John Douglas was a founder member of The Trashcan Sinatras, playing guitar and singing harmonies with the Glasgow band since 1986.

The Trashcan Sinatras sit (for me at least) in the same category alongside other Scottish bands like Aztec Camera, Orange Juice and Josef K and fellow travellers like The Pale Fountains and The Field Mice.

They came along in the post-punk pre-grunge calm of the mid-Eighties, purveying a brand of mellow, wistful, jangle pop whose warm melodies encouraged critics to call “autumnal” because they harboured a hint of melancholy in the metaphors woven through the lyrics.

Celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, they always seemed almost too grown-up to be part of the pop universe, which only served to make them get better the longer they went on; not just ageing but maturing.

Now that won’t happen, following the death of guitarist John Douglas, whose chiming guitar and sweet melodies were at the core of their sound, dovetailing beautifully with lead singer Frank Reader.

Douglas had founded The Trashcan Sinatras with singer/guitarist Frank Reader (brother of Fairground Attraction’s Eddi), third guitarist Paul Livingston, bassist George McDaid and drummer Stephen Douglas.

Initially a covers band on the Glasgow pub and club circuit, they got their break when a talent scout from Go! Discs spotted them and signed them up to make their debut single Obscurity Knocks, a song whose acoustic jangle reminds me of America: not the country but the band who sang Horse With No Name.

By their second single, Only Tongue Can Tell, it was clear they enjoyed a play on words; the title of arguably their best album is a Weightlifting, though the song itself is not about gym routines but about shedding the stresses of life to find peace of mind.

The theme, which runs through all their work, was clarified on their 2016 album Ever the Optimist, their familiar blend of sprightly guitar pop and lush balladry featuring guest vocals from Green Gartside of Scritti Politti and Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura.