Hailing from Scotland, and pursuing melodious, riff friendly pop-rock, popup is coming to town for our beloved SXSW music festival. Their latest single, “Chinese Burn” has been blazing feverishly on our playlists lately but we would like to stop short in trying to sell them as the next big thing from across the pond, especially since NME (Issue dated 27.1.07) recently stated that Babyshambles would like popup to tour with them. And having Pete Doherty as a fan has gotta mean something these days. So we decided to find out what tickles their fancy, and Damian Gilhooly was kind enough to oblige. Also, last we checked, they are looking for more shows in town during the week of SXSW so holler ya’ll.

Share a story about a visit to Austin or a previous trip to SXSW.

In 2005, I lived in Austin for a few months. I have family out there who helped me get some work and a place to stay. The city is amazing. I used to spend my days cycling about in the sweltering heat visiting quirky little places like Antone’s record store, Barton Springs, and the Hideout coffee shop / theatre on Congress. I worked nights as a doorman at Fado Irish Bar on 4th, which was ridiculous because I had to ask for ID from people 15 years older than me and nobody could understand a word I was saying anyway. I lived in a house in east Austin with a band called the Black Angels who are now doing amazingly. I just got their debut album Passover and it’s brilliant. A fantastic town: great music, art, culture and people. SxSW is going to be an experience, no matter what.

Is SXSW still fun if most of the people watching you play are industry?

Good question. It depends how drunk they are, and how much you really care. For me, SxSW is an experience. The industry is a bit too fickle to allow yourself to be bothered by it. I just love writing songs with my friends, recording them, putting them out, then playing shows to different people. That’s what I’m excited about. Hopefully all the Scottish bands will support each other as well, so we can just make the showcases seem like wee gigs at the 13th Note in Glasgow.

What music are you looking forward to in 2007? At SXSW specifically?

Chemikal Underground Records are soon to release an album where leading Scottish musicians have put music to poems by famous Scottish poets. I’m really looking forward to that. I’ll just wait and see what I come across though. At SxSW I’m looking forward to seeing how a lot of the Scottish bands get on. There’s a whole bunch of us going out so it should be a scream. I’m probably most looking forward to Malcolm Middleton, Emma Pollock, and My Latest Novel, all of whom are amazing. I’d like to see what Badly Drawn Boy is up to as well. I hope to be moved by music I’ve never heard anything like before though. That would be a real benefit to traveling so far.

How do your parents describe your music to people?

I’m not entirely sure. They usually just make their friends go buy our singles. The words ‘messy’ and ‘Scottish’ probably come up, but I’m not sure I could even describe it myself. Hopefully when we hear our finished album back we’ll have a better idea of what we sound like. It’s been odd so far because none of our songs sound much like each other and we’ve been recording in different places, so different engineers can do different things with our sound. My mum and dad seem proud though, which is enough for me.

What do you never want to see inside a tortilla?

Mushrooms or eggs. I can’t stand either. I’d probably rather find a finger.

BBQ or Tacos? Margaritas or beer? Parties or distro deal?

If these are the only problems we have in Texas, I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’re heading over for a few weeks so hopefully we can keep everyone happy.

Is rock and roll dead?

No. Yes. Ehm, I’m not sure I understand the question. People still play rock’n’roll, but I suppose the real question is whether anybody’s any good at it these days? That’s certainly not up to me.

popup: [official site] [myspace]

Popup will play various gigs in town during SXSW week, including their official show at the Whiskey Bar on March 14th.

Poster provided by popup.