What if history had a soundtrack? Meet The Tenementals, a rock band made up of Glasgow-based academics, musicians and artists who are reimagining the city’s history, boldly attempting to seize moments of Glasgow's radical past and blast them into the future.

 “What would history look like, feel like, smell like if it were created by a band?” asks Frontman David Archibald, who is also Professor of Political Cinemas at the University of Glasgow.

The band’s 2024 debut album “Glasgow: A History”, lays bare the history of a unique city, weaving diverse narratives, from men who died fighting fascism in the Spanish Civil War to militant Suffragettes of the early 20th century. It explores the 1820 Radical War, Glasgow's complex relationship with Empire and slavery, and celebrates the city's culture of pleasure and excess.

Professor Archibald said: “The Tenementals is a wild research project. Some of the band members are academics and it’s got one foot in the University. But it has another foot in the city’s vibrant music community. For a project like The Tenementals to have a life, to breathe, it has to move to its own beat and be run on the logics of a rock band. That’s the only way that The Tenementals can be alive.”

https://youtu.be/xuU_XSQjBS4?si=k-JGKOXSEEmaILU2

The album is available for pre-order as a limited edition 12” black vinyl with gatefold sleeve (£25) or digital download (£7) via Strength in Numbers Records

The Tenementals’ album features:

  • Bob Anderson – drums
  • David Archibald – vocals
  • Jessica Argo - cello/theremin
  • Sophie Askew – harp
  • Ronan Breslin – keys
  • Jen Cunnion – vocals
  • Mark Ferrari – bass guitar/vocals
  • Therese Martin – vocals
  • Sarah Martin – vocals
  • Olivia McLean – cello
  • Simon Whittle – guitars/vocals

The Tenementals: Glasgow: A History (Vol. I of VI) was recorded at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow by Ronan Breslin, and mixed/mastered by Johnny Smillie.

First published: 19 December 2024

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