevie Jackson of Belle & Sebastian hears them there and invites them to support Belle & Sebastian on a UK tour.

Recordings and label work

The band signs to Fantastic Plastic Records in 1998 after meeting the label’s founders, Darrin and Julie Robson, following a London show at the Union Chapel. Its debut album, Strange Weather Lately, is produced by Edwyn Collins and sells 10,000 copies. The band receives radio support from John Peel, Steve Lamacq and Mark and Lard, and tours with artists including The Go-Betweens, Ben Lee, Sean Lennon, Lou Barlow, The Pernice Brothers and Snow Patrol.

Reindeer Section and later activity

In 2001 Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody asks Astrid to become the core band for The Reindeer Section, a Scottish indie supergroup that also includes members of Arab Strap, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub, The Vaselines and Idlewild. The project releases two albums and tours frequently, including a tour of Japan for Summer Sonic 2003.

Astrid releases nine singles, three albums and three EPs before disbanding in 2004. Willie Campbell and Charlie Clark later remain in contact, and in 2015 they meet on Lewis and begin writing together again. They record the fourth Astrid album, Fall, Stand, Dance, in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. The band also releases the Storm Session EP on Wee Studio Records, and the songs “Through the Darkness of Your Life” and “Opposites Meet” appear on No Big Deal Music as a limited 7-inch release.