Kenny Anderson is an extraordinary man. Making music under the moniker King Creosote, Anderson manages simultaneously to be a remarkable musician, a genius songwriter, the inspirational head of a record label and the beating heart of the fantastic Fence Collective, all from the sleepy fishing village of Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife. Ten years ago, tired of chasing a fickle music industry around with the Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra and Khartoum Heroes, Anderson returned to his native Fife, drew a line in the sand, and set about creating his own incredible, touching and heartwarming music in a stress-free environment, surrounded by like-minded friends.

Producing quality tunes at a prolific rate, he recorded album after album at home, released them on his own Fence Records and sold them around Fife and beyond. Word spread. More like-minded souls gravitated towards Anderson and his notorious jam sessions in the local Ship Tavern, and the Fence Collective was born. These days the Fence Collective boasts dozens of artists, including Domino signing James Yorkston, the legendary Lone Pigeon (Anderson¹s brother Gordon and one-time member of the Beta Band), while current rising star KT Tunstall is also a former member. The Fence Collective have become a lighthouse in the fog of the music industry, a bastion of the D.I.Y. music-making ethic, and Fence Records is now a bustling cottage industry in its own right.

As for King Creosote, having put out over two dozen albums on limited release, Anderson decided it was time to step things up a gear in 2003 with his first properly distributed national release, Kenny and Beth's Musakal Boatrides, a fantastic collection including everything from drunken sea shanties to experimental drone-folk to feisty skiffle-pop, all imbued with Anderson's characteristic charm and easy-going demeanour. Accompanied by his Fence Collective chums, Anderson strummed his guitar, squeezed his accordion and sang like a heartbroken angel. Needless to say, the record met with universal acclaim.

After a host of side projects, collaborations, and some time off to organize two phenomenal Fence festivals in Anstruther, Anderson returned to King Creosote duties, releasing the home-recorded Rocket D.I.Y. through Domino/Fence in Spring 2005, a record which built on the foundations of 2003's Kenny & Beth's Musakal Boat Rides, which, also released on Fence/Domino, made No. 5 in Rough Trade's Top 100 albums of that year, when he was also voted one of the Top 50 Best Scottish Acts of All Time by The List magazine.

Autumn 2005 saw King Creosote release KC Rules OK in collaboration with Mancunian psychedelic minstrels, The Earlies. Over the last year, he has toured festivals and venues throughout the UK, armed with a collection of extraordinarily touching, funny, sad, poignant, heartbreaking and downright beautiful songs. Don't miss out on a one-off opportunity to get caught up with the man at the heart of the Scottish alternative-indie scene at An Tobar.

Support:
Jeremy Warmsley - up-and-coming electronic/acoustic songwriter who releases his latest single I Believe in the Way You Move on the Transgressive label on September 25th. For more info, visit Jeremy Warmsley's website

The Sorren Maclean Band - The latest project from Tobermory's Sorren Maclean. High-energy, original indie rock.

8.30pm   £10/£8members

Licenced