Fife music project aims to give young bands opportunity to take next steps

The Fife Youth Demo Project 2024 is an initiative organised and delivered by s9fifty. It has been jointly funded by s9fifty and Creative Scotland through the Youth Music Initiative.

The aim of the project is to give eight young bands or artists from across the Fife region the opportunity to record a demo CD of original material using professional facilities for free.

The project is open to anyone under the age of 25 who is a resident in Fife and has yet to release any music, the material must also be original. It is run out of s9fifty’s Glenrothes based studio.

Amanda O’Neill, project manager at S9Fifty, said one of the aims of the project is to give those from disadvantaged backgrounds opportunities that they might not otherwise have.

Amanda said: “We target looked after children and we target different demographic areas, such as socially deprived areas. Basically the project is to give them a step up. It gives them a chance to work with industry professionals. They also work on song composition, just anything basically to buffer their skills.

“Depending on the skills and the genre. We match them with tutors that are essentially perfectionists in their own art. If someone needed help with songwriting we’d match them with someone with that skill set”

Amanda said any bands thinking about applying for the project should take the leap regardless of the level they are currently operating at, with each band receiving tailored tuition from the project’s tutors.

She said: “Just go for it! Do not stress. I cannot stress enough, even if it's a recording on your phone then that's fine. The whole purpose of the project is to help them along. So we're not looking for the next big, polished artist or band because that's not what the project is all about.”

Last year’s project attracted a diverse band and artist roster, from electronic music right through to punk, in part thanks to relationships with other Fife groups, such as Kirkcaldy YMCA.

Amanda said: “It’s always a mix. I work closely with the YMCA, including Chris Corrigan, he was one of my tutors last year and I was actually working for him a couple of years back.

“He put some bands forward that actually rehearse at the YMCA. So we’ve got a close partnership with him. Some of them were just at the rehearsal stage. Some of them maybe didn’t have songs finished yet.

“There was a punk solo artist and then there was an electronic artist. So it was a diverse, diverse group. But then year’s could be totally different. We could maybe get a metal band in and no electronic acts, it just depends.”

Young bands are already seeing success following on from participation in the project. One of those reaping the benefits is Kirkcaldy-based band Permacrisis who recently won Fife Schools Battle of the Bands and have now booked gigs in Glasgow..

Amanda said their success shows that the project can prove a successful platform for other young bands in Fife.

She said: “They produced a three track EP last year with us and went on to win the Fife Battle of the Bands at Woodmill High School in 2023. They've also had numerous live events this year and they’ve got their first gig in Glasgow.

“I was at their gig at the Windsor Hotel the other week and they were brilliant. It’s great to see them progressing once you’ve worked with them.”

Bands and artists taking part also receive free transport to and from the studio space, which Amanda said was an important piece of feedback received by the project last year.

Amanda explained: “Transport to and from the project to the studio for rehearsals was a big thing. I mean, say there's somebody coming from Cupar they do not necessarily have the means of travel so that is a big, big factor.”

Applications for the project are open until Monday, February 26. To find out more information visit the s9fifty website at: https://www.s9fifty.co.uk/