Murdoch: 'There's no glamour in pop'

Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch has said that it is no longer glamorous to be in a pop group.

The singer told The Guardian that the experience of being a relatively successful musician was not at all what he expected.

Murdoch said: "I was in a pop band, but there was no glamour. I had given it my best shot, but I had experienced none of the highs that I had perhaps expected a working pop singer to experience.

"This ain't the 1960s any more. Or the 1970s. Or even the 1980s. If you want glamour, you have to imagine it yourself! At least, that's the conclusion I've come to after churning out records for 13 years."

Despite releasing their first two albums in 1996, Belle & Sebastian beat Steps and 5ive to the Brit Award for best newcomer in 1999, which reportedly led to allegations of vote-rigging from Pete Waterman.