A beloved Fife musical duo have taken inspiration from the Old West, and the East Neuk, as they aim for a fifth successive Christmas smash hit.
Garry Griffin and Uncle Isaac of The Brothers Fife have shown true festive grit on their return with track Say You’ll See (In The Bells With Me); a cowboy-inflected tale of Hogmanay love.
It comes after the musical pairing took Europe by storm on their first tour of the continent, hitting the stage twice in Spain following a number of shows in Edinburgh.
And Garry said the inspiration for the track came during some much-needed downtime on their travels as the pair shed their trademark denim and tartan get-ups to catch some pool-side sunrays.
He said: “We did a European tour this year. We played in Spain and we were relaxing by one of the hotel pools and Isaac said, ‘love is like the Wild West and fishermen are the cowboys of the sea’.”
Filmed in Pittenweem, the video shows the Brothers belting out the tune on a stormy day at the fishing village’s harbour.
The East Neuk community has held a special place in the Brothers’ hearts from a young age.
Garry said: “We thought the perfect place to do it would be Pittenweem. We used to sing songs about Pittenweem. Our first musical effort as kids was ‘Pittenweem, The Land of Dreams’.
“We started writing (the new song) a little bit earlier this year, I think riding off the back of the two dates of our tour.
“The response has been really good. We had 1000 views in a day. Given previous records that was completely unheard of. The response seems to be far and wide this year.
“We thoroughly enjoy our time on the continent. We are hoping we can get out there again and get a bit more sun this year.”
And if the lyrics to the new song are anything go by, Isaac’s path to romance and the love of his life – documented in 2018 Christmas track Wintertime Lovin’ – appears to be a thing of the past.
Lyrics to Say You’ll See (In The Bells With Me) include: “Oh darling you’d really make my year if you say you’ll see the bells with me, you’re lighting me up like a Christmas tree.”
At another point the Brothers sing: “I heard you need a partner, I’d love to be your date.”
Garry added: “The world moves quick when you are on the road. Isaac suffered a few heartaches this year.”
And it looks as though the Gary Cooper-inspired cowboy look could linger on into 2020, with the hats proving a hit with the Brothers Fife’s fan base.
Garry added: “I think it is going to be our look this year. Uncle Isaac thinks he looks tremendous in it.”
There are more chances to see the Brothers Fife play in the coming weeks with a show in Berlin planned along with others at Bloc in Glasgow and in Edinburgh’s Dragonfly.
