Our sporadic and seemingly unplanned release schedule can't keep up with the meteoric rise of bis! When this interview was arranged they were fighting off the first advances of major labels and planning to release their third EP 'The Secret Vampire Soundtrack' on their friends the Delgados's label Chemikal Underground.

Then Top of the Pops producer Ric Blaxhill catches them supporting Super Furry Animals and before you know it they become the first unsigned band to appear in the show's history, and the subsequent history has been fairly well documented! At the time we published this bis had just announced a deal with Wiiija Records in the UK (the Beastie Boys Grand Royal label will issue them in the US) initially for two albums with options for a further three. By the time we've taken Weedbus into cyberspace, the first album The New Transistor Heroes has been released, and surprises a lot of people with its maturity and songwriting skills. In summer 96 bis's press statement explained the Wiiija decision as one which linked them up with "one of the last truly independent labels" and claimed that it was the only label that would give them control over choosing the songs for singles, as well as all artwork.

I actually spoke to guitarist John Disco pre-Wiiija deal, first of all on the phone from London and then a few weeks later at their support gig with Bikini Kill in Belfast. By this stage the bidding war had escalated and the band had decided that their next EP 'bis vs the DIY corps' would be self-released. I asked John about the people behind Chemikal Underground, and the benefits of small labels in general.

J: "Chemikal Underground is a label run by the Delgados who very kindly put out our first single 'Disco Nation'. They just wanted to do something with us again and we thought that it was probably the best thing to do, rather than sign with someone at that point. We want to try and keep our music independent, we want to try to keep the underground thing happening, in fact we're hoping to release singles on other labels, such as K (Calvin Johnson and co). There is no point in us rushing anything and we want to try and build up a certain level of respect."

For me, one of the really exciting things about bis is the way they have been supported throughout by the fanzine network. I was first introduced to them by Dee (from All About D and Friends fanzine) who played me a demo tape when I was visiting her last summer. The band have had exensive fanzine coverage, and most zine readers know of the bis-related publications Paper Bullets and Funky Spunk. So how did all these come about?

J: "It was all down to Steven who started his own fanzine Paper Bullets, then Manda wrote one as well (Funky Spunk). The most recent issue combines the two, but it was quickly out of print! That one involved all of us and it's something that we'd like to keep doing if it's at all possible. I would go as far to say that if we hadn't done our own two zines we wouldn't be where we are today. Our very first gig in London was put on by Dee from All About D And Friends and Sid from Abuse, and we really don't want to lose that kind of grass roots support. In fact one of the reasons we aren't so keen to sign to a big label is that we don't want to lose touch with that."

You've been speaking to a lot of labels lately. Do you think everyone knows what the band are about or are they keen to lump you in with everyone else? "Oh yeah, I think people are definitely trying to pigeonhole us straight away. It's pure laziness as usual. That's the reason we put a description of what the band is about on two of the singles. It's like we're saying if you can't take the time to read it don't bother writing about it. I think being in Glasgow helps us a bit, we're not prone to being classified in a certain bracket. There's a lot of variety in Glasgow and a lot of bands work together. It's not a strict scene either, it's not as if there's competition going on, it's quite a friendly group. It would be pointless to relocate to London. It might get us more gigs, but it might also destroy our identity. I respect all the bands from Scotland that are doing their own thing and sticking to their guns."