Ali and Billy Strange are cousins from Glasgow’s East End. Together they are Acting Strange. Despite their name, there is little ‘acting’ or pretence emanating from the duo. Making raw lo-fi guitar music but never deviating too far from their pop sensibilities – the pair embody the spark of a young Lee Mavers and the more playful (less heroin-y) Velvets tracks. The relationship between the two blossomed when they would spend their summers together working with their uncle Gabby in his taxidermy workshop in Oban. During breaks, he would teach them how to play guitar & a variety of other instruments (often resulting in missed orders). These summers contributed heavily to the band’s then breezy melodic sound. Sadly, their Uncle passed away in January 2015. Billy and Ali - equipped with their Tascam 8-track, travelled back to his old workshop, 2 weeks before it was pulled down and recorded their debut EP there. The bands first gig was supporting Ezra Furman at his sold out Glasgow show in Broadcast. They have also shared the stage with Blank Realm and performed at Glasgow's Tenement Trail and Stag and Dagger Festivals. Now with their debut album ‘TALK TALK TALK', we find the band following on from their critically acclaimed debut EP 'Night on the Tiles' - which gained support from the likes of Line Of The Best Fit, Clash Magazine, DIY/NEU and Impose Magazine, with a more rambunctious and focused sound, partially inspired by sharing stages with fellow subvert Ezra Furman. 'TALK TALK TALK' was completed over two weeks between shifts in a converted shed in East Kilbride (the band's hometown), after a burst water pipe saw them evacuate their Glasgow base early on in the recording process. Self-produced on a Tascam 8-track, the Strange boys opted to embrace its limitations by going for a "straight to the point" organic sound, taking cues form the likes of The Pixies, Courtney Barnett and 70's Glam. The songs vary from the defiant stomp of 'Save Me' to the chilled out, folk lilt of 'Wrong Desires' and the anthemic melodrama of 'Start it Over'. Acting Strange have created a record that keeps one eye on the past and the other looking forward.
