THE first time I interviewed Orange Juice was terrifying. I still bear the scars. Facing Edwyn Collins, James Kirk, David McClymont and Steven Daly must rank as one of the most intimidating encounters of my career in music journalism. The location was a dingy flat above a kebab shop in the West End of Glasgow. Orange Juice were promoting their 1980 debut single, Falling And Laughing, on indie label, Postcard Records. They wanted to talk. Or did they? Guitarist Kirk and bass player McClymont barely said a word. Singer Collins spoke on behalf of the band, his condescending brickbats expertly teed up by drummer Daly.
Matilda, whose first single Invisible is out on March 21. MATILDA MacIntyre loves to sing and dance . Her auntie IS Clare Grogan, after all, and her parents are well-known Scottish musicians Katy Lironi and Douglas MacIntyre, so it is no huge surprise she fell in love with performing. But on holiday in Italy in 2015, the Lanarkshire schoolgirl discovered songwriting for the first time. The result is Invisible, her debut single, which will be released on World Down’s Syndrome Day on March 21. Matilda, 17, who has Down’s Syndrome, says: “I feel happy about my song. I really like the words.” Katy, of The Secret Goldfish and The Fizzbombs, explains: “Matilda wrote the song while we were on holiday and we haven’t been able to return since then. She wanted to record it to remind her of happier times and to celebrate WDSD.”