They have been Scottish ska stalwarts for the past 18 years – and now the Skarsoles are set to go out with a final bang.

The six-piece play their farewell gig at Ivory Black’s tomorrow, wrapping up a career that first started in 1999.

And they will round things off with the release of a new album, Wake Up, Rise Up.

“Everything seems to be happening at once,” admits their bassist, Dave ‘Chorr’ Orr.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet that it will be the end of the band, but circumstances have dictated it. Jim, our singer, is emigrating to New Zealand in March, which is very exciting for him and we’re all really supportive of him doing that. We’ve not ruled anything out for the future, but at the moment we’re treating it as the final gig.”

Since the group first started out in Greenock at the end of the 90s, they’ve seen band members come and go (Dave is in his second stint, having originally played saxophone), released several albums and established themselves as a pillar of the busy Scottish ska scene.

Dave reckons Wake Up, Rise Up will be a fitting finale for the lads. Although it’s packed with the lively, danceable tunes the band are known for, there’s a political tone running through the release, looking over some of the grim developments seen over the past couple of years.

“We felt we had something to say about the current state of global affairs,” says Dave.

“I suppose there’s been a real development in the band over the years when it comes to writing things like that, so this is more serious than you might expect from the Skarsoles. However not every track on there is like that, there’s still plenty of classic Skarsoles silliness on there too.

“Of course, things are moving so fast that there’s things on there that are out of date – there’s a few lyrical references to David Cameron on there and he’s already disappeared into the night! Something we were aware of was not having too many things are downbeat. There are some quite tragic stories being recounted on there but there’s always going to be jumping about with us.”

Although Scottish music tends to be dominated by either traditional or indie acts, the ska scene has continued to hold its own over the years, with bands like Esperanza, Bombskare and the Amphetameanies going strong.

“It’s a booming scene,” adds Dave, who’s from Paisley.

“I think everybody involved in it would describe themselves as pals. You don’t see a lot of conflict between bands because everybody shows up and supports one another, even unannounced, so you’ll find us in the crowd at the Amphetameanies or Esperanza will come along to see us.”

Having been part of the group for two spells, Dave has been able to enjoy some memorable gigs at home and abroad.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to travel a bit,” he says.

“When I joined the band for the second time, the reason it was quite urgent was because the first thing we had was gigs in Europe. My first gig on bass was in Luxembourg and the second was in Belgium. Obviously that’s a wonderful experience, and twice we’ve performed at the Boomtown fair in Winchester, which is a brilliant festival.

“It’s staggering the way everything is set up there and it’s a magical place to be, it really overwhelms the senses. Being able to be part of that more than once was a huge highlight.”

Some of the band’s alumni are expected to be at the final gig, and Dave admits it should be an emotive send-off.

“There should be a lot of familiar faces there that we haven’t seen for some time. It’ll be good to catch up with everybody – there might not be tears but everyone will be emotional!”

The Skarsoles, Ivory Blacks, Friday, £8, 7pm. Wake Up, Rise Up is available through theskarsoles.bandcamp.com/