Stand up: KT Tunstall

Just in time for Eye O’ The Dug, Rollo Stickland talked with KT Tunstall as part of The Stand and Star’s coverage of the festival. A very limited number of Saturday tickets are still available exclusively for St Andrews students from the Union website.

More information on the festival’s website eotdfestival.com

What was your experience of the St Andrews music scene when you started out here? Did you collaborate with the Fence Records gang before making your way down South?

It was always pretty buzzing, I met Kenny when I was 16 and from then on I was either playing with him and his band or doing my own gigs. I went to Uni in London but ended up back in St Andrews once I left – which I never expected – as I hadn’t come across anything that excited me more than what was going on at home. The Beta Band were getting signed, Kenny was starting Fence records, and it felt pro-active and independent which I really loved.

 According to the local rumour mill, when you played Venue 1 way back in 2004, an A&R man from Sony came along. After the gig he deigned to inform some of the staff that you were too old and just another female singer-songwriter with a guitar who’d never make it. In your experience, what is the ratio of nobs to nice people in the music industry?

I’m sure many A&R people have said the same about me and others, but the crux is, if somebody is excited by you and your music, and they have the platform to get you heard, they’ll try and make it work despite anything they see as a limitation. There are plenty of douchebags in the record industry, but the good ones can play a pivotal role in your career.

How would you say your sound’s evolved over the years? What have your fans got to look forward to in the years to come?

I feel a need to keep trying things I haven’t done. I’ve never been attached to a particular genre and find myself influenced by a pretty eclectic mix of artists. I don’t imagine ever really stopping making music, but I do love not knowing what’s going to happen next or what form it’s going to take.

Do you think Scottish music is in a strong position at the moment? In a recent article for the Guardian, Graeme Thomson argued that talk of independence has acted as a catalyst, giving Scottish musicians greater confidence in their cultural identity. Do you agree with that?

Ack, I dunno. I live down South now so it’s hard to have an informed opinion on that. I do feel that it’s always been a nice little payer to be Scottish; in my experience, people’s interest is often more piqued when they find out you’re Scottish.

Do you regard yourself as a Scottish musician?

I do, yes.

You’re a bit of a green icon are you not? I seem to recall you made the headlines a while back for completely retro-fitting your house to make it more eco-friendly, and running your US tour bus on biofuel. One of the big issues for St Andrews in recent years has been the uni’s proposed wind farm out at Kenly, which has had a mixed reception from the local community. Have you got any thoughts on it?

I dont know about it or any of the details so I can’t really comment. But I do remember growing up in St Andrews that is was f*%#ing windy all the time.