Strange Behaviours Festival takes place the 25th and 26th of November 2016. Here’s why you should be getting behind this amazing grassroots festival which takes place at Tolbooth in Stirling. We caught up with organiser Kenny, Craig from December 91 and Gregor from Stock Manager who will be performing on the Friday of the festival.
From your perspective, for some one who hasn’t been to Strange Behaviours before how would you describe it?
Kenny: I would describe it as like two nights of Indie and Alternative music, kind of niche genres and then a few bigger names within the Scottish music industry.
Yes! You have The LaFontaines. So Excited…
Kenny: Yeah people seem to love those guys, I think they are going to pull a big crowd. So yeah I suppose its partly stuff like that, music that folk are into from a wide range of genres but then it’s also kind of fun as well because it gives you a chance to put on more unusual stuff as well, like people who have less of a profile but are no less good and it’s also about part of that being people from Stirling as well so it’s not just from everywhere else. Chumps like these guys and chump actually as well.
How would you say the experience is for fans who come along?
Craig: I think in terms of kinda Indie music, it’s easily the best thing which is happening in Stirling and I think you will have a good time because the bands that are coming along are really good but it’s also like kinda wider than that as well, there is like electronic folk and stuff coming as well. Usually there is like a little bit of Hip-Hop but it’s still very much in the indie sphere I think, which is a good thing cause it’s fills a hole.
Locally, What do you think the impact of Strange Behaviours is on Stirling and the local music scene in general?
Kenny: I suppose it’s like, we do like stranger behaviours nights throughout the year, that are monthly, so yeah they kinda only have one main headline act and it gives people a chance throughout the year to see different acts throughout the year without having to travel through to the likes of other cities and it’s part of why this venue is really good being located in Stirling because it gives us the chance to do these shows for local music fans. Tolbooth is more wide reaching, like to pull in different music tastes and genres, so it gets quite a big pull and like the last couple of years, its a funner and bigger event which is gaining reach. It’s good for the smaller acts that are plying because they get to play a show with quite a wide reaching audience.
Craig: I think for me like, well this is it’s third year. Basically it’s still quite young I think but I think that it has the capacity to pull in everyone that is doing this kind of thing in Stirling, which is an actually surprising large amount of people, especially in the last few months there has been more and more gigs and acts popping up. For Strange Behaviours it pulls all of these guy’s together, who are putting on shows and it brings us all together. So it has potential to sort of, bring people together. For the greater good
Do you book all the artists yourself?
Kenny: Yeah but with input from other peoples input as well. Its also depending whose available as well, whose exciting or is doing a lot. It’s kind of difficult though because you don’t just want to put together a line up which is all just stuff that you like, you need to catch a group of artists that people will want to come see but then it also becomes difficult controlling that because it’s like where do you stop, you’ve got to keep like a quality control on it. You want acts that are different and are going to engage people but you also want to make sure they are still good as well because you do need to sometimes book acts that you wouldn’t necessarily go to yourself.
Is there a particular thing that you look for in an artist?
Kenny: Yeah I suppose just kinda being independent and doing their own thing with conviction. There is stuff on the bill that I wouldn’t necessarily go and see myself but they are still doing it in their own vision and with a genuine intent to do something they thinks important. rather than like a careerist musician who we think would sell or maybe be attractive to a wider audience. That’s maybe not a great explanation but yeah
Craig: I think it is actually, a lot of festivals exist or did exist where they would look for, the Stevie McCrorie type y’know. Someone that would pull in a lot of people but that’s not really the purpose of this is it and that’s a good thing for this, so yeah like that makes sense right
Kenny: Not that we are hating on old Stevie, he played here before actually I think
Craig: Yeah yeah totally, he’s good, I just think that Strange Behaviours is more about that niche thing. I mean it’s like the Tolbooth, Yeah the Tolbooth is not really that kind of place anyway, it doesn’t put on the big names necessarily, it puts on your weird world music, or jazz music. It puts on a lot of the best stuff which is happening in Glasgow anyway.
Kenny: Yeah that’s the main stipulation, just kinda bands that are doing things in their own vision.
Craig From December 91
My band is called December 91 and it’s kinda most recently just been me. I record all my own music and right everything and i kinda like the term freak folk because it’s kinda just weird stuff that doesn’t really fit in a specific genre. I just write songs that I care about, about things that I care about. sometimes it’s really folky and sometimes it’s really angry and punky but usually I do it all myself.
Gregor From Stock Manager
My music Stock Manager is the band, it’s kinda just mostly the output of a jack boyle that I work with and he kinda just writes really good songs and they are just amazing and I help facilitate him by playing bass with him live, its the kinda thing where I will just go home and he’ll just write and record a song and I’ll go online and be like aw we’ve got another hit out, perfect. So I really like Jacks music, not plugging myself just him.
What acts are you looking forward to most?
Gregor: one of the local acts I’m looking forward to is Narcissist Cookbook, they are amazing live, he’s like somewhat pop, a wee bit hilarious, a wee bit intense spoken word stuff, it’s like an emotional roller coaster, as JD from scrubs would describe it. Pale Kids and December 91, they are gonna be pretty cool. So yeah those are my picks
Craig: Yeah I’m super psyched about Pale Kids, they are amazing. They’re from kinda Ayrshire right? They work with these guy’s a lot called Sorbie Road, it’s like another record label I think but yeah they’re amazing, they just right songs and they have these lines where you’re like did he just say that, it’s really really brilliant. Cosmic Dead will be huge, like they have an insane reputation, one of the guys in the band used to work in Europa Music so I would see him all the time. He used to despise the band that I was in, so yeah kinda fair enough, but yeah so that’ll be good on the Saturday.
Kenny: Yeah they’re a band I’m looking forward to as well, they are just four really hairy guy’s and their sound is like do you know when a band are tuning up, kinda like the start of their songs are like that and then they’ll go into one riff that just kind of just keeps going for ten minutes. The more it repeats, the better it gets, the wilder they get and stuff. They are ridiculous live to watch. Be Charlotte will be really good as well, she’s a singer/songwriter but she’s taken an electronic slant on it as well and chump, really looking forward to seeing them.
Well Thanks Guy’s!
Keep an eye out for further posts about Strange Behaviours Festival coming soon!
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