Randolph's Leap is an eight piece

indie-pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

band from

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and signed to

Lost Map Records Lost Map is a British independent record label set up in 2013 by Johnny Lynch. The label was established following the dissolution of Fence Records Limited in August 2013. History After 10 years of working for and subsequently managing Fence R ...

as of 2014. Founded by frontman Adam Ross in 2006, members include Ross (guitar/vocals), Adam Florence (drums), Vicki Cole (bass), Andrew MacLellan (guitar), Heather Thikey (violin), Pete MacDonald (keyboards), Ali Hendry (trumpet) and Fraser Gibson (trombone). The band has released regular EPs, singles, and LPs since 2010, with their official debut album ''Clumsy Knot'' released in 2014. Susan Le May of ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

'' wrote that "the album moves from whimsical, earnest folk romanticism to introspection and

Casio is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. It ...

-frilled irony," and that it "marks the arrival proper of the next generation of witty Scottish indie pop." The band tours frequently in the UK, having performed at festivals such as Howlin' Fling,

Belladrum Belladrum is a small community in the Mahaica-Berbice Region of Guyana, on the Atlantic coast, about east of Mahaicony. Geography Belladrum is a rural area close to the sea wall on the northern coast of Guyana. It is below sea level and is rich ...

, Mugstock and The Fringe.

History

Formation

Randolph's Leap were formed in 2006 when lead singer Adam Ross (originally from Nairn, Scotland) met Gareth Perrie (from

Dunblane Dunblane (, gd, Dùn Bhlàthain) is a small town in the council area of Stirling in central Scotland, and inside the historic boundaries of the county of Perthshire. It is a commuter town, with many residents making use of good transport links ...

) at The University of the West of Scotland in

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

. Around 2009 the band expanded to a six piece with the addition of Vicki Cole on bass (from

Aberdeen, Scotland Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), an ...

), Heather Thickey on violin (also from Aberdeen), Iain Taylor on drums (from

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

) and Andrew MacLellan on guitar and cello (from

Crieff Crieff (; gd, Craoibh, meaning "tree") is a Scottish market town in Perth and Kinross on the A85 road between Perth and Crianlarich, and the A822 between Greenloaning and Aberfeldy. The A822 joins the A823 to Dunfermline. Crieff has become ...

). The band released their first EP, titled ''Battleships and Kettle Chips'', on 15 November 2010 on Olive Grove Records. On 16 May 2011 they released a two-track single on Olive Grove as well, titled "Counting Sheep/Deep Blue Sea." In 2011 the live band expanded from a 6-piece to an 8-piece with the additions of Ali Hendry (trumpet) and Fraser Gibson (trombone).

First albums

2012 saw the band greatly increase its output, and that year alone they released two full-length albums, three EPs, and the single "This Ain't It" via vinyl postcard. Their first LP came out on Peenko Records on 20 February 2012 and was titled ''The Curse of the Haunted Headphones.'' Peenko Records also released their EP ''As Fast As A Man'' that September, and in October 2012 the band released the EP ''Hermit'' on

Fence Records Fence Records is a Scottish independent record label based in Anstruther and Crail, Fife, Scotland, founded by musician King Creosote. Fence Records released records by James Yorkston, Rozi Plain, Lone Pigeon, U.N.P.O.C., Kid Canaveral, eagleow ...

. In 2013, Gareth Perrie left the band and was subsequently replaced by Pete MacDonald from the State Broadcasters. MacDonald had first hand knowledge of the band as he had helped produce their upcoming album ''Clumsy Knot'' in 2013. In 2012 the band made the list of artists nominated for the Blog Sound of 2013 and in the same year they came 16th in the Hype Machine's UK Music Blog Zeitgeist which was announced on

BBC 6Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

. While working on their new album, the band signed to

which was formed following the dissolution of the band's former label

in 2013. Lost Map is based on the Isle of Eigg in Scotland.

