Kirkcaldy Music Scene: Cornfield Chase talk live shows, Hans Zimmer and Hampden hopes

“Essentially, we are music for dreamers; expect big guitars and soaring vocals,” that is how Cornfield Chase singer and guitarist Sandy describes the Fife band’s sound. You can find Cornfield Chase at https://linktr.ee/cfchasemusic and our socials all use the handle @cfchasemusic which includes Facebook, Instagram, X and Tik Tok.

The band was formed in 2016 by Sandy as a vehicle for him to play his solo songs live and has gone through a variety of incarnations since. Guitarist Shaun Evans joined in 2019 before bassist James Young and drummer Martin Smith came on board in 2023, forming the current line-up.

The band released their debut single Smilin' in September 2019, with launches at Monty's Rock Bar Dunfermline and Leith Depot. They then released their debut EP Vitality on St. Andrews Day that year, embarking on a mini tour, including dates in Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth.

Singles Rise Again and Start Anew followed in 2022 and 2023 respectively - and there are hopes that a full album will follow in the not too distant future.

The band have strong alternative rock leanings, with Radiohead, Muse, Jeff Buckley, Nirvana and Manic Street Preachers listed as key influences. But an unusual influence provided the source for the name.

“The band name is borrowed from a cue on the Interstellar film score by Hans Zimmer,” Sandy says.

Despite the band’s early days in Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy and Fife have played a formative role in its history – all four members are from the Kingdom, Sandy is originally from Kirkcaldy but now lives in Dunfermline, the hometown of Shaun, James is from Levenmouth, while Martin hails from Freuchie.

Sandy said: “We have all grown up in the local music community, seeing and meeting some amazing local bands, like Big Cloud, White Van Fugitives, Defacer, Black Mirror, Certain Death, Sauza Kings and Voodoo Pilots. There are too many to list comprehensively. We come from that community and have always played in different bands and worked together to create special moments.”

The band has performed live extensively across the Kingdom and further afield in its various incarnations. Early shows included stints at Edinburgh’s Bannermans Bar and the Mash House while Sandy was a student in the city. The band has since returned to its Fife roots for shows at Kirkcaldy’s Kings Theatre and. And the band are quick to embrace an appropriate vibe to suit their sound.

“Our live shows lean towards more original music with a melodic alt-rock vibe and plenty of onstage posturing - accompanied by questionable patter,” Sandy says perhaps a little self-deprecatingly.

Cornfield Chase will embark on an extensive festival season this summer, starting with Silverburn Festival on 22 June. And they will also appear at Blues and Bourbon in Newcastle on 13 October. However, according to Sandy there are ambitions to take Cornfield Chase to much bigger venues. “I would also love to do a stint pre-match at Hampden Park for the Scottish National Football Team,” he says.