The story of Whapper Stormer released 1995 as told by Pabs. Our début album is still one of my favourites. It took almost ten years to get it recorded! It all started in February 1995 when Weird were a young band and we had started writing songs. The first was Educational Suicide the lyrics I wrote in my computing class and I admit I was trying to get it to sound like Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.Along with Educational Suicide our first practise bared the creative fruits of Vancouver which was about Kurt Cobain and The Rain, which was written during the terrible floods of 94 when the Dawson mission in Bainsford got flooded, not that I was bothered about that! We chased the dream, we wanted to cut a demo and we booked Split Level Studios which sits in a small overgrown yard just outside Edinburgh Airport. We cut three songs at the studio, Vancouver, The Rain and Chameleon a song we wrote for an anti-drug competition whilst we were smoking joints. It was an amazing studio and it was then that I wanted to record music. We wrote many songs during 95 and 96 Show Your Face Soon was a love song about a girl I'd yet to meet, Sofa Girl was a punk love song, Just for Today recalls a time when I was free from my terrible temper I had back then and perhaps I was a little high, Now I Can See His Eye was a trip and a half... Downer well that was a great shout fest at the time, still love it. Glass People the album's last track has a history all of its own. Originally a full band version it is the acoustic version that made the cut. It is beautiful moment in our chequered history. Stu had quit the band in 2000 we never saw him for two years. One night in Behind the Wall I bumped into the dude and asked him if he wanted to do a solo on my acoustic 'Mallaig ep' he agreed. After we had nailed his solo I asked if he fancied doing a best of acoustic Weird cd, he agreed. The first song we recorded was Glass People at my old house in Carronshore during a snow swept day. We got drunk recorded the basic tracks, walked through the snow to get more beer then nailed the his solo. In 2004, nine years since we had started the band we decided to fill the gaps and record some more of the songs we could remember from the early years. Kitted out with a Tascam 8 tracks and a couple of mics, crates of beer and a few subway foot longs we recorded the remaining six songs at Dereks flat. Our good friend John Baines appeared for some backing vocals, he can be heard on Sofa Girl and Downer. Time has been kind to Whapper Stormer the creative juices ran strong back then and my lyrics were more colourful, more worldly. Its seen as the 'classic' Weird sound, Stu on guitars me only on vocals so arguably this is one of our tightest records. We played these songs live for years at the Martell and various other small venues across Scotland. Central FM took a shine to Vancouver and the Rain, that was during a time local radio stations had slightly more independence and could play local acts. Of our six previous albums I find myself always returning to Whapper it brings a smile to my face, there is an naïve innocence to this record, four young musicians making their first songs. Everything sounded new which is why it was so exciting.