''Clumsy Knot''

The band's "first official" LP, titled ''Clumsy Knot,'' was released on 7 April 2014 on

. Several of the thirteen tracks are re-workings of songs from on their previous lo-fi recordings, and while approximately half of the songs were home-recorded, Alfred Archer of FolkRadio.co.uk wrote that the album "as a whole sees a marked step up in production from their previous work." Archer further called the album "thoughtful, funny and uplifting," while David Pollock of ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'' gave similar praise, writing in a largely positive review that the album "is light of touch and cheerful of spirit." Susan Le May of ''

'' wrote that "the album moves from whimsical, earnest folk romanticism to introspection and

-frilled irony," and that it "marks the arrival proper of the next generation of witty Scottish indie pop." While promoting the new album the band performed at several Scottish festivals in 2014, including Howlin' Fling on

Eigg Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an a ...

, and The Fringe. They also toured with other bands on the Lost Map label, including

Kid Canaveral Kid Canaveral was a Scottish alternative pop band that formed in St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, but are now based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 2007 the band have released a number of well received singles, an E.P. and an album on their own lab ...

. The band also released a video for the single, "Weatherman", featuring former BBC weatherman

Michael Fish Michael Fish, (born 27 April 1944 in Eastbourne, Sussex) is a British weather forecaster. From 1974 to 2004, he was a television presenter for BBC Weather. Career Educated at Eastbourne College and City University London, Fish was the longe ...

2014 to present

The band have recorded two sessions for Marc Riley's BBC 6Music show, plus two for

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 November 197 ...

, one for the

Vic Galloway Michael "Vic" Galloway (born 4 August 1972) is a DJ on BBC Radio Scotland. Galloway presents a self-titled show on Radio Scotland every Monday from 9pm to 11pm and also the BBC Introducing Scotland Thursday evenings/Friday mornings from 11pm to ...

show and one for

Tom Morton Thomas Morton (born 1955) is a Scottish broadcaster, journalist, and author. He lives and works mainly in the Shetland Islands. Life Morton was born in 1955, and moved to Shetland in 1987 three years after his wife Susan who was a General Pract ...

. They have recorded numerous sessions for local radio including

Moray Firth Radio MFR is an Independent Local Radio station based in Inverness, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio Network. It broadcasts to Moray, the Scottish Highlands and South West Aberdeenshire. As of December 2022, the station has ...

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, plus the '' Daily Record'' newspaper. In June 2014 the band made a live TV appearance on the ''Riverside Show'' on

STV Glasgow STV Glasgow was a British local television station serving Glasgow and surrounding areas. The station was owned and operated by STV Group plc in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University. The channel was closed on Sunday 23 April 2017 a ...

. They were interviewed by the BBC in 2014, also performing another live session. In June 2014 the band's single "I Can't Dance To This Music Anymore," first included on their old album ''The Curse of the Haunted Headphones,'' was released through Lost Map's postcard series of mail-order singles. ''

Clash Music ''Clash'' is a music and fashion magazine and website based in the United Kingdom. It is published four times a year by Music Republic Ltd, whose predecessor Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation. The magazine won the Best New Magazine award in ...

'' called the song a "joyous folk-pop romp" and "deeply Scottish in its ability to turn melancholy into joy." The band's second album, titled ''Cowardly Deeds'', was released on 20 May 2016 on Olive Grove Records, followed by their third, titled ''Worryingly Okay'', released on 25 May 2018 on

. 2018 saw the premiere of ''The Isle of Love'', a play by Right Lines Productions, written by Euan Martin and Dave Smith, directed by Mark Saunders and based on songs by Adam Ross. ''The Isle of Love'' was billed by its writers as a "bittersweet tale of love, loss, recovery and discovery". The play explored the beauty and restorative qualities of island life and why people choose to visit, to stay, to leave and to return. The production toured all over Scotland in the spring of 2018 and starred John Kielty, Deborah Arnott, Ross Allan, Amy McGregor and Kevin Lennon. In conjunction with the Isle of Love theatre tour, the band released a compilation album of the same name, containing 21 songs from the band's back catalogue. The band's next studio album was ''Spirit Level'' in early 2021, released by Fika Recordings. The album was well received with ''

'' giving it four stars and ''Is This Music'' saying that it is the best attempt yet at capturing the full band sound.

