Admiral Fallow

Admiral Fallow
Admiral Fallow performing in Academy 2, Dublin in October, 2011
Background information
Origin	Glasgow, Scotland
Genres	indie pop
Years active	2007 - present
Labels	Lo-Five (UK - 2010) Euphonios (Scotland - 2009) Indigo (Germany - 2010) Nettwerk (Worldwide- 2012)
Members	Louis Abbott Kevin Brolly Philip Hague Sarah Hayes Joseph Rattray
Website	[4]

Admiral Fallow is a Scottish musical group formed in 2007 by singer/song-writer Louis Abbott and based in Glasgow. They write and perform orchestral indie folk - pop Their first album Boots Met My Face was released by Lo-Five in the UK in March 2011 and worldwide in June 2011.

Albums

Boots Met My Face

Boots Met My Face was recorded in July 2009 and produced at the Glasgow studio Chem 19 by engineer Paul Savage (former Delgados drummer and winner of the 2010 UK Producers’ Guild “Breakthrough Producer of the Year” award). Savage also recorded the last Franz Ferdinand album and has been responsible for some of the best recorded music coming out of Scotland in the past few years (Mogwai, King Creosote, Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells etc.). The album recording was partially funded by Creative Scotland.

Lead singer and main writer Louis Abbott has said that “All of the songs document the first chapter of my life, be it memories from school or kicking a ball about with my childhood chums. All are taken from real life events. There's no fiction. I'm not into making up stories or characters for the sake of trying to stir emotions. They are songs about friends and family as well as a fair bit of self-evaluation.”

The album title comes from a line in "Subbuteo" which references an incident when Abbott was "battered unconscious" at the age of 15.

“Squealing Pigs” was first released as a single in the UK released in April 2010 by Lo-Five Records, followed by Boots Met My Face in April 2010, re -released in March and June 2011. The release garnered album of the week praise in the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, a 4 star review from The List and was named the Best Album of 2010 by Scottish music website The Pop Cop. In addition, Linn Records made the album available as one of their famed 24 bit Studio Master Downloads, calling it the “Record of the Week” for 19 July. Boots Met My Face was later released in Germany by Indigo Records on 13 August 2010. Another single "Subbuteo" (backed with "Delivered" (alternate version) available for free download on www.admiralfallow.com) was released in October 2010.

"Squealing Pigs" has been used on NBC's Chuck, featured in a commercial first aired at Super Bowl 2012 and was performed live on BBC television's Hogmanay Live show on 31 December 2011 - this performance can be seen on www.admiralfallow.com. It is available from 5 February 2012 as a download only single in the US, via iTunes.

Tree Bursts In Snow

Is the next album, due to be released on 21 May 2012 . The band has released the track listing and other information on the album. The album version of "Beetle In The Box" was available for free download on "www.admiralfallow.com". Front man and principal songwriter Louis Abbott gives us some insight to the meaning of the title:

"the title refers to the sound and the image of an artillery shell exploding into a cluster of snow-drenched trees.…I'm also astounded by the sheer volume of gun related violent crimes throughout the world but in particular in the U.S. The lyric from 'Tree Bursts' was inspired by the idea of the effect that losing friends through violence, in particular during times of war or conflict has on young men and women. They are "the leaves that fall louder than backfire, all orange and halloween red"

Track Listing

1.) Tree Bursts*

2.) The Paper Trench*

3.) Guest Of The Government*

4.) Beetle In The Box* x

5.) Old Fools x

6.) Isn't This World Enough??

7.) Brother

8.) The Way You Were Raised*

9.) Burn* (Was called "Burn Me Now" but was changed due to fear of being to morbid)

10.) Oh, Oscar

* - Has Been Played Live

x - Has Been Played On Radio

Touring

Admiral Fallow were helped by Fyfe Dangerfield (of the Guillemots), who has supported and been a friend to the band since its formation, asking for the band to open for the Guillemots in Glasgow and Edinburgh on their 2007 Scottish tours.

In July 2009 the band headlined the Sunday night T Break stage at T in the Park.

The band expanded the number of live shows, playing with King Creosote at the Fence Collective’s Homegame Festival in March, touring the UK in the first 2 weeks of April 2010 and supporting the Futureheads in Glasgow in late April. Summer festivals included opening for King Creosote at the Glasgow West End Festival and playing the Wee Chill, Rockness and Insider festivals.

