Kieran Fisher and the Reel Movement are raring to go

Kieran Fisher makes no apologies for his craft. The Alloa man work is a product of his personal experiences, untainted by the ephemeral influences of popular culture, the wayward music industry or social media. He writes what he knows.

His stylish – almost folksy – approach is evident on his first album Pay for the Privilege. It was a stripped back recording as he sang accompanied only by his guitar. His pride when speaking about that release is palpable and his list of accomplishments on the back of it are evident. But he was always of the mind that he could take his writing style to a bigger stage in a bid to cause a little more "carnage" during performances.

Fisher went in search of fellow musicians; those he could trust; those who shared his vision for music and his penchant for authenticity. A fruitful exercise, it seems, as he and his conscripts have shifted from four musicians to a band over the last few months. They have taken on the name of Kieran Fisher and the Reel Movement and released their first single earlier this month, aptly titled: When it all Falls into Place.

The synergy appears to have been almost immediate, as Fisher begins to develop his writing for a full band. He has recruited well and linked up with friend and fellow Clacks man Lyle Finlay, before reaching out to drummer Jason Strachan – also from the area. The bass player was the final hurdle and, after a little searching, had brought in Scott Archibald, formerly of Alloa band Trimm, to complete the line-up.

"We've been at it," he tells The Weekender. "It's been intense. We've been practising two or three times a week, four hours at a time. We've got a setlist of around 15 tracks – maybe 11-12 are original songs.

"Those original songs are brand new – they're not from Pay for the Privilege or anything. We will play some songs off that album, we'll rework some of them, but they're not the priority as we're trying to focus on the brand new stuff. We're just working on getting everything really tight.

A lot of my songs are to do with the shenanigans of life and the relationships we have – whether that's a relationship with drink, with your friends, family, your missus, or your relationship with your demons or your goals."

"We are choking to play," the singer adds. "We had our first gig set for the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh, but that's been postponed, until maybe October. We were all set for it – we were ready to go but then, obviously, the coronavirus hits about a week before we due to play.

"We had a few festivals booked – we were meant to play Vibration in Falkirk, the Face Value festival in Wales and Gig in the Goil. It was going to be a pretty big summer for us, although things have come to a bit of a standstill.

"But the gigs are there we are all raring to go. We've only been a band for seven or eight months, but the amount of ground we have covered in that time has been pretty good. We're all pleased with how it has turned out so far.

"The boys have been great – delighted with that. And we've had a lot of help from Bazza Mills and Mikey Tee who have been out there pushing the single for me, so a big thanks to them as well."

The decision to move on from one-man-and-guitar was ultimately an easy one for Fisher. He had seen the buzz that a full band receive during live shows and he wanted that raw energy as part of his own sets.

He adds: "I was gigging myself for a while and played a lot of decent places. Even though I was working my way up the bill, I just felt there was no more head room. I was getting the crowd going, even just myself and the guitar, but I always thought I could cause a lot more carnage with a band.

"That was the next step – the music needed a bit more to it; a bit more rock 'n roll. The drums, bass and electric guitars all make sure a huge difference to even the most simplest of songs. It gets the feet tapping a little more.

THE REEL MOVEMENT: Kieran Fisher with bandmates Lyle Finlay, Jason Strachan and Scott Archibald. Image by Bazza Mills

"But we might well do a bit of both," he adds. "I like watching some bands that mix things up. We could look at, maybe in the middle of a set, me picking up the acoustic guitar and rattling out a few of the old songs, before we get back into some more full-scale rock 'n' roll.

"I played myself for years, and I know you can have some cracking sing-alongs with just one guy and a guitar. It's good to have both in the arsenal; to have that range for audiences."

Fisher was certain that should he take his music to a full-band format that the project should take up the same mantle for authenticity. For him, there was no sense in leading a band and performing as a frontman if he was pretending to be something he was not. With that in mind, it was important the band's name paid homage to that ethos.

"I've always wanted to keep things real," he says. "There is a lot of pretentious music out there just now. A lot of my songs are to do with the shenanigans of life and the relationships we have – whether that's a relationship with drink, with your friends, family, your missus, or your relationship with your demons or your goals.

"But it's not to make me people feel depressed – I don't want folk to just listen to it and think there's nothing they can do about it. The angle, for me, is that it's never too late to make changes.

"The music is for the people," Fisher continues. "If we ever do gain any success with the band, I still want to keep it real. I would never be one of those guys in the street who would walk past someone they'd known for years and ignore them because they think they are a rockstar – that's just not me.

"It's happened to me in the past and it's just horrible. Besides, my dad would slag **** out of me if I was carrying on thinking I was Rod Stewart or something. My feet are always planted firmly on the ground."

"But's not a doom and gloom kind of song...It's supposed to make people snap out of the whole head in the clouds stuff and to look at things for what they are."

When it all Falls into Place – the band's debut single – was released a few weeks ago and has piqued some interest with a few radio plays and some positive reviews. The track is littered with upbeat tones but is anchored by Fisher's assured vocals and expressive melody. It meets all the criteria of a catchy summer tune, yet it comes equipped with meaning and reflection.

Fisher goes on: "The song is kind of about the attitude of youth – the kinds of decisions you make when you are younger; ones you wouldn't make if you had a sober head. Then, When it all Falls into Place, the penny drops and you start to learn from those mistakes. You make better decisions, live a better lifestyle and start to get to the places you want to be, through those decisions.

"It's about growing up," the singer adds. "It looks at moving away from the endless cycle of doing the same mundane stuff you've done for years and not getting anywhere.

"I'm a dad now, and looking back, I can see I am making better decisions and I'm happier. That's what growing up is, really; it's seeing that your happiness is a result of your life choices."

The follow-up release – Down the Hatch – is "ready to go" and will be recorded and released as soon as possible. It will be illuminating, however, as Fisher feels the track moves away from the more radio-friendly first single, with a little touch of punk rock thrown in.

"The first single was quite polished," the Clacks man explains. "We wanted it that way so that it was easy to listen to. But the next single – Down the Hatch – will be a little more raw.

"A lot of my songs are about people and what I see. Down the Hatch is really about someone who has lost their way and is, kind of, part two of When it all Falls into Place. It's about a person who thinks they are living a life of luxury, but they are blind to the fact they are in a never-ending cycle.

"You see it everywhere; the fake happiness without any substance and all that livin' it big. But by the end of it, everything they had just went Down the Hatch.

"But's not a doom and gloom kind of song – it will get folk pumped it. As soon as you put it on, you'll begin to question a few things. It's supposed to make people snap out of the whole head in the clouds stuff and to look at things for what they are."

LISTEN: When it all Falls into Place is available to stream online.