When The Rezillos helm the closing punk party of Paisley's joyfully reactivated Spree festival, they'll be returning to the scene of some of their earliest gigs. 'That was the birthplace of punk rock in Scotland,' says founder and co-frontman Eugene Reynolds of Paisley and its original punk meccas, the Bungalow Bar and Silver Thread Hotel. "[Promoter] Disco Harry saw a quick buck in putting on punk rock groups. I've got some black and white pictures of the time and it's very interesting to see how the fans are dressed; there are no bondage trousers or tartan, there's just kids wearing their school shoes, black jeans and a white school shirt with some felt tip written over it. Maybe there was a safety pin or two. It was so homemade and I love that about it. The Rezillos were homemade."

The Edinburgh punk trailblazers (always happier to hail themselves as a 'new wave beat combo') still hold to the gonzo DIY aesthetic which made songs such as 'Destination Venus', 'Top Of The Pops' and Scotland's first punk 7-inch 'I Can't Stand My Baby' such stand-out treats among their more austere peers. Just don't dismiss them as a retro novelty. 'I don't think many people realise that this was our life,' insists Reynolds. 'It wasn't just something we did for a bit.'

Though it very nearly was. The original Rezillos imploded after two years with Reynolds and singer Fay Fife going on to form The Revillos while guitarist Jo Callis joined The Human League, before they answered the call to reunite for Edinburgh's 2001 Hogmanay celebrations. 'We went too fast and burned ourselves out but we got a second stab at it and this time we knew how to handle it," says Reynolds. 'We've been together 20 years and we've played more dates than the Rezillos ever played the first time round. We want to write more songs not less, and there is still 100% commitment and desire to do it.'

Like everyone else in the music industry, The Rezillos were adversely effected by the pandemic but Reynolds is delighted to be back playing live again. 'The last 18 months shook everybody's idea of who they were and where they were going. I suppose it's like being in a horrible accident and surviving and thinking "here I am, I'm still here". I was shaken a bit and thought "is this important anymore?" And having come through that, I'm glad to say that it is. I still live it. I still believe in it.'

The Rezillos, Spiegeltent, Paisley, Saturday 16 October; click here for full listings of The Spree.