Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers: For A Few Fivers More

Beginning life as a modest bedroom endeavour, Woodenbox has since spawned into a vibrant, proficient musical collective. "I did the first album as a little thing for myself, with pals, and just printed about a hundred," explains frontman Ali Downer. "Over a couple of years we've built up slowly, member by member, but I think that's it done now. Once you start playing with six people, you find it difficult to go back."

Dubbing the collective band of stragglers "A Fistful Of Fivers" – a reference to Downer's self-proclaimed obsession with Spaghetti Westerns – Woodenbox have become a solid proposition, both in the studio and the live arena. Exhibiting several prolonged nods to the work of legendary composer Ennio Morricone – thanks in no small part to a prominent horn section – the resulting sound also pulls together elements of folk and country. From their more laidback, reflective moments to full-on barn-raising anthems, Downer’s old school storytelling style is augmented by dense harmonies.

Having already released an album primarily consisting of Downer's solo material, the gradual influx of members has since produced a much more collaborative second effort. Home And The Wild Hunt, released earlier this year, was recorded at Stow College and seems to have benefited from its facilities, namely in-house record label Electric Honey – perhaps best known as the folks behind debut EPs by Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol.

"We were doing the recording course, just skiving from getting a real job," jokes Downer. "They had this studio downstairs that we got to play in for ages. We were just doing a few recordings for a laugh when Electric Honey came in. I'd heard of them before but I didn't really know what they could offer you," he explains. "They had a limited budget but it sounded great and we had total freedom to just record whatever we wanted."

Home And The Wild Hunt stands as the first solidified piece of work for the band's now completed line-up, and after several years in the making, most certainly seems worth the effort. Downer himself agrees: "It feels great to have a complete body of work, not just a piss-about with mates. It's nice to get something down, something you can share. It's one of those things; it's just brilliant when we're gigging," he gushes. "It feels like time off from your shitty life, you know?"

Besieged with fulltime work schedules and split between Edinburgh and Glasgow, that the band even finds a way to exist – let alone having dedicated such time to crafting an accomplished album together – is a remarkable achievement in itself. But, like the resilient Man With No Name in the Sergio Leone movies they pay homage to, there’ll be no keeping them down. Plans are already percolating for album number two (or three if you want to split hairs), and if you want to catch a glimpse of Woodenbox and all associated fivers at work, they’ll be a staple in the remainder of the Scottish festival season.