Only 700 copies of the single were pressed.
Which isn’t many considering Steve Lamacq described it as the greatest record of the 1990s. You may recognise it from an advertisement for Guinness. You may also recognise the Pixies from an iPhone commercial. Either way, I’m sorry.
It is difficult to describe just how properly good this record is. Just as it is difficult to categorise it by genre. “Neo-folk” perhaps – but folk in a sense of music for real people about real people’s lives. About as far from Mumford and Chums as you can get.
Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton formed Arab Strap in 1996, dedicating themselves to drinking a lot, taking a lot of E and writing a lot of dark, but humourous ditties. First Big Weekend was their first single and their best. Here, through spoken word, an acoustic guitar and an intense drum track, Arab Strap sweep us through three days of getting high with mates, dancing with ugly birds and watching The Simpsons. And Lamacq was probably right.