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Bicep open up about 'Glue': "We almost dropped it from the live show"

17 February 2021 | 4:18 pm | Emma Jones

Belfast electronic pioneers Bicep have opened up about the story of one of their biggest tracks, revealing the origins of 'Glue'.

'Glue' by Bicep is an undeniable classic. The 4:45 dance hit is one of the best dance songs of all time, and its immediately recognisable shuffling beat, subtle bass and soaring vocals are a surefire way to get any rave absolutely heaving.

However, according to the Belfast duo, this wasn't always the case. During a recent AMA on Reddit, the pair revealed a tidbit about the track, saying that the crowds they were playing the song to when it was first created were so unenthusiastic about it, it was almost removed from their set entirely.

"It started as a drum loop we made with another set of vocals and different chords," they wrote, in response to a user asking about the story behind 'Glue'.

"We binned the vocals (which we just some cutup samples) and had Silkie Carlo came in to studio. We recorded new ones to the old chords (Still E minor) and felt we were getting somewhere. Left it for a few months and felt there was something there but the chords were too bland. Finally, we wrote new chords to Silkie's vocals and the original drums. It took about a year of playing around and tweaking, there's like 15 versions hahha."

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They continued, writing, "When we first play it out, nobody reacted for a few months and we almost dropped it from live show haha."

"We've got round to make a new 8 minute live version which is in the new stream!"

This isn't the first time Bicep have opened up about the slow burn that was 'Glue'. In an interview with Mixmag, the duo said, "We were playing 'Glue' out for six months before we mixed it and nobody cared about it at all! It didn’t get so much as a cough! We played it at Coachella: nothing."

“Even after the album came out, it was still a sleeper. We went through a phase where we didn’t even play it!”

“It only worked when we started closing with it. It’s almost like you can lower people into 'Glue', but you can’t lift them up into it. We have this new, really indulgent intro for it now, where it has four minutes of beatless arpeggiator at the start”.

Bicep released their eagerly anticipated second album, Isles, in January 2021. Featuring singles such as 'Atlas', 'Saku', 'Sundial', and 'Apricots', Isles is Bicep at their very best.

Words by Emma Jones

Image by Dan Medhurst

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