Artist · chart history
Arab Strap
Band Falkirk United Kingdom Formed 1995 Scottish indie rock band
Arab Strap formed in 1995 in Falkirk, United Kingdom. Arab Strap has 2 chart appearances on 2 radio countdowns from 1 station on RockLists, spanning 1996–1997. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “The First Big Weekend”, which appears on 1 list with a best position of #2. The station that charted Arab Strap most often is John Peel (BBC Radio 1), with 2 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1996.
Falkirk's Arab Strap make indie rock that sounds like it's been up all night and has no intention of apologizing. Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton started the band in 1995, signed with Chemikal Underground, and put out The Week Never Starts Round Here in 1996.
"The First Big Weekend" was their calling card on the countdowns, and The Girls of Summer E.P. brought "Hey! Fever" along the following year: sparse, murmuring, bleary songs that trade volume for closeness and make the listener feel like they've wandered into somebody else's confession.
The partnership ran until 2006, when they called it a day. Ten years later Moffat and Middleton were back at it together, and in 2020 they moved over to Rock Action Records.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Arab Strap on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The First Big Weekend | 1 | #2 | – | 1996 | |
| 2 | Hey! Fever | 1 | #16 | – | 1997 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 16 | Hey! Fever | John Peel's 'Pretty' Festive Thirty-One of 1997 |
| 1996 | 2 | The First Big Weekend | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1996 |
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