When we first started to develop Digitalgig, as we researched bands to feature, a small number of places came up time and again.  Fife is one of those regions.  While the number of bands might not be the largest, the quality, diversity and originality of the acts from between the Firth of Forth and the Forth of Tay was constantly being underlined.  A former mining and ship building area still commonly known as ‘The Kingdom of Fife’, there’s certainly more to the region than golf, universities, linoleum and railway bridges.

Fife isn’t all about Dunfermline, St Andrews, Glenrothes and Kirkaldy, though we have found many bands from there. It has a vast array of smaller towns and villages, Leslie, just outside Glenrothes is for instance home to The Greenside. One of the most mentioned venues by the acts we spoke to. 

Fife has, however, long been known for it’s music.  From the rock heyday and it’s association with bands such as Nazareth and Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, through the Punk era and The Skids and later, Big Country both of whom featured Stuart Adamson whose tragic death in 2001 still has an impact on the local scene. 

Who could talk about Fife without also mentioning that KT Tunstall is from here as is the 80’s big ballad songstress

Barbara Dickson!

More recently another Fife band that has gone on to find recognition is Drive By Audio (http://www.myspace.com/drivebyaudio) who have recently been featured on the Grand Theft Auto Xbox expansion ‘The Lost and The Damned’, an accolade that is well deserved.

The scene itself is quite diverse. We have noticed a proliferation of experimental electronica bands, perhaps there is something in the water, or maybe they are powered by the resources created by ‘Silicon Glen’ industries just outside Glenrothes.  From Electro Punk through Hip Hop to Electro Indie, the sheer diversity of electro based music is amazing.  There is also a large and varied indie scene which often takes inspiration from different musical highpoints of the past.  This lifts it way above the run of the mill. There is also a metal scene giving a harder edge to proceedings.

The great level of music is matched by the support the bands receive from the clearly superb venues.  Dunfermline boasts its own Carnegie Hall (Andrew Carnegie was born there). As we pointed out, virtually everyone we spoke to about this feature mentioned The Greenside in Leslie.  Its continued support of the underground music scene of Fife is obviously well appreciated.  Other often mentioned venues are PJ Molloy’s and Monty’s in Dunfermline.

Dunfermline is also the base for the annual Tigerfest. This month long festival takes place in May and highlights a vast array of music. The festival also takes bands out to satellite venues in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, although the main focus is Dunfermlines’ Carnegie Hall.  Tigerfest mainly features acts from outside the area and those who have established their names but some local acts have also got involved.

Fife has a fantastic range of music with some really great talented acts in the scene. You can find out more about the fabulous Yoshi in their interview in this issue of Digitalgig. As ever, to help you hear more from the scene we have provided a list of loads of the bands for you to check out for yourselves,

continued next page