Fife indie band Sergeant return for hometown gig 15 years after splitting up

The four-piece enjoyed some success back in the early 2000s when they had a taste of a career in the music industry. However, they called it a day back in 2010 with a 1400 sell-out farewell show at the town’s Rothes Halls.

Now, 15 years on they are back together and having recently completed a sell-out tour with dates in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dunfermline and Dundee, the band are heading back to their roots for Saturday’s gig. It’s their first on hometown soil for many years.

The band – Nick Mercer (vocals), Rory Buchanan (drums), Scott Duncan (guitar) and Bill Anderson (bass) – will be playing the CISWO with support from Dovv, Arienas and Rosie Alice.

Nick, 40, said: “I’m excited. We all live all over the place and we’re not rehearsing as much so it’s now sporadic and really fun.

"With the show being in the CISWO it’s like going back to how it all started.

“We have done Rothes Halls a couple of times but when we first started we would play anywhere and everywhere to whoever. It’s kind of real and raw.

“What’s been really good about the shows is there was a period of time when we were younger before it got all serious that was really fun and it feels like that again.

“The four of us are still best mates and speak to each other all the time and have done for the last 15 years.

“The fun part is hanging out with the three of them again. Seeing them regularly has been amazing.

"It’s been a breath of fresh air for everybody. We are doing it for ourselves and it’s not serious.

"We’ve all grown up, got married, have kids, jobs – we’ve got real lives now as they would say. The music feels like an extra curricular activity and a hobby.

"There was a period of time when we felt we were getting too old for it, but now it’s like ‘who cares?’. It’s quite cathartic and therapeutic.”

Between 2004 and 2010, Sergeant played festivals including T in the Park, Reading and Leeds, and Glastonbury. They signed to major music label Mercury and supported the likes of Oasis, Supergrass, Happy Mondays and The Fratellis. They sold out Rothes Halls for hometown shows twice.

Sergeant were known for their infectious melodies and electrifying live energy.

Their debut album was crafted under legendary producer John Leckie (The Stone Roses, Radiohead).

Nick said: “It feels like a different lifetime ago. All the crazy stuff we did it sinks in a bit more when you’re older. I just wish that we'd have soaked it up a little bit more while doing it. It’s reclaiming what it felt like to do it, but on our own terms. There’s no pressure it’s all in our own time and we have no one breathing down our necks.”

Since reforming at the end of 2024, Sergeant have returned to the live stage, selling out their shows and delighting fans with forgotten B-sides. Now, they are turning their attention back to the Fife town where they grew up.

The band’s name can be found on the strip of local football team – Glenrothes Strollers Girls’ under 10s – and they are looking to support local charity, Glenrothes Foodbank with their weekend gig.

Nick explained: “My daughter plays for the Under 10s girls team and they were needing strips. We’d just done a couple of the shows and I asked if everyone would be up for getting the girls their strips. They agreed. I’d always thought it would be cool to sponsor a football team – and what’s better than sponsoring your daughter’s football team?"

Sergeant will be donating ten per cent of the profits from the CISWO gig to the foodbank, a decision Nick said was easy for them to make.

"We all know the current situation with the cost of living,” he said, “it’s outrageous.”

"We live in a house with two decent incomes and it’s still hard, so I don’t know how others manage.

"By sponsoring the local girls’ football team, donating to the foodbank and playing the CISWO, it’s a bit of a love letter to the place where we grew up.”

And the future is looking bright for the band, with a number of plans in the pipeline – but all done their own way.

Nick said: “We’ve writing again and that’s been cool.

“We’re looking to release new stuff next year, but before that we’ve got the record we released when we were younger, we never got it done on vinyl, so we’re doing that with Assai Records. That will be out at the beginning of November.

“We’ve all said the moment it feels like we’re trying to flog a dead horse we’re stopping. But for now, the shows and tickets are going great. There’s a lot of younger people at the shows as well which is interesting. There are fans who are bringing their teenage kids along to see the band they listened to when they were younger.”