THE KINGFISHERS
1982 - Past Tense

Douglas MacIntyre - vocals / guitars
Ewan MacLennan - bass / vocals
Kenny Blythe - guitar / vocals
Robert Mccormick - drums

The Kingfishers came together in March 1982 after Article 58 split up, with Douglas MacIntyre and Ewan MacLennan hooking up with Kenny Blythe and Robert Mccormick from Restricted Code. Article 58 had released a single (Event To Come) produced by Alan Horne and Malcolm Ross, which was released on Josef K manager Allan Campbell’s Rational Records label. After a short tour of England as special guests of Josef K, Article 58 split up. Restricted Code had also recently split up after releasing a couple of singles on Bob Last’s pop:aural label and recording a couple of BBC Radio 1 sessions for John Peel.

Douglas and Ewan had been indulging their melodic whims after the astringent approach with Article 58, Ewan being absorbed by the song constructions of Burt Bacharach whilst MacIntyre was listening non-stop to a couple of cassettes; Rubber Soul by The Beatles and Retrospective by Buffalo Springfield. This trio of influences weighed heavily on the sound of the Kingfishers, whilst the lyrical approach was strongly influenced by the short stories of Truman Capote and Carson McCullers.

As spring became summer the Kingfishers entered the studio to record songs at Emblem Sound in Strathaven and the Hellfire Club in Glasgow, where their naiveté merged with melody to create ideas for a lyrical song cycle album centred on the loss of innocence and youth. Rather preternatural as they were only 20 years old and rather gauche rural boys, but felt a longing for something they didn’t understand - a yearning that manifested itself in the music they were making.

The musical environment in Scotland was changing: in Edinburgh both Josef K and Fire Engines had split up, whilst Orange Juice had left Postcard and signed with a major label. Postcard was talking up the remaining groups; Aztec Camera, the Bluebells and Jazzateers and had repositioned itself in the media as Postcard International and looked to license recordings by its artists to majors. In Glasgow the second generation Postcard influence was coming through with the Bluebells, Friends Again, Strawberry Switchblade and the Kingfishers attracting press attention, radio play and major record company interest. The Bluebells, Friends Again and Strawberry Switchblade eventually signed to major labels, whilst the Kingfishers received demo time paid for by CBS and a publishing offer from Cherry Red.

However the group was riven with doubts and as record company interest in the Kingfishers increased so did their lack of confidence. After one final concert opening for Aztec Camera and Prefab Sprout at Night Moves on St.Patrick’s Day 1983, the group disbanded. The Kingfishers lasted 12 months from March 1982-1983.

THE KINGFISHERS
2022 - Present Tense

Douglas MacIntyre - vocals / guitars
David Scott - bass / organ / piano / harpsichord / glockenspiel
Stuart Kidd - drums / backing vocals
Ken McCluskey - harmonica
Amelia Lironi MacIntyre - backing vocals
Francis St. Fairlie - trumpet

Douglas MacIntyre entered Green Door studio in Glasgow with a reconfigured Kingfishers to record the debut album - 40 years after initially planned. ‘Reflections In A Silver Sound’ retains the initial concept of a lyrical song cycle album centred on the loss of innocence and youth, and includes songs from 1982. Viewing the songs lyrically from the perspective of a world-weary adult singing songs written by a naive optimistic 20 year old gives the recordings an unusual slant. The same influences - Buffalo Springfield / Bacharach / Rubber Soul - still permeate the recording. ‘Reflections In A Silver Sound’ charts a story of optimistic idealism that sadly, and inevitably, gets crushed over the years.