Shitdisco, along with bands such as the Klaxons, Datarock and Goose, have been hailed as one of the forerunners of the current old-school-inspired indie dance renaissance - Notion caught up with them as they record their debut album in London  following a hugely successful national tour.

The origins of Shitdisco are a classic tale of the sort of student behaviour that make parents shudder and mates from home jealous - all night parties in a Glaswegian tenement with no security, a bring-your-own policy and an in-house band that play till dawn and beyond. Above ground level the floors warped so much it was like dancing on a trampoline and unwanted mattresses were routinely disposed of by setting them alight and launching the flaming mass down to the street below. So infamous were the parties that the house became a mecca for Glaswegian party-goers, "half of Glasgow claims they went to one of those parties" reckons Joel, but it came to a sad yet inevitable end with the threat of a massive lawsuit from the landlord.

So No. 61 was no more but the DIY disco beginnings it spawned gave rise to the band name - their house was literally a shit disco and as Jan points out "if we didn't have that place we probably wouldn't have formed the band." so its place in the band's history is assured. Well almost, but just to be sure they have one final request "We want to get a plaque on the wall outside! A laminated paper plate maybe…anyway, the myth has overtaken the reality of those parties, its one of those things. A friend was walking behind these two girls who were on the way to school in Glasgow after one of the parties and she overheard them saying how they'd heard there was blood on the walls at No.61!"

The regular parties lived on in Glasgow's immense disused railway tunnels with revellers sometimes walking several miles until they heard the hum of the generator and music. Tales of these parties follow a similar theme to those held at No.61, in that everyone seems to know someone who was there, but the concept of having a massive free lash-up with 100 mates in a giant tunnel is a concept totally foreign to Londoners (and pretty much anyone else) which gives the band an essential 'they really used to do that??' factor. However, one unfortunate side-effect of playing a gig in a large tunnel is that the fumes from your generator tend to a hang around and slowly poison you - another hurdle the band had to overcome whilst up in Scotland.

Life changed for the band once they were signed and finished University, they were able to play at slightly more salubrious venues boasting such luxuries as ventilation, mains electricity and a bar - all previously unheard of at a Shitdisco gig. Some months on they've ridden high on a wave of indie dance music during 2006 and played at several massive festivals and some major venues around the UK to thousands of fans, the band have come some way from No.61 and dank Glasgow tunnels to sitting in a plush London recording studio spending some serious cash on recording an album that will undoubtedly follow the sound already established through their currently available material.

From the music played at their early parties and a love of old-school dance came a sound that clearly harks back to the early to mid 90s heyday of dayglo dance music and the themes of rebellion and having a very good time whilst doing the rebelling part. Just as The Prodigy, one of the band's main influences, used the inner sleeve artwork of their Music For The Jilted Generation album to protest against the restrictive Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Shitdisco also have a mild rebellious streak. Their recent single 'Reactor Party' was an ode to underground parties held near disused nuclear reactors in Soviet bloc countries, a swift route to martyrdom in the name of having a good time it might seem but maybe they don't take themselves as seriously as that suggests… "the first record I bought was N-Trance's 'Set You Free' from Our Price with some vouchers I got for Christmas" admits Joel, whilst Joe adds "My first was 'Cotton Eye Joe' by the Rednex…" Some counter-claims involving several slightly more choice examples of 90s dance music follow, the Chemical Brothers and so on, but the sound of Shitdisco is clearly influenced by some of the more popular dance records of the era and is all the better for it.

The album recording sessions have had to wait until they finished a nationwide tour with the Klaxons and Datarock, two bands they have a lot in common with both musically and socially  "It wasn't like a tour really, it was more like a massive party. …everyone getting hammered every night. I think Datarock had done that all a few years before, they're a little bit older. They're really nice guys but a little bit more reserved whereas we went out partying every night but we were all seeing eye-to-eye by the end of the tour. All really nice guys though" remarks Joe, who also reveals a t-shirt bearing the words The Klaxons Are C**s . Pure irony he assures everyone as they're actually planning to collaborate "we're going to do more stuff with the Klaxons - definitely. We've been planning it for ages."

There's also an interesting urban myth that follows the band around - apparently they'd play any free party as long as there's a willing crowd, electricity and enough cold beers to keep them going 'till dawn. So, will they play my front lounge if I give my housemates a tenner to go to the pub and invite all my mates round? Or, rather more charitably, if a Notion reader asked you to play at a party would you do it? Someone might be in luck it seems as Darren explains "it'd have to coincide with something we're doing but yeah. We'd have to be in or near that place, Glasgow or London are always good" and is it like the A-Team - nobody knows quite how to contact you but someone eventually manages? Not at all, "just go on myspace or email us" is the simple answer.  "But Darren's got to heal before we can do it" Joel explains, referring to their drummer's recent and unfortunate accident that resulted in a badly broken arm.

The arm-bending incident occurred after some late-night dancing on top of the tour van, the  dancing wasn't a problem but the dismount was and the band have employed a session drummer to fill in for Darren recently. But to his credit, it was only days since he was released from hospital, he still performed an admirable Bez-style dancer/percussionist role during their recent gig at Kokos in Camden despite his arm being held together by a metal plate and a handful of bolts.

One of the reasons Shitdisco have garnered so many fans during their short lifespan outside of Glasgow is because their music harks back to a time when dance music was fun and care-free. It didn't take itself seriously in the 90s and the sort of DIY spirit that prevailed then is something Shitdisco are keen to carry on, they've played at free parties with The Rapture ("we knocked a gas radiator off the wall and almost caused a huge explosion…we almost wiped out The Rapture, the Klaxons and ourselves in one night" adds Joe) and there's nothing to stop them being as big as their friends from New York. Just turn off the gas before they play in your front room and wave goodbye to your deposit.

www.shitdisco.co.uk

Words: Ben H Murray