Looking to the Future

The Arts Journal profiles CROFT NO FIVE

The Facts:
Croft No Five are a band who combine the melodic energy of traditional music with the rhythmic power of contemporary dance music. The band are based in Glasgow, but have their origins in Inverness, and are about to release their second album. The players are:

John Somerville (accordion, synths)
Misha Somerville (whistles, saxophone)
Barry ‘Spad’ Reid (guitar)
Paul Jennings (drums, percussion, programming)
 

CROFT NO FIVE first came together in a musical sense at Charleston Academy in Inverness as a folk-rock band named Dryzabone. They represented Scotland at the Music For Youth Schools Prom at the Albert Hall in London in 1997, and later emerged as the six-piece Croft No Five.

The band is officially a four-piece at the moment following the departures of fiddler Adam Sutherland and bass player Somhairle MacDonald. The Somerville brothers and Barry Reid are all from the Inverness area, while drummer Paul Jennings is originally a Shetlander. Duncan Lyall appears on the band’s new CD, but is also a member of Brolum, and remains a semi-permanent member for now. The band also consider their engineer, Jamie Hale, to be an integral part of the group.

Croft No Five came together in Glasgow in 1998, where they were students, and took their name from the number of their flat in the city, and the idea of the croft as a focal point for traditional music-making and community. They issued their debut CD, Attention All Personnel, and began to attract considerable attention.

Their ventures included taking part in a showcase of Scottish music in New York and the genre-mixing Northern Odyssey tour with The Lush Rollers and DJ Dolphinboy, appearances at major festivals like Celtic Connections, Tonder and Lorient, and recent tours in Italy and the Czech Republic.

John Somerville acknowledged that the departures of Adam Sutherland and Somhairle MacDonald in October and November last year had almost resulted in the break up of the band.

“We did think about just leaving it altogether,” he admitted. “The six of us were Croft No Five and we were a very tightly-knit group, and we weren’t sure we could rekindle that again. There wasn’t a problem between us – I think for Adam it was a musical thing. He didn’t really want to fully commit to the business side of a band as well as the musical side. I think he wanted to be more of a free agent, and the commitment we were asking for was probably just too much. He knew that we were planning to make a new album, and he decided it was time to make his decision. It was hard for us. 

“Then Somhairle left in November. It was a similar situation, but with the difference that he had decided that he didn’t want to take on music as his main thing. We have remained really good friends with both of them, there was no animosity in any of this.”

The band agonised for a time over their future, but eventually decided to press on with the building of a studio in Glasgow. They began work on their second recording, evolving new material in the course of long sessions in the studio to create a new set of music. They opted not to try to replace Adam (who is currently playing with The Peatbog Faeries) directly, and were able to draft in Duncan Lyall on bass, a crucial instrument in their groove-based musical style.

“Duncan came in for the album and took over the gigs that Somhairle couldn’t do. As time goes on it looks like he may become full time with the band, but he plays with Brolum as well, so he has split commitments, and we’ll have to see how that works out.

“We are a very heavily groove based band, and we have always been about getting people going and creating Scottish party music for people to dance to. With whistle and accordion we still had the melodic side covered without fiddle, but the bass was a different matter. It’s more than just a backing instrument in our music. It is crucial in having the music sound orchestrated in the way we want it.”
 

The new CD, Talk of the Future, will be issued on their own Planet Five Records label on 20 September. The band will play at the following venues:

• Village Hall, Ullapool, Friday 24 September 2004
• Drams in the Field, Glenelg, Saturday 25 September 2004
• Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Friday 1 October 2004
• Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, Saturday 2 October 2004
• Hootananny, Inverness, Sunday 3 October 2004

(John Somerville spoke to Kenny Mathieson)

© HI~Arts, 2004