An edited version of a tale previously told on this blog back in June 2020.
“So I glance at this single in a box in a shop in Glasgow. £2.50 for a split effort between a band called The Blisters and occasional TVV favourites Urusei Yatsura. Never heard of the main band and certainly not that sure if I’ve ever heard this particular track by Urusei Yatsura. Oh it’s on red vinyl…..but £2.50?? What if it’s a total dud??? Do I really want to waste my cash.
You’ll know that those last two sentences never even entered into my head when I saw this piece of vinyl. I’m a saddo for things like this….
This mysterious mob called The Blisters. On first listen…..it sounds awfully familiar…the spiky guitars and that voice…..awfully like one of the most successful bands to come out of Glasgow in the 21st Century. But this is from 1995, which is some eight years prior to the debut single from gthe band I’m thinking about, so it can’t possibly be. Let’s hit wiki…..
Fuck me.
Alex Kapranos (born Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley, 20 March 1972 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire) is a UK based musician who is the lead singer and the guitarist of the Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand. From the early 1990s, he was a fixture of the Glasgow music scene, running live nights at the 13th Note, most notably The Kazoo Club. While working as a chef, bartender, lecturer in IT at the city’s Anniesland College, and other various jobs, he played in some of Glasgow’s popular bands, including The Blisters (later known as The Karelia), long-standing ska stalwarts The Amphetameanies, Quinn (now known as A Band Called Quinn) and The Yummy Fur. He is also known to have contributed to Urusei Yatsura and Lungleg recordings.
And sure enough this track was composed by A Huntley and The Blisters:-
mp3 : The Blisters – A Dull Thought In Itself
Now, I know it’s not a hugely valuable piece of plastic in itself, but the fact it’s one of the earliest recordings by someone who many years later became incredibly famous makes it well worth the £2.50 that I handed over…..
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
The Blisters = Franz Ferdinand, mark 1.
The Karelia = Franz Ferdinand, mark 2.
Franz Ferdinand = a combination of the above.
I saw The Blisters more times than was sensible. A week ago, this very day a good friend and I reminisced about our Kazoo club, 99p club and other club nights that allowed us to see up to 20 bands a week (in my case) and over 20 bands a week (in his case).
I was at the launch night for this single, which I still have. Leaving Urusei Yatsura to one side (always a difficult thing to do) the Kazoo club, as far as I am concerned had two artists in residence, The Blisters and The Poison Sisters. The latter probably played more regularly than any other band.
The Blisters: Alex, Tom, Glen, Hubby and guest singer Tracy knew how to garner attention. These are the days when Hubby and Glenn had extremely long, lank hair that sat rather incongruously with their pin striped suits – but it worked. A uniform – something that Alex used to great effect with Franz Ferdinand. Tracy was very much a chanteuse – she still is (still playing live) – and would join for a rendition of Fever and the less chanteuse-y Blister In The Sun. She’s possibly better known in the immediate ‘post-scene’ as a member of Dick Johnson with Lung Leg’s Jane and Philippa.
The Blisters were a remarkable live band and I’m forever grateful for being in the right place, at the right time.
Flimflamfan