PRE-ORDER NOW HERE > OUT 9th MAY 

I’M DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE MY NEW NOVEL, ‘WHEN THE NEEDLE DROPS‘ – THE FIRST IN A NEW ‘MULL MYSTERIES’ CRIME SERIES FEATURING SERGEANT IVOR PUNCH.

It’s the run-up to Christmas, 1998. On the Isle of Mull, Sergeant Ivor Punch is losing himself in his vinyl collection, a tragic anniversary and too much single malt whisky. But news of a missing child soon brings him back to his senses. And as word spreads of more strange disappearances, an aircraft vanishing from the sky and a famous classical musician gone with it, it seems a sinister plot holds the island in its grip.
Punch thought he knew the secrets of this place, its people and stories. Yet as a grisly trail of effigies and clues are discovered, he struggles to untangle past mysteries and find out what’s really happening right under his nose. And time is fast running out for the policeman that locals call ‘The Clock’.
THE NEW MHS ALBUM ‘IN MY MIND THERE’S A ROOM’ IS HERE!
 
Featuring: Nick Hornby, Ian Rankin, Jacqueline Wilson (The Jacqueline Wilson Fan Club), Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead, Val McDermid, Jennifer Clement author, Alan Warner, Sebastian Barry, Stephen Kelman, James Robertson and Jason Mott, Author.
 
Very excited to announce details of my new Mull Historical Society album ‘In My Mind There’s A Room’ -released on 21st July 2023 on Xtra Mile Recordings. It’s a special one this for me, bringing together my worlds of words and music. I reached out to some of my literary favourites, listed above, and asked them to write about a room that has significance to them, and I then wrote the music to their words and recorded the album in a significant room to me: in my ‘Bard of Mull’ poet-bank manager grandfather’s old flat in Tobermory on the isle of Mull which – unbelievably – is now a recording studio! His name was Angus Macintyre, he was a huge inspiration to me and now I’ve recorded 14 songs in the very room where he wrote, where I spent a lot of my childhood and many a ceilidh took place.
 
I am very honoured to have such inspiring words from the writers, a list of Booker-winners, Poet Laureates, Best-sellers & US National Book Award-winners. I’m really proud of the album and I hope you might enjoy entering our rooms. 
 
The cover art is an original painting by John MacLean, Bafta-winning film director, artist and BETA BAND member (cover art posters available).
 
In my mind there are now 14 rooms…
 
Colin

'ARCHAEOLOGY: COMPLETE MHS RECORDINGS 2000-2004' - FEAT. 80-TRACK BOXSET & 36 PAGE BOOKLET + 21st & 20th SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS OF 'LOSS', 'US' & 'THIS IS HOPE' (FOR THE FIRST TIME) REISSUED ON VINYL
OUT NOW! BUY

 ‘LOSS’: 

Originality is at its core. MacIntyre has arrived as if fully-formed. A tartan clad debut of aspiring proportions.” – The Observer 5/5 

US’: 

Tuneful and plaintive pop gems. An Album of the Year contender.” Rolling Stone Magazine 5/5 (Top 75 albums of the year)

THIS IS HOPE’: 

Exceptional. A cacophony of pipe organ, reverb, distorted vocals and dislocated breakbeats; a Beatles ‘Revolution 9’ clad in twisted seam denim. The monolithic closer, ‘In The Next Life (A Requiem)’, is MacIntyre’s ‘Life On Mars.’ — NME 9/10

 ‘ARCHAEOLOGY: COMPLETE MHS RECORDINGS 2000-2004’ – FEAT. 80-TRACK BOXSET & 36 PAGE BOOKLET + 21st & 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS OF ‘LOSS’, ‘US’ & ‘THIS IS HOPE’ (FOR THE FIRST TIME) REISSUED ON VINYL 

OUT NOW! BUY

‘A collection of earworms, heartbreakers, oddities and sublime pop: Colin MacIntyre/MHS set sail musically from his native Mull, arriving seemingly fully formed on our airwaves with unique subject matter for pop songs, yet with timeless resonance and prescient round of applauses for local heroes over global corporations.’ — The List

———————————————————————————

BUY  ‘Wakelines’  on LP, CD, DL – OUT NOW

                                                                                                                                            EJubBtqH_400x400       ITunes_12_logo       amazon-logo_black         Spotify_logo_without_text.svg

Produced by Mercury and Brit Award-winner Bernard Butler

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ANNOUNCING COLIN’S NEW NOVEL – ‘WHEN THE NEEDLE DROPS’ – PRE-ORDER NOW!

ANNOUNCING COLIN’S NEW NOVEL – ‘WHEN THE NEEDLE DROPS’ – PRE-ORDER NOW!

I'M DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE MY NEW NOVEL, 'WHEN THE NEEDLE
Read More
Colin Live on Times Radio today with Hugo Rifkind

Colin Live on Times Radio today with Hugo Rifkind

I will be live on Times Radio with Hugo Rifkind
Read More

READ THE PRESS & BUY ALL ALBUMS – FULL DISCOGRAPHY 

THE NEW MHS ALBUM ‘IN MY MIND THERE’S A ROOM’ IS HERE!
 
Featuring: Nick Hornby, Ian Rankin, Jacqueline Wilson (The Jacqueline Wilson Fan Club), Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead, Val McDermid, Jennifer Clement author, Alan Warner, Sebastian Barry, Stephen Kelman, James Robertson and Jason Mott, Author.
 
Very excited to announce details of my new Mull Historical Society album ‘In My Mind There’s A Room’ – to be released on 21st July 2023 on Xtra Mile Recordings. It’s a special one this for me, bringing together my worlds of words and music. I reached out to some of my literary favourites, listed above, and asked them to write about a room that has significance to them, and I then wrote the music to their words and recorded the album in a significant room to me: in my ‘Bard of Mull’ poet-bank manager grandfather’s old flat in Tobermory on the isle of Mull which – unbelievably – is now a recording studio! His name was Angus Macintyre, he was a huge inspiration to me and now I’ve recorded 14 songs in the very room where he wrote, where I spent a lot of my childhood and many a ceilidh took place.
 
I am very honoured to have such inspiring words from the writers, a list of Booker-winners, Poet Laureates, Best-sellers & US National Book Award-winners. I’m really proud of the album and I hope you might enjoy entering our rooms. 
 
The cover art is an original painting by John MacLean, Bafta-winning film director, artist and BETA BAND member (cover art posters available).
 
In my mind there are now 14 rooms…
 
Colin

PAGE DOWN TO BUY ALL 8 ALBUMS TO DATE + THE ‘BEST OF MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY/COLIN MACINTYRE’ ALBUM ON GOLD DOUBLE-VINYL ‘ + THE EARLY SINGLES + B-SIDES & RARITIES 

 BUY MHS T-SHIRTS & LOTS OF FUN MHS MERCHANDISE FROM XTRA MILE RECORDINGS 

BUY the new Mull Historical Society album ‘Wakelines’  on LP, CD, DL

OUT NOW!

‘MacIntyre’s ear for small-scale detail and broad-brush expressionism creates moments fraught with beauty and emotional truth. He has found his perfect enabler in producer Bernard Butler.’‬ THE SUNDAY TIMES

‘An invigorating listen. MacIntyre’s creativity is clearly in full flower.’ MOJO

‘MacIntyre’s flair for a lyric has rarely been better.’ THE SKINNY 

                                                          EJubBtqH_400x400       ITunes_12_logo       amazon-logo_black       Spotify_logo_without_text.svg

Produced by Mercury and Brit Award-winner Bernard Butler

       

READ THE CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR ALL RELEASES BELOW

Dear Satellite

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR NEW ALBUM ‘DEAR SATELLITE(2016) BUY

“…this is the sound of an artist on top form. He really does deserve to go interstellar.” Louder Than War

“‘Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘This Little Sister’ effortlessly underline MacIntyre’s ear for a pop hook.” Uncut

“Colin MacIntyre’s ability to wrap textural complexity and shard-filled lyrics in pop coatings endures. Pop needs more of this.” The Sunday Times

“With the big indie-rock of ’Sleepy Hollow’ his journey continues more widescreen than ever.” Q Magazine

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR THE GOLD-SELLING DEBUT ALBUM  ‘LOSS’ (2001) BUY

Tuneful and plaintive pop gems…4/5” Rolling Stone

One of the best British records of the year. A tartan-clad debut of aspiring proportions. The Face

‘US’ (2003)  BUY

A beacon of originality in a tiresome sea of dross. MacIntyre is a major new British songwriting force.Q Magazine

‘THIS IS HOPE’ (2004)  BUY

A great album….melodies with the sticking power of industrial strength Velcro. Brimming with breezing melodies. The monolithic closer, ‘In The Next Life (A Requiem)’ is MacIntyre’s Life On Mars…9/10” NME

‘THE WATER’ (2008) BUY

From the adrenalin fix of ‘You’re A Star’ to the spiky ‘Famous For Being Famous’, here is a one-man anthem maker with more ambition and scale than many a band.” The Sun

‘ISLAND’ (2009)  BUY

MacIntyre has gone back to his roots with this album. Delivered in the intimate country folk style. Reminiscent of a Caledonian Will Oldham. Also features a lovely King Creosote collaboration. Beautiful…4/5” The Sunday Mail

‘CITY AWAKENINGS’ (2012)  BUY

Awash with comfort, joy and metropolitan dazzle.” The Guardian 

‘THE BEST OF MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY’ (2015) **Also in limited edition gold double vinyl **   BUY

Every bit the Hebridean Sufjan Stevens. Terrific.” Q Magazine

EARLY SINGLES, B-SIDES & RARITIES, INCLUDING ‘BARCODE BYPASS’ – NME ‘Debut Single of the Year’ – and many more  BUY

 

MHS MERCHANDISE: JUMP OVER TO THE GOOD SHIP XTRA MILE RECORDINGS FOR SOME NICE MHS T-SHIRTS AND OTHER GOODIES: More here

20150513115815-af4cf7f6-38e0-4cbb-ac34-851527b07d5c   20150813120522-f31d16ad-9112-4e40-aabd-4338d253b88a   

PAGE DOWN TO BUY ALL 8 ALBUMS TO DATE + THE ‘BEST OFULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY/COLIN M

COLIN’S BOOKS BELOW & VISIT HIS AUTHOR SITE HERE! 

PRE-ORDER NOW HERE > OUT 9th MAY 

I’M DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE MY NEW NOVEL, ‘WHEN THE NEEDLE DROPS‘ – THE FIRST IN A NEW ‘MULL MYSTERIES’ CRIME SERIES FEATURING SERGEANT IVOR PUNCH.

It’s the run-up to Christmas, 1998. On the Isle of Mull, Sergeant Ivor Punch is losing himself in his vinyl collection, a tragic anniversary and too much single malt whisky. But news of a missing child soon brings him back to his senses. And as word spreads of more strange disappearances, an aircraft vanishing from the sky and a famous classical musician gone with it, it seems a sinister plot holds the island in its grip.
Punch thought he knew the secrets of this place, its people and stories. Yet as a grisly trail of effigies and clues are discovered, he struggles to untangle past mysteries and find out what’s really happening right under his nose. And time is fast running out for the policeman that locals call ‘The Clock’.

PAGE DOWN TO BUY ALL 8 ALBUMS TO DATE + THE ‘BEST OF MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY/COLIN MACINTYRE’ ALBUM ON GOLD DOUBLE-VINYL ‘ + THE EARLY SINGLES + B-SIDES & RARITIES 

 BUY MHS T-SHIRTS & LOTS OF FUN MHS MERCHANDISE FROM XTRA MILE RECORDINGS 

BUY the new Mull Historical Society album ‘Wakelines’  on LP, CD, DL

OUT NOW!

‘MacIntyre’s ear for small-scale detail and broad-brush expressionism creates moments fraught with beauty and emotional truth. He has found his perfect enabler in producer Bernard Butler.’‬ THE SUNDAY TIMES

‘An invigorating listen. MacIntyre’s creativity is clearly in full flower.’ MOJO

‘MacIntyre’s flair for a lyric has rarely been better.’ THE SKINNY 

                                                          EJubBtqH_400x400       ITunes_12_logo       amazon-logo_black       Spotify_logo_without_text.svg

Produced by Mercury and Brit Award-winner Bernard Butler

       

READ THE CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR ALL RELEASES BELOW

Dear Satellite

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR NEW ALBUM ‘DEAR SATELLITE(2016) BUY

“…this is the sound of an artist on top form. He really does deserve to go interstellar.” Louder Than War

“‘Sleepy Hollow’ and ‘This Little Sister’ effortlessly underline MacIntyre’s ear for a pop hook.” Uncut

“Colin MacIntyre’s ability to wrap textural complexity and shard-filled lyrics in pop coatings endures. Pop needs more of this.” The Sunday Times

“With the big indie-rock of ’Sleepy Hollow’ his journey continues more widescreen than ever.” Q Magazine

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR THE GOLD-SELLING DEBUT ALBUM  ‘LOSS’ (2001) BUY

Tuneful and plaintive pop gems…4/5” Rolling Stone

One of the best British records of the year. A tartan-clad debut of aspiring proportions. The Face

‘US’ (2003)  BUY

A beacon of originality in a tiresome sea of dross. MacIntyre is a major new British songwriting force.Q Magazine

‘THIS IS HOPE’ (2004)  BUY

A great album….melodies with the sticking power of industrial strength Velcro. Brimming with breezing melodies. The monolithic closer, ‘In The Next Life (A Requiem)’ is MacIntyre’s Life On Mars…9/10” NME

‘THE WATER’ (2008) BUY

From the adrenalin fix of ‘You’re A Star’ to the spiky ‘Famous For Being Famous’, here is a one-man anthem maker with more ambition and scale than many a band.” The Sun

‘ISLAND’ (2009)  BUY

MacIntyre has gone back to his roots with this album. Delivered in the intimate country folk style. Reminiscent of a Caledonian Will Oldham. Also features a lovely King Creosote collaboration. Beautiful…4/5” The Sunday Mail

‘CITY AWAKENINGS’ (2012)  BUY

Awash with comfort, joy and metropolitan dazzle.” The Guardian 

‘THE BEST OF MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY’ (2015) **Also in limited edition gold double vinyl **   BUY

Every bit the Hebridean Sufjan Stevens. Terrific.” Q Magazine

EARLY SINGLES, B-SIDES & RARITIES, INCLUDING ‘BARCODE BYPASS’ – NME ‘Debut Single of the Year’ – and many more  BUY

 

MHS MERCHANDISE: JUMP OVER TO THE GOOD SHIP XTRA MILE RECORDINGS FOR SOME NICE MHS T-SHIRTS AND OTHER GOODIES: More here

20150513115815-af4cf7f6-38e0-4cbb-ac34-851527b07d5c   20150813120522-f31d16ad-9112-4e40-aabd-4338d253b88a   

BIOGRAPHY — THE STORY SO FAR…

SHORT BIOGRAPHY 2024

                                        (2024 release information & longer biography follows)

Colin MacIntyre is a multi-award-winning musician, producer, author for adults and children, and playwright, who has been voted Scotland’s Top Creative Talent. Born into a family of storytellers and writers, he was raised on the isle of Mull in the Hebrides and has released 8 acclaimed albums to date, most notably under the moniker Mull Historical Society. A songwriting junkie since childhood, he had written & recorded 300 songs before he even secured a record deal (with Rough Trade, then Warner Records). He has achieved two UK Top 20 albums and four Top 40 singles to date, since his Gold-selling debut album, ‘Loss’. His new MHS album, ‘Wakelines’ has been released to critical acclaim and was produced by Mercury/Brit-Award-winning Producer Bernard Butler. His debut novel ‘The Letters of Ivor Punch’ (W&N) won the 2015 Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book Award and he has adapted it for the stage as ‘The Origins of Ivor Punch’ at A Play, A Pie & Pint, running to sold out theatre audiences in Glasgow & Edinburgh’s Traverse (May 2019). It was shortlisted for the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize. Mull’s local hero status secured, he has been celebrated globally, having been voted Scotland’s Top Creative Talent at the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards, as well #12 in the Greatest Scottish Artists of All Time public poll, and his single ‘Watching Xanadu’ made STV’s ’Scottish Greatest Album’. Colin has collaborated with a range of artists including Irvine Welsh, Annie Lennox, Snow Patrol, King Creosote, Tony Benn (appearing in Benn’s famous Diaries) and has toured worldwide, including with REM, The Strokes, and Elbow. He has appeared across the board on TV and Radio, in the UK and abroad, including ‘Later with Jools Holland’, ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’ and MTV. His memoir, in which he talks about his journey from growing up on Mull to headlining in New York (his boyhood hero, Talking Heads’ David Byrne turned up to his debut U.S. MHS show), is ‘Hometown Tales: The Boy in the Bubble’(W&N), and his first book for children, ‘The Humdrum Drum’, with accompanying music were published in June 2018. In 2019, Colin signed with Mute Song, the publishing arms of Mute Records. This deal includes his newest music identity, FIELD STARS, an exciting electro art-pop sound. 2023was a busy one, seeing the release of a new MHS album ‘In My Mind There’s A Room’ – a collaboration with leading authors recorded in a very special room to Colin – as well as the release of an

expansive 80-track ANTHOLOGY BOX SET with 36 Page Booklet in Februrary on the BBC’s Demon Records, TITLED: ‘ARCHAEOLOGY: COMPLETE RECORDINGS 2000-2004’, plus SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY VINYL RE-ISSUES OF HIS FIRST THREE MHS ALBUMS.

May 20204 will see the publication of his first Crime novel ‘When The Needle Drops’, the first in a new Mull Mysteries Crime Series.

 

Additionally, Colin is a Lead Tutor on the BA Songwriting Degree at the BIMM Institute University, London, where he works with an international array of talented emerging talents on their Level 4 and Masters programmes, and is a visiting tutor at Scotland’s National Writing Centre. He also hosts ‘From Stage to Page’, a music & storytelling show with fellow musician-“paperback writers”. Colin has led the children’s feeding charity Mary’s Meals in London, and once spent a year with the Scottish professional football club, Queen’s Park FC. He has performed at the major literary festivals, including Edinburgh Book Festival. Despite his absence of a working shield, Colin is a descendent of the Scottish Warrior Poet, Duncan Ban Macintyre.

//Mull Historical Society // Author Site // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2023

ANNOUNCES EXPANSIVE 80-TRACK ANTHOLOGY BOX SET:
‘ARCHAEOLOGY: COMPLETE RECORDINGS 2000-2004’

+ SPECIAL RE-ISSUES OF FIRST THREE ALBUMS
– OUT 24 FEBRUARY 2023, VIA DEMON RECORDS _
ORDER HERE || TRAILER HERE

PLUS, 21st & 20th ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCES OF CLASSIC ALBUMS
 ‘LOSS’ & ‘US’
@  CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2023

One of Scotland’s most celebrated artists of the 21st Century – MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY – will return in 2023 with a wave of new activity.

Signing with Demon Records, the alias of Colin MacIntyre will be releasing a trilogy of colourful classic album reissues (‘Loss’, ‘Us’ and ‘This Is Hope’), plus a lavish 80 track media-book box set (‘Archaeology: Complete Recordings 2000-2004’) – all released on 24th February. Order here: https://mullsociety.lnk.to/archaeology

In addition, MHS will also be returning to the live stage for a very special anniversary show in celebration of his early works.

*****

The jewel in the crown of these revisionary releases is ‘Archaeology: Complete Recordings 2000-2004’;  an expansive and ornately produced 4xCD media/book set that is a must for every Mull Historical Society fan. A monument to MacIntyre’s earliest period, its 80-strong tracklist includes the first three MHS albums in their entirety (Discs 1-3), plus a fourth disc compiling a trove of unreleased rarities, live tracks, demos, and covers (inc. The Strokes’ “Last Nite”, Ms Dynamite’s “It Takes More” and Radiohead’s “Motion Picture Soundtrack”). Accompanying the audio is a lovingly produced book, compiling exclusive photographs, extracts from Colin MacIntyre of MHS’s celebrated writings (inc. a preview of his new memoir ‘The Boy In the Bubble’), plus a reflective chapter on ‘Loss’ extracted from Tom Clayton’s 2022 book ‘When Quiet Was The New Loud’, and an essay from journalist Billy Sloan discussing the Mull Historical Society legacy.

In tandem with the boxset release, MHS’ first three albums (‘Loss’, ‘Us’ & ‘This Is Hope’) will also be available asindividual vinyl editions for the first time since their release.

