Film and music come together for Stirling band’s first album project
A Stirling band have been collaborating with young filmmakers to create atmospheric visuals to accompany songs for their debut album.
Dream folk outfit Constant Follower are also set to tour the US for the first time next year and play the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas.
Their first album‘Neither is Nor Ever Was’was released last Friday (October 1) and the filmmakers have made videos to go along with the album’s ten songs as well as one of the band filmed on the Cowal peninsula.
Formed three years ago, Constant Follower comprise Stephen McAll (vocals, guitar and synths), Andrew Pankhurst, or Kurd, (electric guitar), Amy Campbell (vocals and synth), and Dave Guild (bass).
The band emerged after Stephen met Kurd at a gig and they realised they needed to work with more musicians to play songwriter Stephen’s solo songs live.
Thirty-nine-year-old Stephen, of Riverside, said: “The songs on the album are about space, time and recognising that things change, nothing stays the way it is.
“It’s a very visual album somehow. It conjures up images when you listen to it.
“I knew from the start that it would need to have some very interesting films to accompany it.
“Every film responds honestly to the music, the films don’t represent what the songs are about, but they are the artist’s honest response– and that’s what matters most.
“What we’ve ended up with are 11 incredible short films in their own right.”
The filmmakers involved in the project include George Farrow-Hawkins from Alva and Stirling University Film
and Media graduates Fiona Burton and Sean Hall.
‘Neither is Nor Ever Was’ was recorded at Stephen’s CFFC studio in Stirling and co-produced with US producer Kramer, whose credits include Daniel Johnston, Low, and Bonnie Prince Billy.
As well as the band, the album also features Tolbooth youth officer Kenny Bates, who plays guitar on two tracks, and Mark Tranmer from indie group The Montgolfier Brothers as well as Stirling musicians Jimmy Hughes (additional bass) and Jimmy Chadwin (additional guitars).
Stephen’s partner Kessi Stosch, from Hamburg, also sings and plays synth and bass but, as a mum with a baby daughter who is also studying for a PhD at Stirling University, does not join live performances.
The fourpiece are looking forward to touring the UK, Europe and the US in 2022 as well as recording new material.
Stephen added:“We’ve been lucky to receive support from the likes of US radio stations KEXP, WFMU as well as BBC 6 Music and BBC Scotland.
“We’ll be playing some shows in support of the new album including a short tour of the US taking in next year’s SXSW festival and a number of other cities.
“It will be our first time in the US and we’re all very excited about that.
“We’ve almost finished writing the follow-up album and will begin to record that in the new year.”
Six films to accompany ‘Neither is Nor Ever Was’have been released so far on YouTube and more will be released in the coming months.