INVERNESS fivesome Schnarff Schnarff are one of Scotland's fastest rising bands - and they reckon it's all down to arguing with each other

INVERNESS fivesome Schnarff Schnarff are one of Scotland's fastest rising bands - and they reckon it's all down to arguing with each other

The group, who are now partly based in Glasgow, will play King Tut's Wah Wah Hut this Sunday as part of the venue's Summer Nights series of shows.

And the Thundercats referencing rockers are one of the most promising acts playing the bash, mixing up grunge rock heaviness with danceable pop melodies.

Having been pals for years, the band can be blunt with each other when required.

"We can be very honest with each other," says singer Myles Bonnar. "There's a lot of arguments in the band and we discuss everything, but that makes it easier to write. We find it's really beneficial to air our grievances and get everything sorted out."

It's under a year since the quintet - Myles, guitarists Richard Douglas and Andrew 'Turtle' MacLean, bassist Brian Farquhar and drummer Jamie Douglas - played their first ever gig as Schnarff Schnarff, in a support slot at Tut's.

Four of the group had previously attended the same school in Inverness and played in bands together during their teens.

They originally called themselves Bi-Polar Bear, only to be forced into a change after discovering that name was already taken by a Chicago rapper.

But soon tracks like Urrgh and Fear were helping the lads make a name for themselves in their own right.

"When we put a track up on YouTube it just seemed to trigger one thing after another," says Myles.

"It's been very quick, and you want to keep building that momentum, so we're not going to rest on our laurels."

There's no doubting the group's commitment to the cause, either, as they've not let work or the fact they now live in different cities stop their progress, which saw them release a self-titled EP earlier this year and be championed by DJs like Edith Bowman and Huw Stephens.

"Me and Turtle have always been based in Glasgow, but Richard's had to move to London for a short period of time, which is an unbelievable commitment for him to still be travelling to rehearsals," explains Myles.

"The others are based between Glasgow and Inverness and travel for it. It's been hard going but we've managed it - we take our holidays in big blocks and use that as practice time."

Now they're keen to return to Tut's on Sunday for their gig as headliners there, as part of Summer Nights.

The summer series of gigs kicks off tonight with the Calm Fiasco headlining, and will continue on most nights through untill July 27.

WHEN we were younger we used to travel to Glasgow for gigs and we saw a few at King Tut's," adds Myles.

"We never even dreamt that we'd get to play there, and our debut gig ended up at King Tut's last August. Getting a headline show less than a year later is really good."

It's also a testament to the hugely promising songs the band have unveiled, with reference points being Biffy Cltro, Nirvana and Idlewild.

While the group all have experience in other bands, they feel that Schnarff Schnarff (a play on both 80s toys Thundercats and Inverness being known as the Schneck) has seen everything fall into place.

"We were also dedicated to music before in other bands, but life just seems to get in the way with university, work and things like that," says the singer.

"It can dilute your idea of what to do, but when we became Schnarff Schnarff things just because so much easier with writing and committing to it.

"We wrote songs for a year before even gigging and the fact King Tut's took a chance on booking us last year meant a lot to us."

l Schnarff Schnarff, King Tut's, Sunday, £6.50, 8.30pm