Falkirk band Brògeal on their debut album 'Tuesday Paper Club' • Interview • DIY Magazine

Scottish quintet Brògeal have been called a lot of things. Drawing inspiration from legendary Celtic folk bands, the indie-rock of their formative years, and the various punk outfits that slowly became Brògeal themselves, collectively they’ve created an addictively enigmatic personality.

Their previous EPs, 2023’s ‘Dirt & Daydreams’ and its self-titled 2024 follow-up, portrayed a band made invincible by friendship, pints of stout, and an unending desire to have a good time. Their debut album - this month’s ‘Tuesday Paper Club’ - contains the electric and anthemic trad-folk that made them such an exciting prospect, but with an added level of nuance, vulnerability, and versatility that all goes to prove Brògeal will be no flash in the pan.

“It’s all felt so natural,” co-lyricist Aidan Callaghan says, reflecting on his experiences thus far. “The first EP was self-produced, then we were thrown into a big shiny studio, and on this one we went on a remote retreat in an even bigger studio; it feels like we’re growing in a sustainable way and we’re pure excited for it.”

Brògeal are a band that were made on the road, in full-to-the-brim pubs and clubs, so it was only natural to record their debut full-length in a way that replicated their infectious live energy. Taking a catalogue of tunes and adding a layer of inspiration from their rural Scotland recording session, they created a record tied authentically to their journey. “We spend a lot of time together on tour, so we needed to be isolated and close-knit to recreate those conditions,” drummer Luke Mortimer explains, “it was extremely bliss to be honest.”

“I don’t know if I’d say it was bliss!” Aiden retorts. “It took a crazy amount of brain power, so I was a bit stressed out, but we trusted the process and created the exact album we wanted to make in the way we wanted to make it.”

“We could have easily made an album of fast, party songs, but we wanted to keep people on their toes.”

— Aidan Callaghan

While the album’s title track, an ode to regulars at a Falkirk pub, and other potential anthems - such as heavy-nighter ‘One For The Ditch’ and barn-storming closer ‘Lonesome Boatman’ - get the blood pumping in the bombastic Brògeal way, there is an equal amount of tenderness injected throughout the record, most clearly laid out in the delicate ‘Scarlet Red’, ‘Apples and Leaves’, and the soft-yet-heartbreaking tale of paternal loss, ‘Go Home Tae Yer Bed’.

“We could have easily made an album of fast, party songs, but we wanted to keep people on their toes and show them what’s coming next,” Aidan notes. Luke nods in agreement. “All five of us digest so much art, history, and knowledge that we wanted to take everything we’ve learned and put it on the record. We can’t settle, we wanted to keep it broad and capture what we were feeling at the time - who knows what the next album is going to sound like.”

Irrespective of where the band go next, their sense of Scottish pride will remain at their heart. At a time when Britishness has been hijacked and weaponised, Brògeal are determined to use their Celtic heritage to unite rather than divide. “We would always say we were Scottish before saying we were British,” Aidan clarifies, “but want to bring our sound and cultural identity to the table in a unifying way - and we want people to share their culture with us because that’s what makes the world go round. It’s all about peace, love, and friendship.”

As Brògeal blossom into a band set to fulfil their massive potential, their intentions are clear. In Aidan’s words, “we want to be the best band in the world, but we’re not killing ourselves with the pressure of it.”

‘Tuesday Paper Club’ is out now via Play It Again Sam.

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