\n \u201cIt\u2019s a record packed full of catchy tracks about all the bad guys you read about in The National every day \u2013 royals, Westminster<\/a> politicians, buy-to-let landlords, Brexit imperialists etc,\u201d said Baird, who is editor-in-chief of The National and Newsquest Scotland\u2019s other titles.\n<\/p>\n \n There is, naturally, a song about Scottish independence<\/a>, called Stick To The Plan.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt\u2019s about Westminster telling Scotland to forget about indyref2, get back in your box, and stars Walter Scott, Vera Lynn, Jim Davidson and Boris Johnson, with some lovely swing drums and violin parts,\u201d Baird said.\n<\/p>\n \n Another called My House is from the perspective of a landlord with a big property portfolio, who\u2019s loving making loads of cash at the expense of those who can\u2019t step onto the housing ladder.\n<\/p>\n \n Baird said the concept gelled after writing the album\u2019s second track, The British Museum, a five-verse short history of the British Empire, told through the lens of the curator and set to a rollicking folk-rock groove.\n<\/p>\n \n \n \u201cI had the line \u2018we\u2019ll take all the world\u2019s problems\/and put them in the British Museum\u2019 kicking about for ages, but I couldn\u2019t figure out what to do with it,\u201d Baird explained.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cI then went along to the museum while on a work trip to London and took a whole bunch of notes as I walked round, which later turned into the song.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cI remember being annoyed that one of the main exhibitions was closed for repairs, so channelled that anger in there too.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWriting that song \u2013 from the perspective of the bad guy \u2013 unlocked the concept of the album and gave me a way to tackle subjects that were more fun to write and perform.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cSomebody called the album \u201812 snarling but melodic songs about the state of modern Britain\u2019. I like that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n READ MORE: UK warship to set sail for Cyprus base in ‘next couple of days’<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \n Having been on the frontline, reporting every twist and turn of massive political stories like Brexit, Baird has a theory that every bad development of the last 10 years can be traced back to George Osborne.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cHe\u2019s like the Thanos of British politics,\u201d he said. \u201cAlthough he\u2019s not actually mentioned by name, his malingering fingerprints are all over the record \u2013 the dark lord of austerity, part-responsible for Brexit, his treasury policy shaped the state of the housing market.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cAnd to cap it all, he\u2019s the chair of the British Museum at the moment, too, bizarrely enough.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n The album\u2019s name was triggered by the controversy over the UK decision to return sovereignty to the Chagos Islands.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cWe read somewhere that when the Chagos Islands are handed over to Mauritius and the UK no longer has any holdings in the Indian Ocean, that the sun will actually set on British territory for the first time since the days of Nelson and Napoleon,\u201d said Baird. \u201cWe had that in our heads \u2013 although it probably won\u2019t happen now.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n \n Produced by Paul McInally at 45-A-Side Recording and pressed at Seabass Vinyl in Edinburgh<\/a>, The Sun Never Sets showcases the band\u2019s eclectic sound, pulling threads of punk, folk, country and indie into a distinctive voice.\n<\/p>\n \n The single also features contributions from Chris Dickie (drums), Willem McKie (guitars, mandolin, banjo), Andy Lucas (piano, organ) and Laura Bissell (violin, viola, backing vocals).\n<\/p>\nA \u2018snarling but melodic\u2019 trip through today\u2019s UK\n<\/p>\n
The return of the Chagos islands sparked inspiration\n<\/p>\n