Sluts of Trust are a two-piece rock outfit from Glasgow, Scotland, originally comprising John McFarlane (guitar, vocals) and Anthony O'Donnell (drums).
[1][2] In the intervening years, both had begun aborted courses at Glasgow University and Cardonald College respectively, and had enjoyed limited success with separate musical projects.
O'Donnell in Crambo, and in a band with fellow SYT graduate and future Harry Potter actor Sean Biggerstaff, and McFarlane had released a solo recording entitled "Broken Alarm Clock" on the Glasgow Queen Margaret Union NorthPark label compilation Unplugged, which he also performed on the BBC television programme The Beat Room.
[1] The gig at King Tut's was a huge success and was seen by established Glasgow rockers Aereogramme, then signed to Chemikal Underground Records, who brought the duo to the label's attention.
[1] More gigs followed, supporting The Hunches at Nice 'N' Sleazy and at Bannerman's in Edinburgh, where all four members of The Delgados (the Mercury Prize-nominated indie band who owned and ran Chemikal Underground Records) arrived.
[3] Following the band's first UK-wide tour, supporting label-mates Aereogramme, they retreated to Chemikal Underground's recording studios, Chem19 in Hamilton to begin work on their debut album with Paul Savage of The Delgados as producer.
[1] In November however they took a short break from recording to perform at the London Calling festival at the Paradiso, Amsterdam alongside Franz Ferdinand and The Darkness, before returning to the studio.
The single was championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel and would feature at #16 in the end of year chart the Festive Fifty, voted for by listeners to his show.
[4] The Evening Times called the single "an intense, uncompromising, blistering, screaming, passionate, furious sweat-drenched full-frontal aural assault".
[1] A low-budget video was made to accompany the release and was conceived and directed by actor Johnny Austin and filmmaker Gregor Mackay, both friends of the band from Scottish Youth Theatre.
Peel had become a huge fan of the group since hearing their debut single and some early demo recordings for their album and continued to champion the duo until his untimely death later that year.
During a break in the tour Sluts of Trust travelled to Los Angeles to play their own gigs at Amoeba Records, L.A Spaceland, and nightclub The Viper Room.
Already fans of the Sluts' debut album, Bloc Party would prove to be great allies to the band as their own star began to rise.
In November 2005 Sluts of Trust embarked on a European tour in support of Bloc Party, playing large arena venues across Spain and Italy.
The CD included Sluts of Trust debut single "Piece O' You", alongside tracks from The Delgados, Mogwai, Arab Strap and Interpol.
[14] In early 2008 at a low-key solo gig where he played a full set of new material he announced his intention to return with a new Sluts of Trust album later in the year.