5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine (artwork above), the poignant 2002 debut from Malcolm Middleton, is set for reissue with bonus material through Chemikal Underground in June this year.
Since this first solo offering, Middleton – formerly of legendary Scottish duo Arab Strap – has been celebrated as a talented songwriter in his own right, producing four more well-received albums, and last year adopting the Human Don’t Be Angry moniker for another project.
5:14… established his penchant for soul-baring yet colloquial and grimly humourous lyrics, and ultimately seemed to be an act of exorcism for the performer: "I suppose hitting rock bottom and going through the common-or-garden, late-20s-life-crisis helped me lose those inhibitions and just go for it. The album was an expression of hopelessness which, paradoxically, ended up creating the very sense of hope I had been lacking in the first place."
"It also connected with a lot of listeners who had perhaps gone through something similar; there was a bonding that took place, a feeling of camaraderie at gigs. Hope appears when there is nowhere left, or lower, to go: 5:14… dwells there."
Have a watch of the album cut ‘Devil & The Angel’ below:
Malcolm Middleton also has an upcoming UK tour, on the dates below:
APRIL
Mon 29 – Electric Circus, Edinburgh
Tue 30 – The Cluny 2, Newcastle
MAY
Wed 1 – The Railway, Winchester
Thu 2 – South Street Art Centre, Reading
Fri 3 – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Sat 4 – Dalston Victoria, London
Sun 5 – Adelphi, Hull
Mon 6 – The Harley, Sheffield
Tue 7 – The Duchess, York
Wed 8 – Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy
