This is proving to be rather a good year for the Hothouse Flowers, who played last night in Glasgow. They kicked off the year in Jamaica, working on their new album with producer Joe Higgs who has exceedingly good credentials - voice coach to Bob Marley and band-leader for Jimmy Cliffs. While there, the band went to one of the year's most glamorous parties thrown by Chris Blackwell, owner of Island Records at his place Firefly, a villa previously owned by Noel Coward. Other guests included actor Dan Ackroyd, model Kate Moss, singer Bryan Adams and designer Donatella Versace, who arrived flanked by bodyguards.
All that, and it's only January! Still, the year has plenty more in store - there's a big Paris gig for St Patrick's Day, the album launch later in the year and guitarist Fiachna O'Braonain's wedding to photographer Suki Stuart in August. Quite a comeback.