The record that started it all, ‘Loss’, Mull Historical Society’s Gold-selling, Top-40 breakthrough album is being remastered and repressed in a 2xLP black vinyl edition. Featuring the 7-minute epic “Barcode Bypass” (a track named NME’s Debut Single of the Year in 2000), the single signalled the emergence of a truly original song-writing talent for the new millennium, with MTV supported follow-up singles such as “I Tried” and “Animal Cannabus” laying the groundwork for a momentous debut album. Sumptuously crafted, with quirky and thought provoking lyrics, ‘Loss’ proved to be an instant hit with fans and critics alike. “‘Loss’ was about dealing with grief, celebrating life and a tribute to Community too” remembers Colin, “and I feel so blessed it found one”. Widely acknowledged as one of the best British albums of that year (2001), ‘Loss’ received universal praise from the likes of NME (9/10), Uncut (5/5), The Scotsman (5/5), The Observer, Time Out and more. Standing the test of time over the years, ‘Loss’ was a recent subject of the Sunday Herald’s ‘Scotland’s Best Albums’ series, while its featured hit single “Watching Xanadu” featured on STV’s ‘Scottish Greatest Album’ show.


Marking its 20th anniversary this year, MHS’ sensational follow-up record, ‘Us’, also receives a 2xLP black vinyl edition, with remastering by Phil Kinrade. A record about “reaching outwards and making sense of an exciting, hugely changeable, time in my life” reflects Colin, its personal subject matter would also connect with wider audiences and became a Gold-selling Top-20 smash. Featuring hit singles the likes of “The Supermarket Strikes Back” (a follow-up song for “Barcode Bypass”) and the wonderful Top 20 highlight “The Final Arrears #19”, the album was testament to an artist mastering his craft and expanding his world, with a 5* review in the Observer praising it as: “Originality is at its core. MacIntyre has arrived as if fully-formed. A tartan clad debut of aspiring proportions”.

Bookending this trio was ‘This Is Hope’, an album that will be pressed on vinyl for the very first time in 2023. Mull’s third act of those early years, marked something of a departure from “Loss” and “US”. Made at the legendary Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, NY, it was also his first recorded outside the UK. Travelling across the US over a two-month period, the sights and sounds of America’s deep south would bring exotic new flavours to the MHS sound, notably so on the Top 40 hit single “How ‘Bout I Love You More” and the exceptional closer “In The Next Life (A Requiem)”, which featured a New Orleans gospel choir.

Reflecting on the last 20+ years of Mull Historical Society and these upcoming releases, Colin MacIntyre says:

“I truly appreciate how these albums seem to have found their way into people’s hearts & minds over the past 20-plus years, which makes me feel like quite the spring chick… Over the past few years I’ve had possibly my biggest creative surges in both music and writing, juggling the puzzle of where to land loads of new ideas. It reminds me of the time leading up to making ‘Loss’ when it all started to make sense. So I’m excited to have the first three albums’ reissued on vinyl (‘This Is Hope’ for the first time), plus an 80-track Complete Recordings Box-set retrospective out in Feb, for which I hope the “real” MHS won’t mind me borrowing their “Archaeological” arm in the title…”

In celebration of the re-issues, Mull Historical Society is planning a unique performance at this year’s Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. On 3rd February 2023, Mull and a full live band (plus some special guests TBA), will be performing his first two records ‘Loss’ and ‘Us’ in their entirety at the city’s Saint Luke’s venue. Promising a reflective and celebratory evening, tickets and further details can be found here.

Contact: thom@sonicpr.co.uk

*****

                    The History — the longer story so far… 

When Colin MacIntyre’s debut Mull Historical Society single ‘Barcode Bypass’ (Rough Trade) was named NME’s Debut Single of the Year in 2000, and then received its first daytime airplay (all 7 minutes of it) on Radio 1 on Jo Whiley’s show, it was clear a truly original songwriting talent had emerged as if fully formed — and from the unlikely Atlantic outpost of the isle of Mull, in the Scottish Hebrides (pop 2,500 people, 28,234 sheep).  Then came MacIntyre’s Gold-selling seminal debut album, the self-produced ‘Loss’, widely hailed as one of the best British albums of that year, including making Q’s top albums poll. It has since been voted in the top Scottish albums of all time. His acclaimed follow-up album, ‘Us’, landed in the Top 20, which included a follow-up song to ‘Barcode Bypass’, called ‘The Supermarket Strikes Back’, and the immense ‘The Final Arrears’ #19 single, dubbed ‘exactly 3 minutes of pop perfection’ by Mark Radcliffe. Once again MacIntyre also took on production duties.

