Belle and Sebastian's Formative Year In the All-Night Café

1994: In a kitchen on Otago Street, Glasgow, a man called Alistair is introducing two musicians.

"Stuart," he says, to neither of them in particular, "this is Stuart."

And in so doing, he changes the course of British popular music, because this occasion counts as the first musical encounter between the two founding members of Belle and Sebastian.

"This charming memoir brings warmth and wit to tales of mixtapes, house shows, and their haphazard path to becoming one of indie rock's greatest acts" ROLLING STONE

"A Story of persistence, luck, happenstance, and talent...more involving than any sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll confessional" PRODUCT MAGAZINE

In this captivating memoir, Stuart David follows the journey of the two Stuart's as they create two early incarnations of the band- Lisa Helps The Blind and Rhode Island- and slowly put together the classic line-up of Belle and Sebastian, rehearsing and recording the songs for their seminal albums Tigermilk and If You're Felling Sinister.

"We meet scattered label heads, and industry types; crash a few ill-fated open mics; and sit in on epic house parties, train rides, and bitterly cold recording sessions...David's prose, light and airy but blessed with a wonderful eye for detail and nuance, interestingly mimics the feel of a Belle and Sebastian song...The book's best moments come when David delves into Stuart Murdoch's creative headspace. David gives great insight into Murdoch's staunch commitment to his musical vision and his polite refusal to settle for anything less" CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND

As well as charting a period in the band's history that has remained, until now, largely undocumented (due to the no interviews policy they initially employed) this book also gives great insight into the recording and release of Tigermilk, and the church hall rehearsals that made If You're Feeling Sinister such a unique and influential record.

"One of the most elegant music memoirs I've read" Matt Thorne