The Amphetameanies

The Amphetameanies

The Amphetameanies are a ska band from Glasgow, active since 1996 and often shortened to the Meanies. They are a nine-piece group, and the line-up is given as Jane on vocals, Stan on vocals, Joel on drums, John Disco on guitar, Gordy on bass, Helen on keys, Mick on trumpet, James on sax and Lindsey on trombone. The group includes Jane Chalmers and Mick Cooke among its members.

They release material on singles and EPs as well as albums. Their albums include Right Line In Nylons and Now! That's What I Call... The Amphetameanies. They also have a third album in progress, provisionally titled Revenge of the Meanies, with tracks from those sessions appearing on later singles.

Among their single releases are a double A-side of “Good One Go” and “Nothing’s OK”, and another double A-side pairing “Be Yourself” and “Another Train”. The latter recordings come from sessions at Belle and Sebastian’s Banchory Studios in Glasgow.

Alex Kapranos plays an important part in the band’s history. Before Franz Ferdinand, he plays guitar for the Amphetameanies and co-writes material for their first album, with some songs carrying over to the second. After he leaves, John Disco takes his place on guitar. Kapranos and John Disco later share guitar duties at a secret performance in rural Dumfriesshire to mark Kapranos’s birthday.