JULIE Eisenstein reckons she’s quite a shy person - but her band Tuff Love are making plenty of noise.

The Glasgow duo, who feature Julie on guitar and Suze Bear on bass, are at the Wickerman Festival today.

It’s already been a busy summer for the band, after they played Glastonbury, while they’ll release a third EP of grunge-flavoured pop later this year.

“We met through friends about four years ago, but we’re both quite shy, so we didn’t really talk to each other that much,” recalls Julie.

“I knew she was in a band, and saw them play and thought they were really cool, so eventually I worked up the nerve to ask if she wanted to play together a bit.

"For a long time there wasn’t really a sense that anything was happening, then at some point Suze said ‘do you want to start a proper band?’

“Her previous band had just finished, and once we decided to do that it all really came together.”

The twosome have been a fixture on Glasgow’s music scene ever since, and have clocked up success already. Both their EPs, including this year’s Dross, have had plenty of praise and their mixture of big riffs, biting lyrics and catchy hooks earned them a deal with Lost Map Records, the Scottish label run by folk singer The Pictish Trail.

They’ve also won over comedienne Josie Long, who directed a music video for them.

Now they’re adding some fans, as having supported showgaze experts Ride on their reunion tour earlier this year they’ve just been added to the bill for Paolo Nutini’s massive Bellahouston Park gig in August.

That sums up how the band can cut across pop and rock in equal measure.

“It feels like things are really picking up at the moment,” says Julie, who’s originally from London but now lives in the West End.

“We’ve just finished recording our third EP, so we’re all set to release that and getting loads of gigs arranged, so it’s going well.

"We’ve done the EP at Suze’s house again, and it’s been great fun - we’re really excited about having a new batch of songs, and it should be out in October.”

That self-produced EP continues the band’s DIY ethic, but Julie reckons there’s a few changes on the way.

“It’s got a slightly more psychedelic feel to it, with lots of intricate bass parts and lots of words,” she adds.

“I definitely feel that we finish songs more naturally now, and know where they should go more often.

"Also, I think that you need to get things out your system to move onto the next thing, so we put our heart into everything and then we’re able to progress once we’ve said that.”

Plans down the line include an album, although whether the duo would go into a proper studio for that is another question.

Like with most bands there’s money restrictions, and Julie currently works part-time in a café to pay the bills, before heading off on the next tour.

They’ve already come a long way, though, especially given Julie admitting she was quite shy.

However, she reckons that all the recent experience has helped her become more comfortable performing.

“I’m a lot better at being onstage,” she says.

“I probably still come across as being shy, and so’s Suze, so it usually takes a couple of songs to get comfortable.

"I like a bit of chat though, it makes everything feel more relaxed.

"I have been guilty of staring at my feet sometimes, but I always enjoy when you feel that there’s a connection to a band.”

The two-piece has made some other connections recently, too.

They were involved in last week’s Rock n’ Roll Summer School For Girls, a series of events and workshops aimed at inspiring young girls to pick up an instrument and boost their confidence.

It was a natural fit for Tuff Love.

“When me and Suze started it was noticeable that the other bands we were playing with were all men, and they were nice, but it was still shocking that for ages we were never playing with other girl bands,” says Julie.

“They are about, but it’s harder to be recognised and there needs to be more of them.

"There are a lot of great women musicians, there’s not a shortage, but they can be less accessible because it’s so male dominated and I hope that’s changing.”

Tuff Love play the Wickerman Festival today.