WE TALK Tours, Festivals
and Electric Fields WITH Scottish
Three-Piece Fatherson
Fatherson have become one of the biggest names in the Scottish band-scene since first starting out in 2010.
By the time they released debut album ‘I Am An Island’ in 2014 the band were already filling rooms across the country, and they followed the record up with another critically-acclaimed release when they dropped second album ‘Open Book’ in the summer of 2016.
With support from the BBC and various support tours under their belt, Fatherson are now no strangers to a headline tour themselves and continue to win listeners over with tightly-constructed yet anthemic indie-rock songs that get stuck in your head for all the right reasons.
Fatherson’s next foray into the Scottish music scene is Electric Fields. The band actually headlined the first ever edition of the festival when it started out as a one-day event four years ago, and it’s grown to new heights since then, with a lineup including Frightened Rabbit, Dizzee Rascal, Kate Tempest, Band of Horses, Jackmaster and many more set to play at Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway over the Friday and Saturday this year.
We caught up with drummer Greg Walkinshaw of Fatherson to chat about life in the band and on the road since the release of ‘Open Book’ and preview their homecoming gig at Electric Fields, which runs from 1-2 September 2017.
Shall we start with what you guys have been up to since the release of ‘Open Book’ last year?
“Yes! The album came out last summer just at the start of festival season and we spent a lot of time touring that and built up to a big Glasgow show at Christmas. This year we did a big two month tour that mingled support and headline stuff and this summer we’ve spent a lot of time out in mainland Europe playing a lot of European shows and supports and festivals which has been great, and we’ve managed to squeeze in some time to do some writing as well. It’s been pretty full on.
“They’re very different beasts [gigs abroad]. We’re just starting to make our footpaths into mainland Europe and these festivals have been a great way of doing that. It’s weird in a way. You go back to being the new kid on the block again as oppose to when we play in Scotland and places in England. It makes it feel totally fresh again and it’s been brilliant to travel. Going to all these new places has always been a big attraction for us.”
We actually caught you in Berlin earlier in the year. It was great. There were a lot of Scottish people there.
“Yes, that tends to be what happens! I didn’t know there were so many Scottish people everywhere. Even the weirdest places, you turn up and there always seems to be a Scottish person there. We seem to have spread far and wide!”
Were there any nerves about the writing and creative process for the second album?
“We tried not to worry about it too much. I think you can get a bit in your head with the second record but we just tried to approach it the same as we did with the first record. We put together a bunch of songs that we loved and hoped people would like it, and the reception has been great. This record has taken us up to playing The Barrowlands, which is one of our favourite venues ever.”
Turning our heads to Electric Fields - am I right in saying you guys played the first ever edition of the festival?
“We did, yeah! Four years ago we got offered the headline slot there when it was just a one-day thing with two stages. A lot of our friends were playing. I still remember the day really well. It was really fun.
“The festival had a really good vibe and even then we knew it was onto something. As a fan of music and the Scottish music scene it’s amazing to see how the festival has grown. It’s turned into this beast, this powerhouse with a great lineup, and everyone has so many good things to say about it. It’s great to be back now that it’s turned into this big thing.”
By the time they released debut album ‘I Am An Island’ in 2014 the band were already filling rooms across the country, and they followed the record up with another critically-acclaimed release when they dropped second album ‘Open Book’ in the summer of 2016.
With support from the BBC and various support tours under their belt, Fatherson are now no strangers to a headline tour themselves and continue to win listeners over with tightly-constructed yet anthemic indie-rock songs that get stuck in your head for all the right reasons.
Fatherson’s next foray into the Scottish music scene is Electric Fields. The band actually headlined the first ever edition of the festival when it started out as a one-day event four years ago, and it’s grown to new heights since then, with a lineup including Frightened Rabbit, Dizzee Rascal, Kate Tempest, Band of Horses, Jackmaster and many more set to play at Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway over the Friday and Saturday this year.
We caught up with drummer Greg Walkinshaw of Fatherson to chat about life in the band and on the road since the release of ‘Open Book’ and preview their homecoming gig at Electric Fields, which runs from 1-2 September 2017.
Shall we start with what you guys have been up to since the release of ‘Open Book’ last year?
“Yes! The album came out last summer just at the start of festival season and we spent a lot of time touring that and built up to a big Glasgow show at Christmas. This year we did a big two month tour that mingled support and headline stuff and this summer we’ve spent a lot of time out in mainland Europe playing a lot of European shows and supports and festivals which has been great, and we’ve managed to squeeze in some time to do some writing as well. It’s been pretty full on.
“They’re very different beasts [gigs abroad]. We’re just starting to make our footpaths into mainland Europe and these festivals have been a great way of doing that. It’s weird in a way. You go back to being the new kid on the block again as oppose to when we play in Scotland and places in England. It makes it feel totally fresh again and it’s been brilliant to travel. Going to all these new places has always been a big attraction for us.”
We actually caught you in Berlin earlier in the year. It was great. There were a lot of Scottish people there.
“Yes, that tends to be what happens! I didn’t know there were so many Scottish people everywhere. Even the weirdest places, you turn up and there always seems to be a Scottish person there. We seem to have spread far and wide!”
Were there any nerves about the writing and creative process for the second album?
“We tried not to worry about it too much. I think you can get a bit in your head with the second record but we just tried to approach it the same as we did with the first record. We put together a bunch of songs that we loved and hoped people would like it, and the reception has been great. This record has taken us up to playing The Barrowlands, which is one of our favourite venues ever.”
Turning our heads to Electric Fields - am I right in saying you guys played the first ever edition of the festival?
“We did, yeah! Four years ago we got offered the headline slot there when it was just a one-day thing with two stages. A lot of our friends were playing. I still remember the day really well. It was really fun.
“The festival had a really good vibe and even then we knew it was onto something. As a fan of music and the Scottish music scene it’s amazing to see how the festival has grown. It’s turned into this beast, this powerhouse with a great lineup, and everyone has so many good things to say about it. It’s great to be back now that it’s turned into this big thing.”
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