AFTER their break-out performance behind bars, rockers Holy Pistol Club (HPC) have been rewarded for their good behaviour.

The band has been nominated in the Scottish New Music Awards (SNMAs) and reached number one for the second time in the Scottish New Music Chart for unsigned bands.

Last month, the Reporter told you how the Dumbarton and Vale five-piece had played to hundreds of cheering women in HMP Cornton Vale, Scotland's only all-female prison.

Alan Jones, guitarist for HPC spoke to the Reporter after hearing the good news. He said "We have been nominated best alternative indie band in the SNMAs, I think it gets announced in three or four months time.

"Being nominated means we'll be around the right names, the right people which has already started happening in terms of DJs and promoters and people from magazines.

"It's great because it means our music is getting out there to a bigger audience, we've always knew our songs were great, but now we're getting the chance to prove it."

Alan also says their second number one is also proof they're becoming more established in the Scottish music scene. He said: "That's the second time we have been number one and we've never been out the top 10 since we were first entered.

"Since we've been on the chart, the number of friends we've got on Facebook has probably doubled.

"We got radio play in Sacramento last week, one of our songs got used in a documentary over there and they used it on a radio show, the DJ then found some more of our tracks and started to play them."

The guitarist says the band has really found their momentum in recent months and will soon be recording an EP.

He added: " We're heading in soon to record a few songs and then from there we'll decide what to put on our EP from the ones we record and another ten we've got already. There's probably going to be four or five songs on it.

"There will be downloads and physical copies as well. I know most people get their music through download but we're old school and like to have the physical thing there in your hand. "I remember what it was like queuing up for a new Oasis single, and a lot of our fans will still feel the same way too."

Alan added: "We've got a few gigs coming up, but we're hoping to coincide some with our EP release for a promotional tour.

"It's important to get out beyond Glasgow to the rest of Scotland and even down south. Manchester and London have both got vibrant music scenes, but it's one step at a time obviously.

"Everyone in the band's been in other bands before who got to the point where we are now, so we know a bit more about what we're doing now and we're older and wiser."