100 Greatest Songs of the 00’s #27 Glasvegas – Geraldine

Released: 2008

There’s nothing fancy about the border between Scotland and England; marked on the motorways by a sign or two, there are no checkpoints, no passports, no random stop and searches made whilst looking down the barrel of a gun.

And yet the divide arguably is huge. Whilst many Scottish bands spent most of the twentieth century anglicising themselves – mainly for the benefit it has to be said of American audiences as opposed to those due south – the next fostered a wave of acts proud of their heritage but also happy to be free with their influences and accents. Following on from the likes of Biffy Clyro, Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad, Glasvegas brought with them a gallus front culturally rooted in their home city of Glasgow.

None other than Alan McGee was left to declare the quartet “A cross between The Jesus and Mary Chain and the Ronettes,” whilst their self titled debut album went gold and for a time, their momentum seemed unstoppable. It’s magnificent centrepiece was Geraldine, a song about unconditional, non-judgemental support for the afflicted that sounded like a Weegie Clash if they’d gone ultra pop. Nobody from London could’ve made it – and the case for rebuilding the old wall got that bit shriller all over again.