The Fence Collective is a loose association of singers, musicians and songwriters, at least a few of whom live in and around Anstruther in Fife.
The Fence Collective is a loose association of singers, musicians and songwriters, at least a few of whom live in and around Anstruther in Fife. Anstruther is a fishing village and not the first place you’d go looking for a revolution, but the Fence Collective has other ideas. It hosts events and festivals and even has its own record company. I was brought up in Fife, so when I heard about Fence I was curious. Soon thereafter I was part of the congregation and singing its praises. Some Fence alumni you may have heard of: KT Tunstall, James Yorkston, King Creosote. Others you may not. They always produce interesting, left-field indie sounds, usually folk-tinged but also encompassing electronica and dance.
When I heard that King Creosote formed part of a ‘folkie supergroup’ — the Burns Unit — I knew I had to buy the album. It’s called Side Show and came about when a bunch of musicians were flung together in a house on the shores of the Solway Firth. As far as I know, this was part of the Year of (Robert) Burns. By coincidence, I rented that house a few months later for my family’s summer holiday. KC is joined by Emma Pollock, Karine Polwart and five other musicians on an album that melds punchy world music to mellow folk to harsh confessional without making a false move. It’s like one long, involving variety show, full of colour and spectacle and not a few surprises.
They will be ‘reforming’ at 2011’s Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Roll up, roll up.