WITH Dunfermline’s music taste set proudly in its indie comforts at present, breaking through the surface and offering a heavy rock alternative can’t be easy. 

Concrete Kingdoms know that all too well, and have done for many years. 

However, they’re comfortable knowing that a conveyor belt of exciting young indie talent is running through the town right now, and in doing so, generating an infectious wave of raw and youthful positivity. 

Their frontman, Neil Philp, accepts that the area has its favourites and is hoping his own band can force their way into contention for acclaim when they play their first headline show at PJ Molloys next month. 

For his own band somewhat flew under the radar in 2016, despite it being their best and most successful year to date. 

Supporting American rock giants Puddle of Mudd in March was no fluke, and neither was sharing the same Glen Pavilion stage with Dunfermline legends Nazareth in December, a month after opening the inaugural Winter Storm Festival in Troon.

With notable gigs scheduled, 2017 was looking promising for the four-piece comprising Neil (vocals/rhythm guitar), Ben Fraser (lead guitar), Douglas Fraser (bass) and Grant Duncan (drums). 

Unfortunately, momentum gained from last year’s strong finish was put on ice after Grant suffered an injury. 

Neil told Press:ON: “He was playing football and he ended up taking quite a bad fall and he landed on his shoulder. He finished the game but it wasn’t until the day after when he got it checked out that he found out that he had actually broken his collarbone. He played through the pain which is him in a nutshell, to be honest with you; he just gets on with things. He’s thankfully back to full fitness now. 

“Our last gig of the year was at Electric Circus in Edinburgh and we were looking to co-headline Dreadnought Rock in Bathgate in January. We were then due to play the Hard Rock Café in Prague but with Grant injuring himself those had to be postponed. It was a bit of sickener to miss those two but the guy’s health was the most important thing.” 

A night of playing live music in Central Europe would’ve been an ideal start to the year, and with that being said, was Neil tempted to grab Grant by the neck and give him a fresh injury to deal with? 

He laughed: “It wouldn’t have been the first time we’d done that with Grant! These things happen when you’re in a band though, and you just have to deal with it and bounce back as best you can.” 

And that’s exactly what the lads plan on doing with their first headline show at PJ Molloys on Friday, April 7. 

“This is really exciting for us. As you know, it’s the gig venue in Dunfermline. We’re going to hopefully draw in a big crowd and new people who haven’t seen us before. 

“Personally, I don’t think a lot of people in the area have embraced us as much as other great bands like Moonlight Zoo or The Wolves. 

“Variety is always good, and it’s great to see Archives also having a PJ’s headline. It shows that there’s a demand for a heavier sound in contrast to the familiar indie-inspired gigs.

“I’m hoping that some faces from the music scene will be out and about so we can prove ourselves to some doubters. 

“Dunfermline is a great town and has such a passion for live music but, for us, I don’t feel that people really get our influences like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Velvet Revolver and bands from the grunge scene, so they’re perhaps a wee bit sceptical and maybe see us as some cheesy rock band. We’re not. 

“We’re a hard rock band with a very modern delivery and output in our live shows. I do think they’d like us if they came out on the night. We want it to be busy. 

“It means a lot to us that the guys at PJ’s are giving us the spotlight to have a headline gig. It’s the venue in the town everyone wants to play, so it’s one we’re looking forward to. 

"We’ve been doing this for a while but it’s always flattering, and even humbling in a way, when people say that they’ve travelled for us alone. 

"It does makes you happy and also stop to realise that there must be something about us that people want to see more of.”

In a year of highlights, the one negative Neil reflects on and wants to set right is the group’s failure to release an EP, despite laying down the groundwork required. 

He said: “We weren’t happy with the final mixing after it had been sent away to be produced. It wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination but it just wasn’t what we were expecting when we heard it back. We were never going to release an EP that we weren’t all fully convinced on. You need to be all in on the end product; as much as we wanted to be, we just weren’t. 

"We’re now looking at new producers and getting back into the studio to do a new recording in the future. We must release one this year. Frankly, we’re punching well above our weight for an unsigned band in terms of the gigs we’re getting. But we don’t have a final product to hand out to promoters. 

"We have a demo but that’s all it is. It’s a good demo. 

"It’s a very competitive market as there’s lots of bands trying to impress and make room for themselves. 

"We realise that these days a good live act can only get you so far. Releasing an EP is our priority this year. If we’re doing this well without an EP, then you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out what we’d be doing if we had an EP to distribute.”

The PJ’s headline also marks Neil’s 35th birthday and with only a compact stage to move around on, he isn’t expecting any cake and candles from his bandmates to overcrowd things.

He said: “On paper, I’m 34, but I try and get away for 27 or 28 when people ask me. Although they tend not to believe me. 

"I’ll be happy just to hit all my vocal notes and not fall over drunk. As long as it’s a fun night to remember for ourselves and the bands supporting us, that’s all I can really ask for.”

Tickets cost £5 and are available from behind the bar at PJ’s and online at: www.ticketweb.co.uk 

Support acts are still to be confirmed.