TWILIGHT Sad singer James Graham can easily recall the first time he heard the Cure’s Robert Smith cover one of his songs.

“We were in San Francisco and had just finished a gig,” he recalls.

“Andy (MacFarlane, guitarist) had got the track so we all got in the van and listened to it.

"I think we played it five times in a row without speaking to each other because it was just mindblowing.

"He made it sound like a Cure song, which is even more crazy.

“I’ve probably listened to it about a thousand times since then, just to keep telling myself it’s actually happened.

"I was expecting one of Mogwai to pop up and tell me it was all a big joke they’d put on.”

The legendary singer covered the Kilsyth rockers track There’s A Girl In The Corner, from their instant classic last record Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave.

Now the ties between the bands are set to get stronger, as the trio have been handpicked to support the Cure next year in both North America and Europe.

That will see the Twilight Sad perform at venues like Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl, something that James can’t quite get to grips with.

“We’re the only support band and will finish 20 minutes before they start, and some of the venues we’re playing are ridiculous,” explains James.

“To have somebody like Robert Smith give us the seal of approval and go out of his way to help us, that’s something we wouldn’t have dared to dream of - the Cure are one of the reasons we started a band.

“He’s been amazing – he’s the guy we’re in contact with, there’s no managers or agents, so it’s Robert that’s been looking out for us.”

Few would begrudge the Twilight Sad their success.

They’ve long been one of Scotland’s best bands, capable of devastating lyrics and enormous walls of noise in equal measure. Yet before the release of the most recent album, the band weren’t sure about their future.

They’d been worn down by the music business and by continual money worries, meaning there was a chance Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave could have been a farewell.

Instead it triumphed, and now they have a sold-out Barrowland date on Saturday, the second time the group will headline the legendary venue.

“I really enjoyed the last gig there, but it didn’t sell out,” reflects James.

“It didn’t make a difference on the night, but that was a case where afterwards we looked at it and thought maybe it would have been the icing on the cake.

"We’d had a hard year that year, and things hadn’t been going well for us.

“This time, to sell out two months in advance was amazing.

"It feels like we’ve earned the right to be there – once you’ve sold out the Barras you’ve joined a special club of local bands.”

Their recent success has meant they’re able to still make music, but they’re not exactly rolling in riches, either.

“We’re still in the back of a van, going from gig to gig and it’s not a glamorous life, but it’s still brilliant to go and play music every night,” adds James.

“We wanted this record to give us the opportunity to make another one, and I think we’re at that point now.”

Speaking of the next album…

“Even though we love the last one, we feel it’s time to move on from it and really push ourselves as far as we can.

“We’re now looking at every album as if it could be the last because that’s how we approached Nobody. It’s about making a record that you can be proud of, although it’s definitely going to be miserable. There’s not going to be a party on it!”

Twilight Sad, Barrowland, Saturday, sold out, 7pm