CM® has worked with singer-songwriter Callum Beattie on an exclusive item featuring his album and namesake upcoming tour VANDALS. The one-off product is a [wrist belt] to replace his gig wristbands. Available 8th October - 15th October; christianmacleod.com; wear it with Callum Beattie on his December VANDALS tour.
"As part of this collaboration with Callum Beattie, I vandalised his icons with CM®. I moved him from Edinburgh's 'Salamander Street' [one of his most loved songs] to Glasgow's 'Great Western Road'. Then took inspiration from the lyrics on his song VANDALS; "I'M READIN' THE GRAFFITI AT THE BUS STOP" and decided to position the two of us at a bus stop."
Callum Beattie’s route is paved with empathy, a working class voice speaking with a profound honesty. “You have to have emotion,” he says. “That’s what music is – it’s about making somebody feel better about their life. And it’s also storytelling. They’re all stories, every song.”
New album ‘Vandals’ goes right back to his roots. A selection of songs penned about Scotland, working class life, and coming of age, it also contains a rare universality. Worth comparing to peers such as Gerry Cinnamon, there’s also a hint of Frank Turner into his precocious, speaking-truth-to-power sensibility. At times, it’s almost punk in its desire to be up-front, raw, and – especially – honest.
“It’s nice to be back in Scotland, doing this new album – everything about it is Scottish,” he grins. “Every person who played on it is Scottish. It was recorded in Glasgow, written in Glasgow. It feels more natural now that I’m away from that world.”
On the brink of a key moment in his life, Callum Beattie is now balancing the scars of the past and the promise of the future. His new album ‘Vandals’ could transform his life – but he’s fought for the space to be his own judge. “At the end of the day I’ve made a record that’s me,” he says, “and I love it for that reason.”