I Can't Dance To This Music events

The band also put on a semi-regular mini music festival called 'I Can't Dance To This Music'. These are all day music events featuring a mixture of live music, comedy and poetry. Past events have been held in Glasgow at the Bowlers Bar, the Glad Cafe, the CCA, Maryhill Community Hall and the Classic Grand. The line ups have included the likes of

Josie Long Josie Isabel Long (born 17 April 1982) is a British comedian. She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17. In 2006, Long won the If.comeddies Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival Frin ...

, Meursault, BMX Bandits,

Withered Hand Dan Willson (born 23 July 1974), also known by his stage name Withered Hand, is an Edinburgh-based indie rock musician. He lived in Bishops Stortford during the 1990s and played guitar for local band Tin Foil Circus. His first studio album, ' ...

Kathryn Joseph Kathryn Joseph (born Kathryn Emma Sawers) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. Her debut album ''Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I've Spilled'' won the 2015 Scottish Album of the Year Award. In 2016, Joseph appeared on RM Hubbert's c ...

James Yorkston James Yorkston (born James Patrick Yorkston Wright; 21 December 1971) is a Scottish folk musician, singer-songwriter and author from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife. He has been releasing music since 2001. As well as recording as a solo artist, ...

the Spook School The Spook School were a British four-piece indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland. The name is a reference to the Glasgow School. The band's lyrics explore "gender, sexuality and queer issues" with themes such as "fluidity and the lack of ...

Ette Ette may refer to: *Ette (river), a river of Baden-Württemberg, Germany *Chimila people, Ette people, indigenous people in Colombia *Chimila language, Ette language, language of the Ette people in Colombia *Exotic Tropic Timber Enterprises, a comp ...

, Rise Kagona and the Jit Jive Band, the State Broadcasters, Skinny Dipper, Viking Moses, TeenCanteen, ballboy, Chrissy Barnacle, CARBS, Adam Stafford, eagleowl, Prehistoric Friends, Henry & Fleetwood,

Spare Snare Spare Snare is a lo-fi band from Dundee, Scotland. Founded in the early 1990s, the band have released 11 albums and 2 compilations to date, released on their own Chute Records, or licensed to another label. They have also recorded four John Pe ...

, Book Group and Life Model.

Style

According to FolkRadio.co.uk in 2014, "The band’s slightly ramshackle, whimsical, indie style, together with their Glasgow base, makes comparisons to

Belle and Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" come ...

unavoidable, though, at times there are also hints of

Camera Obscura A camera obscura (; ) is a darkened room with a aperture, small hole or lens at one side through which an image is 3D projection, projected onto a wall or table opposite the hole. ''Camera obscura'' can also refer to analogous constructions su ...

Polyphonic Spree Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ho ...

and

The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel ''Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocali ...

. It is Ross’s lyrics, which manage to be both humorous and heartbreaking, that sets the band apart from these influences." About Ross's songwriting and vocals, ''

'' wrote that "The driving force and linchpin of the group, dam Rossis a songwriter who is both honest and charming, combining the strut and humour of

Neil Hannon Edward Neil Anthony Hannon (born 7 November 1970) is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter. He is the creator and front man of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy, and is the band's sole constant member. Hannon wrote the theme tunes for t ...

, the sincerity, vulnerability and softness of Stuart Murdoch and the lyrical wit and musical playfulness of the DIY Daddy,

King Creosote Kenny Anderson (born January 1967), known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, '' Astronaut Meets Apple ...

himself."

Members

;Current *Adam Ross -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

/vocals (2006–present) *Adam Armour-Florence -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(2016–present) *Vicki Cole - bass (2009–present) *Andrew MacLellan - guitar, cello (2009–present) *Heather Thikey -

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

(2009–present) *Ali Hendry -

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

(2011–present) *Fraser Gibson -

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

(2011–present) *Pete MacDonald -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

(2013–present) ;Past *Gareth Perrie - keyboards (2006-2013) *Iain Taylor -

/guitar (2009-2016)

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

References

External links

RandolphsLeap.co.ukRandolph's Leap
on

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Randolph's Leap
on

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Randolph's Leap
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Randolph's Leap
on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

Randolph's Leap
on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

{{Authority control Scottish pop music groups Scottish indie pop groups Musical groups from Glasgow Musical octets

History

Formation

First albums

''Clumsy Knot''

2014 to present

I Can't Dance To This Music events

Style

Members

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Further reading

See also

References

External links