Born in Edinburgh on September 27, 1958, Irvine Welsh is a Scottish writer known for his rhythmic realist novels, such as Trainspotting (1993), adapted for the screen in 1996 by Danny Boyle, among other tales of marginality like Filth (1998), Glue (2001), Porno (2002) and Dead Men's Trousers (2018). Also a screenwriter, playwright and director, Irvine Welsh is less well known as a musician, having grown up with the first punk generation and been a member of bands based between Aberdeen and London when he was in his twenties. In between writing, he kept up a close interest in music, working with Primal Scream in its dub phase, Vic Godard (Vic Godard & the Subway Sect) and Arthur Baker, and getting involved with underground bands The Innocent Party and Hibee Nation. In 2022, he founded the Jack Said What label with Steve Mac and Carl Loben, then produced the Bill Gates EP under the name of Klaus Blatter (2023), before creating The Sci-Fi Soul Orchestra, a nu-disco ensemble that recorded the album Men in Love (2025), with contributions from vocalists Louise Clare Marshall and Shaun Escoffery. On its release, the album reaches #61 in the UK album download charts.