Family affair for The Rails as they head to Glasgow

The daughter of folk greats Richard and Linda Thompson, the singer has just released a new album with her band the Rails – where she teams up with her husband, Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne.

“When you first start seeing someone there’s always that element of staying up late and chatting, and we’d play song ideas to each other,” recalls Kami.

“We liked the way our voices sounded together and it was easy to play guitar together, so it just grew from there. We kept not annoying each other, basically, and it went into being a band, maybe about six months after we started going out.”

And meeting her partner was all down to her mum.

“My mum actually introduced us, which was a bit weird after her always going on over the years about how she didn’t like my boyfriends,” laughs the singer.

“I think it means she wins in the end which is annoying, but he was playing in a session for her, and we met then, although nothing came of it at the time. We reconnected a little later on as we’re both in London, we ended up at a gig and made out, and that was it…”

That led to both marriage and the Rails first album, Fair Warning, which was partly produced by Scottish music great Edwyn Collins. Three years later they’re back with a second record, Other People, which is a different beast to their debut entirely.

If their first record was a more traditional folk album, Other People put electric guitar at the forefront, with an emphasis on a heavier sound.

“It was definitely a conscious thing,” explains Kami.

“With the first record we wanted to make more of a folk album. When we first met, I was playing electric guitar all the time and James was heavy too, so it seemed nice to do something that was a little different, and we really enjoyed doing that, but we’ve reverted to type now.”

The album was recorded in the space of a week in Nashville, born out of a desire to get things done quickly. When it comes to writing songs, however, the pair couldn’t be more different.

“It’s funny how the songs worked, because some people have a more balanced way of writing. James will sit down every day of the week and play on things, while I’m horribly disorganised, and basically lock myself away a couple of times a year to throw up some songs.

“It’s only after I’m done that I really see how they fit into things. We’re different as writers in that sense but in life he’s a mess and I’m really on top of everything!”

However one aspect of promoting a new record that doesn’t appeal to Kami is having to use social media to announce everything. The singer prefers the days when there was a bit of mystery about what musicians were like…

“Every bit of information about a musician you had to eke out in the past, which I really loved,” she says.

“It was so exciting to find out something about a singer, a bit sexy. I don’t think there’s anything sexy about music anymore.”

Next up is a trip to Scotland, where they’ll play King Tut’s on Monday night. They then return later in the year, with James pulling double duty as they support the Pretenders at the Royal Concert Hall on October 1.

“My mum’s side of the family are all there, so I’ll get to see them,” says Kami.

“I’m hoping that some of them will be at the gig. Plus, if you dropped me in Sauchiehall Street I could walk in about 15 minutes to my favourite pubs. Oh, and I love that you can always get a good curry in Glasgow.

“I sound like such a bloke, don’t I? Beer and curry and I’m happy…”

The Rails, King Tut’s, Monday, £12, 8.30pm