Euan Stainbank: The community meeting turned into a community disco

What was the first record you ever bought? 

It was McFly’s Motion in the Ocean and the song that I loved on that was Star Girl. They were absolutely everywhere, as one of the big boy bands of the mid-2000s. I would have been about five or six, when we were still using disc stereos. I’ve still got it, and it’s absolutely battered. 

What will always get you on the dance floor? 

Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. I’m still a massive pop-punk kid, and I can’t stop myself from belting that at the top of my lungs. I’m not on the dance floor often, although we had a community meeting not too long ago where I was promoting the Pride in Place Explorer funding. Well, the community meeting turned into a community disco, and I was dancing to Van Morrison.  

What is your karaoke song? 

Dignity by Deacon Blue. I’m aware a certain other figure in Scottish politics quoted it recently, and that brought me back. I used to sing karaoke quite a lot when I was a student, but not so much now. I tried to convince my partner to go and sing karaoke for Valentine’s Day, but that was vetoed.  

What song would be your first dance at your wedding and why? 

I’m not married yet. Now that I have said that, it is going to set my family off. But it would probably be Space Age Love Song by A Flock of Seagulls.  

What song do you want at your funeral? 

(Is This the Way to) Amarillo by Tony Christie, just because it would be an absolute laugh, and that’s what I’d want. I think that song would get everybody in a celebratory mood.  

What music is guaranteed to make you cry? 

I don’t really cry at much. My partner was giggling when she saw me cry for the first time, watching Invictus, the film about post-Apartheid South Africa’s victory in the Rugby World Cup. But again, associated with rugby, whenever Highland Cathedral is played on the bagpipes, usually when we are trundling towards a loss against one of the big teams, that always gives me a wee bit of moisture in the eyes.  

What music would you always associate with your childhood? 

I remember having an old MP3 player that could be used remotely, which my dad had full of Guns & Roses and Bon Jovi albums – that would have been the kind of music he listened to when he was a young man. So, I always used that as workout music when I went out on runs or to the gym as a teenager. It did get a bit repetitive because it was an old MP3 player, and I had no idea how to get new music on it until I discovered Spotify. But it hypes me up today.  

What record do you absolutely hate but can’t get out of your head? 

It is a song from about 15 years ago, Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye. It has a very distinctive, creepy riff, and it gives me goosebumps. I hate it. I can’t stand the glockenspiel or whatever it is they are using – I always despised it.  

What record would you be embarrassed to own up to having in your collection? 

I’m a really big fan of The Lumineers, who were quite a big American band at a certain time. I’ve had quite a bit of flack off my mates for it, but I’m not that embarrassed by it. People think it’s cringey Americana-type music. I was a big fan of Ho Hey and Ophelia. 

What was the last band you went to see and who with? 

The last artist I went to see was Jamie Webster. I’ve seen him a couple of times. The last time was with my mate at the Barrowlands in Glasgow in 2023. I’ve not been to see a lot of gigs, and I think the last actual band that I saw was The Killers when they came to Falkirk, but that was a fair few years ago. When Taylor Swift came to Scotland, I was the one sitting in Ingliston Park and Ride waiting. I did think about chapping a few of the other boyfriends’ and husbands’ windows to see if they wanted a game of fives while we waited.