MacIntyre/MHS has subsequently toured worldwide, including with The Strokes, Elbow and REM, being voted Scotland’s Top Creative Talent at the Glenfiddich Spirit Of Scotland Awards and into the top Scottish artists of all time public poll by The List Magazine. He has performed at all the major festivals and has appeared live on Radio 1, 2, 4, 5Live, 6Music, MTV, XFM as well as many other stations across the globe, including many TV shows such as Later With Jools Holland, and The Jonathon Ross Show. His first MHS chart single ‘Watching Xanadu’ made STV’s ‘Scotland’s Greatest Album’ as one of the top 3 tracks of the 00’s. This songwriting junkie has also collaborated with Irvine Welsh (who recently picked MHS debut ‘Loss’ among his favourite albums of all time) and Tony Benn on the track ‘Pay Attention to the Human’ (MacIntyre also appeared in the politician’s famous Diaries series), as well as writing music for films such as  ‘Stormbreaker’ and radio plays for BBC Radio 4. He says: ‘As a Mulleach (native of Mull), that environment of space and remoteness is never far from me, but creatively, living among the masses has made its mark too. Before that I had to build my own cities in my bedroom. Not easy getting that planning permission.’

Colin taught himself to play by watching his uncle’s covers band, going on to make his debut performance in the Tobermory town hall with microphones attached to broomsticks. He wrote his first song when he was seven and there have been hundreds that have followed, recording prolifically through his teens. His music took off while he was studying at University in Glasgow, and training part-time (very part-time) for Scottish professional football outfit, Queen’s Park, at the legendary Hampden Park. By then, his identity of Mull Historical Society, stolen from his island’s local heritage organisation, was in place and the rest is, well, history. ‘It felt to me like taking a new identity, one I could explore and get my teeth into, inspired by Orwell’s 1984 mixed with Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust or something, it just felt real and inspiring.’ (The ‘real’ MHS have since changed their name to Mull Historical & Archaeological Society, later to reappear in fictional form in MacIntyre’s debut novel).

2004 saw ‘This Is Hope’, recorded at the legendary Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, upstate New York. MacIntyre stayed in the same barn as used by Bob Dylan and The Band (Janis Joplin’s mini was still parked in the garage). It spawned the Top 40 single ‘How ‘Bout I Love You More’. MacIntyre also traveled across America’s deep south for inspiration, making a stop in New Orleans to record a gospel choir for the closing track, ‘In The Next Life (A Requiem)’, which also features his grandmother on vocals. MacIntyre has also released two albums under his own name: ‘The Water’ (2008), produced by Lemon Jelly’s Nick Franglen, on his own label Future Gods Recordings, with The Guardian hailing it ‘Pop perfection’. In 2009 Colin released his most stripped-back album to date, ‘Island’, recorded in his old school classroom. It was known to be played on none other than Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s tour bus.

His 2012 Mull Historical Society album, ‘City Awakenings’, was released on Xtra Mile Recordings. Produced by the Grammy-winning Dom Morley (Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Grinderman), it is his tribute to Glasgow, London and New York – the 3 cities that have most influenced this islander abroad. MacIntyre co-produced the closing track ‘Thameslink (London’s Burning)’, which he first performed at his father’s funeral, Kenny Macintyre, the widely respected BBC Political & Industrial Correspondent, (Colin’s father’s death inspired ‘Loss’). Colin’s father having once carried aloft a Fender ’78 Telecaster home to his teenage son on the island on a trip back from the mainland, wading ashore with the guitar held aloft after the ferry had failed to dock.  There were live sessions (with said guitar!) on Radio 2 with Jo Whiley & Bob Harris, as well as on 6Music, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Ulster, XFM, Radio Clyde and more. After a summer of Festival appearances including V, T in the Park, Eden Sessions, & the Scottish Parliament with Annie Lennox – and returns to Europe with shows in Berlin and Blue Balls, Lucerne – came his first Xmas Single, ‘Christmas Is Here Again’.

2015  saw MacIntyre release a Best Of album to mark 15 years of MHS, and sign an exclusive music publishing deal with BMG/Xtra Mile Music in a landmark deal which includes new MHS albums and his entire back catalogue, as well as his new electro pop project (more below). Music Week announcement of Colin’s BMG publishing deal. His Best Of Collection came out on Xtra Mile Recordings. It marked 15 years since that debut MHS single and was fronted by the new single ‘Keep Falling’, a soaring new Mull track which was also produced by Morley. It came out in an exclusive colour double-Vinyl on Record Store Day. And MacIntyre then launched the single and Best-Of collection with a sold-out UK tour: the tour featured for the first time a full live performance of debut MHS album ‘Loss’ in its entirety. MacIntyre has come a long way from Mull, the island, but somehow never leaves it behind. He also actively supports the work of the Argyll-based charity Mary’s Meals, who feed over 1 Million children a daily meal in their place of education every day: “My visit to some of the Mar’s Meals projects in Malawi was life-changing. Music broke down the barriers and I realised that community is at the heart of all my work.”

