Star Quality

Joe McAlinden started his band career with Scottish noiseniks BMX Bandits, who are best remembered for their hit 'Kylie s Got A Crush On Us'. The band fragmented into various different groups who have collectively left a lasting impression on the landscape of indie pop in the last decade namely Teenage Fanclub (Norman Blake), The Soup Dragons (Sean Dickson / Sushi) and Captain America latterly Eugenius (Eugene Kelly).

While his former bandmates were forming bands left, right and centre, Joe sent a "one-song rattly tape" to a certain music mogul who answers to the name Alan McGee. McGee sent back #3,000 and asked Joe to make an album. Joe has been quoted as saying there was never any contract with Creation "I saw it more as a consolation prize, it's like 'Aye you're all right, but I wouldn't sign you. Now go away'." Which he did, using a collection of musicians he'd recruited having seen them live in and around Glasgow. The first album was entitled Greatest Hits Vol One. This was 1992, and the band was Superstar.
September 2000 and Superstar are preparing to unleash their fifth full length studio opus Phat Dat, preceded by a swoonsome orchestral pop masterpiece of a single called 'I Love Love'.
Like a lot of Superstar's material, much of the album has been recorded in Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin. Joe loves the duality and bi-location of writing and recording in both Glasgow and Dublin.
"Aye, there is definitely something very similar in the spirit of both cities, the way people warm to you... to be honest it s impossible to say exactly what it is. We always rent an apartment over here when we are recording and it ends up being fairly reasonable and cost effective, or least cheaper than a hotel. We are not that rock n' roll when it comes to lavish indulgences!"
Coming from a city that boasts a host of internationally renowned acts and musicians (most of whom Joe has either played with or knows!), you would think that relocating lock, stock and barrel to the Dirty Old Town wouldn't be necessary.
"Seriously, there isn't a studio as good as Windmill anywhere in Glasgow!" exclaims Joe. "Windmill is so good because it has such an amazing live room. That and you can gaze out the window at the bus depot and count the buses!"
With the album done and dusted and currently being stacked on shelves, Superstar have adopted a far more novel approach to playing live with their Phat Dat Club.
"We wanted to do something different, so we decided to have a go at staging a club night in these Botanical Gardens in a greenhouse," explains Joe. "We sorted out all the planning and permission details with the local council, who were fine with it as long as there wasn't any trouble. The first night went brilliantly and we played two live sets with DJs before, in between and afterwards. It was such a success that we did another one. Any Botanical Gardens around Dublin by any chance?"
Believe me, I'm on the case!

Phat Dat and 'I Love Love' are both out now on Camp Fabulous.