The Bluebells - Interview with Ken McCluskey

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of their modern indie-rock classic Sisters, Glasgow's The Bluebells have released special limited anniversary editions of the album on Purple Double Vinyl, CD Boxset, and a newly added Seeds edition. We caught up with singer Ken McCluskey and have a three signed test pressings of the new record to give away via the Official Store.

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“The Glaswegian’s debut album has always been a little gem. You’ll undoubtedly know the biggest hit, but the rest is worth becoming familiar with too." ️️️️ ️️️Classic Pop

Young at Heart may define The Bluebells forever, but they were much more than one song." ️️️️ Mojo

TM: Looking back 40 years, what are your strongest memories of recording Sisters?

(Any stories from the studio or unexpected moments?)

Ken McCluskey: The Sisters album was recorded with a variety of producers in various studios up and down the country between 83 and 84 so not exactly ideal but as a band we gained a lot of experience and learned recording techniques which we picked up from the recording engineers and producers. The fact that we had a very heavy live gig schedule meant we only had short windows to record and producers were not always available. Elvis Costello was like a favourite teacher taking time to record cassette tapes for us of various artists to listen to and we reciprocated with compilation tapes of what we liked musically so that started a good conversation. Elvis also taught me how to use a variety of microphones properly which has been very much appreciated and put me on good stead over the years when working on lots of other music projects.

TM: What do you think it was about songs like "Young at Heart" that resonated so strongly with listeners then, and still does now?

"We wanted to make pop music that was accessible to everyone  as opposed to some kind of experimental Dutch Techno music or Hair Metal, so for us it was a big success." - Ken McCluskey

KM: I think "Young at Heart" sounded fresh using acoustic instruments like harmonica and fiddle instead of electronic synths and keyboards like the Roland DX7 which was very popular at the time but those sounds aged very quickly and everything became a bit samey after a while. Young at Heart also appealed to your wee sister , your Granny and your mad Uncle all at the same time and the lyric was appealing to a wide audience. Some folk don't like it as it was very popular across the board but when we started The Bluebells we wanted to make pop music that was accessible to everyone  as opposed to  some kind of experimental Dutch Techno music or Hair Metal, so for us it was a big success.

TM: What’s it like playing these songs live today - do they feel different now, emotionally or musically?

KM: We always liked travelling and playing live, especially in places like Japan and the States, Germany and Spain and its always great to play with cool musicians. Over the years we have had a variety of musicians to perform along with the core trio of Bobby, my brother David and myself but for the last 7 years since we started performing again  we have had  a great band featuring our friends Campbell Owens from the original Aztec Camera line up, Mick Slaven from Del Amitri and Douglas McIntyre who has played with everyone from Vic Goddard to The Sexual Objects and recently Port Sulpher. So the main vibe is fun and it's not hard work at all really.

TM: With Sisters being reissued on vinyl in 2025, how do you feel about the resurgence of vinyl and physical formats among younger audiences?

KM: I was a lecturer at Glasgow Kelvin College formerly Stow college in Glasgow for the last 25 years so I have watched younger folk get into vinyl again first through Indie,House and Techno music and now lots of the students are purchasing vinyl of both heritage acts and contemporary music as lots of people have turntables again and having 5,0000 pirated downloads holds no appeal or bragging rights anymore. I am a member of Last Night from Glasgow the patronage label which is a great model set up locally and it really helps build and sustain a music community.

TM: What do you hope new listeners discovering Sisters in 2025 take away from it, and what would you say to fans who’ve stuck with you since 1984?

KM: Firstly to life long fans thanks for following us on our topsy turvey journey over the years and thanks for your undying support. It really does mean a lot when you go to a gig and you can catch up and chat to the lovely people who have followed the band over the years. (No flowers please as we don't have a vase). We have noticed that some fans bring their kids with them to gigs which is great. When I started teaching, occasionally a student would say "My Mum loves your music" by the end of my time teaching it had changed to "My granny loves your music".

That was time to retire from the day job but you don't retire from music. It's always there, somewhere.

Sisters  is available from the Official The Bluebells Store on Purple Double Vinyl & CD Box Set!

In addition to the Vinyl and CD Box Set, there's also a very limited 'Seeds' edition — a special one-off release of just 100 copies. This edition includes a 20-track digital download of the album and a 'Sisters' branded packet of organic Scottish Bluebell seeds.

Pre-order Sisters in any format from the official store and you'll automatically be entered into the running to win 1 of 3 exclusive Signed Test Pressing of the album.

The Bluebells Official Store