Music – Jeff Hemmings: Crystal Fighters

The core of London based internationalists Crystal Fighters is made up of singer Sebastian ‘Bast’ Pringle, guitar and txalaparta player Graham Dickson and multi-instrumentalist Gilbert Vierich. Following a gruelling tour schedule that followed the release of their second album, ‘Cave Rave’, they all took some much needed time out: to travel, find inspiration, and live life outside the bubble of being in a band. And it’s reflected in their new album, ‘Everything Is My Family’.

“We travelled a lot more, writing for the album,” says Sebastian ‘Bast’ Pringle. “We took time off when we could, to go on longer trips. I spent some time researching and living in the jungles of Central America. Graham went to Peru, and various different places in Europe to write. It was more concentrated, and being alone a long time, writing to get the initial ideas. We spent a lot of time together on the road, and we felt we needed some time to experience life a bit, separate from the band, and then come back and record together. Last time it was quite a concentrated experience writing together.

I lived in the Basque country, for six months

“I lived in the Basque country, for six months, and then went to Central America for six months. We lived in tents or little huts, sitting around a camp fire, writing songs, and learning traditional songs from many cultures, which was a new approach for me. Normally I would be making beats on computers and adding little riffs. This was more about learning this body of work I had never heard before; Bolivian folk songs, Brazilian music, African songs…”

Despite theses newfound inspirations, Crystal Fighters music is a bit less folk, and more electronic and upbeat than ever, although the folk, and in particular, Basque influences, remain an integral part of their sound, a global and genre-mashing spirit that defines their music and philosophical outlooks.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, Monday 14 Nov, 7pm, £17.50