And so to 2016 – and MacIntyre completed his new MHS albumDear Satellite with the Grammy-winning (and Blue Peter badge-winning) producer Dom Morley at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, London. It was released on April 8th 2016 (his birthday) on Xtra Mile Recordings/BMG.  Mull Historical Society are touring in June. He says: ‘I couldn’t be happier with the album. It is 10 songs, 36 minutes, and it feels like a perfect distillation of what I can do. It is about home, getting home, leaving home, finding home, whatever planet or street or field you live on. Whatever home means to you. I’m so excited to see it enter the world. It looks bloody good too!’

The paperback of his debut novel was published a week later in April 2016. And, to tie both identities nicely together, a new Mull track ‘The Ballad of Ivor Punch’, is the first single off ‘Dear Satellite’.

June 2018: ‘The Humdrum Drum’ — Colin’s first children’s picture book is published by Little Door Books. It is about an orchestra drum and has been beautifully illustrated by Catherine Thomas. It also features an accompanying CD of specially written songs and Colin reading the audiobook. More info:

The Humdrum Drum is Colin’s first book for children and features an accompanying CD with specially written original songs and an audiobook.Meet ‘Drum’, the orchestra drum who is feeling very humdrum. When Drum is feeling unhappy he stops playing and the entire orchestra comes to an embarrassing halt. But with the help of his friends – a cast of colourful instruments, as well as ironing mice and shaving pigeons – Drum realises that without him keeping the beat, they lose their way and that they need him to save the day!

June 2018: Colin’s memoir about growing up on the isle of Mull ‘The Boy in the Bubble‘ is now published by W&N /ORION BOOKS as part of their ‘HOMETOWN TALES’ series, celebrating regional voices. It is a bright, intensely funny and deeply felt memoir about growing up on the Isle of Mull from multiple award-winning musician (Mull Historical Society) and author of The Letters of Ivor Punch, Colin MacIntyre. It is a moving and fascinating exploration of what ‘home’ really means, charting his journey from island boy to internationally acclaimed musician. It will be in available in book shops and online from 28th June 2018. Pre-order.

From 2012-2014 Colin also ran the charity ‘Mary’s Meals‘ in London, it is a volunteer-led movement which provides children with a daily meal in their place of education in some of the world’s poorest communities for just £13.90 a year. Mary’s Meals is based in (an extended) shed in the Scottish West Highlands and currently feeds over 1.2 million children every day. Colin continues to support the work of the charity.

There is also Colin’s new electro art-pop project… FIELD STARS (formerly INK), that has been the Guardian’s New band of the Week, proclaiming: ‘perfect without being too box-ticking…going to be massive’. 2016 promises to be an exciting year of stars aligning for Mull’s History man who can’t stop creating. 

 

JOURNALISM FROM COLIN MACINTYRE:

Article: Mull of Colin MacIntyre: From Stage to Page (Full Irish Times Article)

Article: The Scotsman: ‘The headless horseman of Mull helped make me who I am’

Click here for Colin’s author website 

 

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Archive video pick: ‘Watching Xanadu’ from the debut album ‘Loss’ (UK Singles Chart #36 Jan 2002)

Check out all the MHS Videos on Youtube 

CONTACTS

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MANAGEMENT & LABEL
Charlie Caplowe, Xtra Mile Recordings | 
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LABEL
Dani Cotter, Xtra Mile Recordings | 
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UK / ROW LIVE BOOKING
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UK NATIONAL, REGIONAL & DIGITAL PRESS
Thom Williams, SonicPR | Email

NATIONAL & REGIONAL RADIO/TV PROMOTION
Jess Hall Radioactive Promotions | 
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PUBLISHING / MUSIC SYNC REQUESTS
David McGinnis, MUTE SONG (current) / Hugo Turquet, BMG (catalogue)| 
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COLIN’S LITERARY CONTACT
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Lisa Gottheil, Grand Stand | 
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Soren Kristensen, SOLK