Crucial in the band's development was a last minute invitation to the BBC Introducing Stage at T in the Park, July 2010 (which helped to land BBC 2 and BBC 3 TV exposure, a live Radio 1 interview with Edith Bowman and a Radio 1 playlisting for the song "Taste The Coast"), and ultimately helped the band obtain the services of their now much valued Publisher (Blair McDonald, Nettwerk One Music) and International (ex North America) Booking Agent (Ross Morrison, Primary Talent).

Summer 2010 festivals were followed by an August Scottish tour including Haarfest gigs with King Creosote, Adem and Silver Columns in Anstruther and in Paisley with Paolo Nutini, the latter broadcast for live transmission on BBC Radio 2’s In Concert series. A small UK tour in September, 3 dates supporting the Felice Brothers, culminated in a London show at the Lexington (heavily attended by industry) on September 15 and a gig at the Loopallu Festival.

Late 2010 was taken up by a UK and Ireland tour opening for the band's friends and fellow Scots, Frightened Rabbit, culminating in 2 sold out shows at Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom.

2011 brought a February / March UK headline tour in support of the re-issue of their self released album, "Boots Met My Face". On 13 March the band flew to Austin, Texas for SxSW 2011. Heralded as one to watch by NPR's "All Songs Considered" the band performed at Showcases with Mr Heavenly and Dry The River, causing Paste Magazine to judge Admiral Fallow as their "7th favorite band at SxSW 2011." At SxSW the band secured the services of Mr Steve Ferguson of the Paradigm Booking Agency for the USA. Headline shows followed in The Mercury Lounge, Manhattan, The Way Station, Brooklyn plus sold out gigs at The Full Steam Brewery, Durham, NC and The Lizard Lounge, Cambridge Mass. On 5 July 2011, Admiral Fallow were featured on the BBC 2 documentary "Scotland Rocks at South By Southwest" which saw them performing "Squealing Pigs" at The Caritas soup kitchen for the homeless in Austin,Texas, a very touching moment for the band, they later said.

UK summer 2011 festivals followed (including The Great Escape, Glastonbury, Latitude, Cambridge Folk Festival, Green Man, End of The Road) with overseas trips to Sligo Live and Crossing Border. Through the summer the band were also asked to open for bands as diverse as Belle and Sebastian, Paul Heaton and The Low Anthem.

In January the band had a (6 shows in 7 days) sold out tour of their home town, Glasgow!!! During Celtic Connections 2012 (if you count 2 Louis Abbott and Friends solo gigs.) This included a slot opening for Snow Patrol in the SECC before 10,000 people. The highlight was their biggest ever headline show in front of 1300 estatic fans at the 02 ABC on 27 January, prompting the Herald (Glasgow Broadsheet) to exclaim in a 5 star review..."There are very few occasions when one is lucky enough to be present when a band takes the step into the big league. Friday night was one of these" ***** The O2 gig was there biggest show and was backed with 2x confetti explosions from either sides of the stage during "The Way You Were Raised" and "Squealing Pigs (Encore)"

On 2 February, the band finished off a manic gigging period with a Daytrotter session and a sold out London Borderline gig on a co-headline with We Are Augustines, as the opening gig of the HMV Next Big Thing Festival, a gig attended by the great and the good of the London Music Business firmament.

Admiral Fallow will be attending at the 32nd Shetland Folk Festival in May 2012.

Discography

Albums

• Boots Met My Face (2010, 2011)

Singles

• "These Barren Years (different version from album) b/w Gypsy Girl" (March 2009)(Euphonios)(available via www.admiralfallow.com)
• "Squealing Pigs" (April 2010) (lo-Five)
• "These Barren Years" (album version) (July 2010) (lo-Five)
• "Subbuteo" (October 2010) (Lo-Five)
• "Squealing Pigs" (February 2012) (Lo-Five) USA only
• "Beetle In The Box b/w Party Fears Two" (March 2012) (Nettwerk)Limited edition white label 7 inch vinyl

In a new development the band have signed to the Vancouver based Nettwerk label for whom they have recorded their soon to be released 2nd album "Tree Bursts In Snow" (again produced and mixed by Paul Savage at Chem 19, Glasgow and mastered by ("the incomparable" - Bon Iver) Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, NYC. It is from this album that "Beetle In The Box" is drawn, available for a short time as a free download on www.admiralfallow.com

External links

• Admiral Fallow