Former Champ is a five-piece group from Glasgow, featuring Irish vocalist Claire McKay (Martha Ffion) and members of Savage Mansion, Catholic Action and Secret Motorbikes. Channelling the melancholy storytelling of The Replacements, the guitar interplay of The Strokes and the emotive indie pop of Alvvays the band formed in early 2022 after years of going to each other’s gigs as fans, and years of talking about forming a power-pop quintet over pints of Guinness after the show.