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I recently caught up with local band The Clock for a chat and to discuss their future plans. This has got to be the most entertaining interview I've ever done.

When I asked, “How did the band form?” the guys told me Calum and Robbie had previously been working together but the band really came into its own when Matt joined in the summer of 2009. Explaining the background to their choice of name they said “We wanted something simplistic; akin to The Smiths or The Cure: something short and easy to remember”.

I wondered where the band found their inspiration and if anyone in particular influenced their music & lyrics or style. Calum told me “We have so many inspirations, especially musically. The bands that have probably influenced us most are Radiohead, Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad”. They are especially influenced by Scottish music and “Lyrically, it’s more elevated artists such as Peter André and Darius which influence us”. In reference to their style they said, “We don’t really have one, we just wear clothes”.

The Clock released their eponymous debut EP in 2010, and a follow up EP called ‘2’ in 2011. When asked about their plans for the rest of the year Matt told me “We have a gig in Nice n' Sleazy's on the 29th of this month; we've got some fun plans including free downloads, wristbands, and general partying”.

The guys went on to tell me about their best and worst gigs. “We had bags of fun at our last gig in King Tuts supporting King Charles; Matt came back from Prague to play the gig so it was pretty special”. For the worst gig Robbie said, “We were supposed to be playing a gig in a bar called Pivo Pivo in Glasgow. However it was double booked by the promoter and it got moved to another venue called Cosmopol. However, no one was there so we were pretty much playing to no one”.

I asked the guys “If you could be in another band, who would it be and why?” They responded saying "We’ve always had a soft spot for the Cheeky Girls, because we’re all cheeky girls”.

They told me their list for the line up at a Fantasy Festival “would be too extensive. As a rough idea; Arcade Fire, Elbow, Radiohead, Frightened Rabbit, Pulled Apart By Horses, Muse, Battles…”

As far as getting into trouble whilst gigging the guys say “We’ve never really had any major problems; there’s been a few time where minor mishaps have occurred; leads getting pulled out, pedals malfunctioning, drunkenness etc…”

I’m always keen to find out which artists bands are excited about at the moment, both locally and internationally. Matt told me, “Locally, there’s so many good bands coming out of Glasgow; Bronto Skylift, Admiral Fallow, Three Blind Wolves, Take a Worm For a Walk Week, but to name a few”. Calum added, “Outwith Scotland, as an example, there’s a brilliant new band called Young Legionnaire, made up of members of Bloc Party and The Automatic. Brilliant stuff!”

Their advice to local bands is, “Try play as little as possible in East Kilbride and as much as possible in Glasgow and other cities in Scotland, then try playing a few down south. Also, where you can, avoid having to go through a promoter to get a gig in Glasgow, it’s much better to sell tickets for a gig when you get all the profit instead of having to give the bulk of it to a promoter who does nothing to promote the gig”.

To round things off Matt told me, “Get someone to represent the band, even if it's just a friend pretending they're a manager when contacting venues/record companies etc. There's nothing more professional than pretending to be professional”.

Get along to their gig at Sleazy's on 29th December. The Clock's Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/theclockuk.