Reindeer games

There's good news for Reindeer Section fans with Gary Lightbody & Co. about to indulge in another fortnight-long album recording frenzy.

"Gary's going into Glasgow's Ça Va Studio on January 28th with – at last count – 26 different musicians," reveals Bright Star Recordings M.D. Johnny Davis. "Included in that are members of Snow Patrol, Belle & Sebastian, Astrid, Eva, Arab Strap, Alfie, Teenage Fanclub and Eugene Kelly from The Vaselines.

"I've already heard a few snippets and, I tell you what, it's going to be a classic. We'll have the finished masters by the end of February, which means we're looking at a late March, early April release date."

Davis is confident that the opus will be even more successful than the first Section album, Y'All Get Scared Now, Ya Hear!, which is available now in 17 countries.

"We've licensed it to all the usual places – France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Sweden, America – and a few odd ones like Lithuania," he continues. "It's done 25,000 copies in all, which is good going for something that started out as a side-project. We're just finalising a Japanese deal, which will include the band going over there for the Mount Fuji festival."

It's shaping up to be a busy year for Bright Star with new product on the way from The Bettina Motive, Andy Votel's missus Jane Weaver, The Last Post and Corrigan.

"Corrigan is a bloke from Fermanagh – first name Martin – who sounds like the bastard son of Jonathan Richman making love to The Cramps. It's that wild! We're releasing a double A-side 7" in the next couple of months, 'Forget It'/'Astro-Man', which'll be followed by the album he's about to start recording in Chemikal Underground's Glasgow studio."

As soon as Gary Lightbody's had his wicked way with the Reindeer Section, it's full steam ahead on the Snow Patrol front. Although currently deal-less, the band have a number of major labels chasing their signatures, and a heavyweight management deal that should see them spending much of 2003 in the States.

They're also poised to make their first foray into the world of haute couture, with Brazilian designers Marcelo & Laurenzo commissioning a 15-minute version of 'Black And Blue' for an upcoming Rio catwalk show.