Admiral Fallow

Formed in 2007 by a group of Glasgow-based music student mates (Louis and Phil from Edinburgh; bassist Joe Rattray from Dundee; singer, flautist and keyboardist Sarah Hayes from Northumberland; clarinettist and keyboardist Kevin Brolly the only genuine Glaswegian), Admiral Fallow released their adored debut album, Boots Met My Face, in 2011 and its widely-acclaimed successor Tree Bursts In Snow the following year. Tree Bursts In Snow saw the band shed the constraints of nu-folk and swell into a more organic design, blending traditional with electronic, orchestral and indie.  Their latest album, Tiny Rewards, follows on this path, and for the first time, the songwriting process is a collaborative one, with each member’s individual skill and talent as important as the other. As a Glasgow band prone to self-deprecation, Admiral Fallow will probably wince at the plaudits Tiny Rewards is about to receive. Heartbreakingly beautiful, sonically audacious and lyrically bewitching would fit the bill. The quintet, however, would more likely describe Tiny Rewards as a dozen songs from an 18-month experiment to do something different.