Political Spin: Laura Mitchell

What was the first record you bought? 

I don’t remember the very first record that I bought. But I do have vivid and happy memories of shopping for music in Woolworth’s in Elgin and buying cassettes and CDs. I remember persuading my mum to buy me a Spice Girls album. That really stands out because they were such a big part of my childhood and my friends’ childhoods, and how we all spent time together.  

What will always get you on the dancefloor? 

I’m a bit of an introvert, and the idea of people watching me dance is horrifying. So, I need to be dragged up onto the dance floor unless it’s a ceilidh. I especially love an Orcadian Strip the Willow, so that’s probably the one thing that I would absolutely do with no inhibitions. Other than that, I need to be dragged up kicking and screaming. 

What is your karaoke song? 

I sound really boring, but because I’m an introvert I don’t particularly like the idea of doing karaoke, but I do sing my head off in the car when I’m on my own or when it’s just me and the dog, so that’s kind of my karaoke time. And songs like Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac or That’s What You Get by Paramore are really good car songs. I’m quite often belting them out in the car while I’m driving down the road to Edinburgh.  

What song was your first dance at your wedding? 

It’s a bit sad. My partner and I were due to get married in April 2020, and we went into lockdown in March, so our wedding got cancelled. It was really sad because my partner’s French and his family and friends were all due to come over to Scotland for the first time for our wedding, but that never happened, so we never got to do it, but our first dance was meant to be Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen. 

What do you want played at your funeral? 

I think I’m still quite young to be thinking about my funeral, so I’ve not really given a huge amount of thought. I’m also somebody who thinks that funerals are for the people that are left behind, so I’m quite happy for my family to celebrate me however they wish. If I did have to make one request, I would maybe choose In My Life by The Beatles. I love that song. 

What is guaranteed to make you cry?

I don’t know if there’s a specific song that makes me cry, but the song that does make me quite emotional is The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen. It takes me back to some quite uncertain times in my childhood, travelling back and forth from Moray to Aberdeen to visit either my grandad or my mum in hospital, and he loved that song. She still loves that song. So, every time I hear it, it takes me back to being in the car and driving up towards the hospital or leaving to come home. It always takes me back to a bit of a strange time in my life. 

What music would you always associate with your childhood?  

There was always music playing in our house, and in the car. My dad absolutely loves music. So, whether it’s the 90s or 2000s, that always takes me back to being in the house and watching the music channels. That was a big thing when I was growing up, and then in my teenage years I became a bit too cool for school, or so I thought, and discovered NME, and with it bands like Bloc Party, Interpol, Bright Eyes. That takes me back to some really good times with my school friends, and then there were loads of things in my dad’s collection. He really instilled in me a love of bands like Blondie. 

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

I don’t have a specific song that I hate that I can’t get out of my head, but I do have a band that I can’t stand, and it’s Madness. They know how to write an earworm.

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

None. I have no shame. I’m one of those people who think that people should love what they love. Music brings so much joy, so I would never yuck somebody else’s taste when it comes to music. My partner, however, does question that I will quite often listen to Olivia Rodrigo in the car. He cannot relate at all, but I think that’s because she doesn’t make music for 40-year-old men, so I think that it’s totally fine that he does not understand my enjoyment of her music. 

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

The last big gig I went to was the Beyoncé Cowboy Carter Tour in London, which was amazing. That was a really special trip. And then I also was at the MacMoray Festival, which is a local music festival in Moray during the election campaign, but I didn’t really get to enjoy the music because I was there as a candidate and in campaign mode.