Putting the Puzzle Together
It's Thursday and you no what that means.
It’s Thursday and you know what that means: it’s Lucid Liars story time. As a new(ish) member of the band, I thought I’d explain how I ended up ridin’ this crazy LL railroad, and move onto fun things to come.
I’ve known our dear Jacks since high school, the three of us being survivors of Nairn Academy. Jackto and I played together many times, though the vibes were different back then – samba parades, brass bands, youth orchestra etc. The latter was a top-tier experience for me (I played French horn). I couldn’t believe the first time I sat down and started to play with all those kids and it just… worked. Magic.
Twenty years and a few lives later, I moved back to Nairn via Edinburgh, Cardiff and London. I hadn’t been playing in the intervening years – I barely the balls for karaoke when I first showed back up. Enter Jackwan with an offer to play guitar with me for a few songs at the local open mic. I’m not proud of how many drams it took me to get on stage the first few times…
I worked on the stage fright and spent more time singing, got to know many of the local heroes of the Highland music scene, played with my new friends in covers bands. And early last year, I was invited to join Lucid Liars for some backing vocals during a live show… which turned into a regular guest spot… which turned into recording a few vocal tracks. Come spring 2026, we made it official.
I joined the gang towards the end of recording the Hard Times album, and it was a lot of fun finding how I might add something to the tracks as they stood, through jamming and spending time with the music at home, getting to know the tunes and throwing down different options. I love looking for harmonies, counter melodies, lyrical echoes and vocal lines – asking what could this track use and how do we put the puzzle together?
I record my takes at home and send them off into the ether. Sometimes the final mix sounds the way I imagined, sometimes it’s totally different. Sometimes Rig gets weird with it – it’s all part of the process!
As we’ve moved forward with new material, I’m now looking at the tracks at an earlier stage, which opens up the options even more for how we can shape the vocals. Because we’re mostly recording at home, there’s always something in the pipeline. Usually lots of things. We’re interpreting each other’s takes at a distance – and when we eventually play the songs in a room together, and it just works? *chef’s kiss*
Belladrum is just a couple of weeks away and I can’t wait for our slot there on the Seedlings stage. I’ve played pub stages, beloved music venues, charity fundraisers and even THE HIVE (Edinburgh alumni, IYKYK) with Lucid Liars but playing at Bella, the first festival I ever attended, will definitely take a special place in my heart.
It’s a good time to be a Liar… see you out there!
What am I listening to?
System of a Down – Mezmerize. A walk down memory lane yesterday after I had one of the songs stuck my head. This is one of those albums that was never off for a while when I was a teenager. Eccentric, aggressive, fantastically silly at times – it certainly got my 11-week-old kitten wound up – but I’ll never not wanna be on the radio with Danny and Lisa.
The Greatest Showman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – don’t @ me. I went to see Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular in London with a pal last weekend having never seen the film – the show was great, it did spur me on to watch the movie and a few of the tracks have been living in my
head rent-free since.