IN THE late 90s, Andrew Montgomery and his band Geneva were riding high on the indie pop wave, chalking up Top 40 hits, playing festivals, winning plaudits from critics and music fans alike - and then it all came to an abrupt end.

Fans of the soaring-voiced Scots singer-songwriter will breathe a sigh of relief, therefore, to hear he is back with a solo album and a short tour, which comes to King Tut's tomorrow.

But where the heck has he been?

"You could sum it up in three words, I guess - 'real life intervened'," grins Andrew, who grew up in East Kilbride. "And here's another - 'didn't have confidence'…"

The "bruising experience" that was Geneva's second album had a lot do with that dip in confidence.

"The way Geneva ended was a shame - we went out with a whimper rather than a bang," Andrew adds.

"The second album took too long - three sets of producers, nine or 10 studios and by the time we did come back, it felt a little like Coldplay and Travis and the like had stolen our clothes.

"And of course, you want to keep things going, but other things get in the way, like having to work and pay bills - I'm ruled by dreams, but I can't eat my dreams."

Ruled By Dreams is the name of the new album, with single Sorry Someday already getting played by everyone from Graham Norton on Radio Two to 6 Music's Chris Hawkins.

It's a marvellous mix of torch songs, space gospel and electro pop, with a wee nod to the indie pop rush of Geneva's heyday thrown in too.

The album has already won rave reviews - our sister newspaper The Herald described it as "a precious kaleidoscopic jewel taking Montgomery from melancholy to merriment.. from samba rhythms to Smiths' guitar squeals and back again."

But it has been a long time in the making.

"After Geneva, I was doing a bit of writing, a bit of singing and a lot of hoping but that's nothing like actually doing it," smiles Andrew, who now lives in Hove and works in London.

"Especially for someone like me - I'm a bit of a dreamer, rather than a go-getter, to be honest. I was in a band called Amityville for a while and we released a single, but nothing really came of it - and then, about seven years ago, Sean McGhee got in touch."

Respected producer and songwriter Sean, who has worked with acts as diverse as Alison Moyet and Britney Spears, had been a big fan of Geneva and when he heard through a mutual friend that Andrew was at a loose end, he was keen to get the ball rolling again.

"When someone of Sean's pedigree has faith in you it does make you think that maybe I can do this again," says Andrew.

"And the other thing that inspired me was the reaction on social media. It was amazing - so much spontaneous contact from people who had loved Geneva really encouraging me and saying such nice words. It was very comforting."

Andrew is feeling good about touring again - especially to his home city.

"There is something special about Glasgow," he smiles. "King Tut's is a brilliant venue. It's my people and I am really looking forward to coming back.

"In some ways, it does feel like I've never been away - a bit like muscle memory, you know? But it has changed too - I have changed."

He grins: "I'm older, for a start. I suppose it's a bit more reflective - less youthful optimism, not so much bluster. I think as you get older you're less afraid to show a sensitive side. And it has been a tough couple of years."

A whirlwind romance, which led to marriage and a move to Gran Canaria, ended in a difficult break-up.

"I don't regret any of it, but I'm sorry and sad it ended that way," he says. "But I suppose if anything good did come out of it, it was that I was able to make some sense of it by writing songs.

He adds: "I've been pretty lucky and I'm really grateful for all the help I've had along the way. It's a real thrill to hear the single played on the radio and because we're doing it ourselves - no record company - it's all the more special."

l Andrew Montgomery, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Saturday, £9