Bio

‘Crystal Fighters' are Sebastian Pringle (lead vocals, guitar), Gilbert Vierich (electronics, guitars, txalaparta, percussion) and Graham Dickson (guitar/ txalaparta), with Laure Stockley and Mimi Borelli (vocals). Pringle and Vierich were old friends, while Vierich and Dickson met through various parties. The three then began making music under various guises before being joined by Stockley and Borelli. The band now play with a live drummer, Andrea Marongiu. The group took their name ‘Crystal Fighters’ from an unfinished opera which Stockley’s grandfather had penned during his final months of insanity. Stockley came across the manuscript while clearing out the reclusive old man’s remote home in the Basque countryside. She quickly became obsessed by the intriguing scrawls within it and shared it with the others. Captivated by its seemingly prophetic contents, the band took on the name and formed in an attempt to expand upon the wild and deranged spirit of the old man’s writings. The band play both electric and acoustic guitars, synths, drums, and incorporate traditional Basque instruments into their music. Many of their songs use a txalaparta, a wooden xylophone-like percussion instrument played by two people standing face-to-face. They also use the danbolin (a rope-tuned snare drum), and the txistu (a Basque pipe whistle). Crystal Fighters’ style is a fusion of genres – fast progressive dance music joined by the melodies and dances of traditional Basque folk, alongside synthesisers, bass-driven wonk-funk, with beats fuelled by early 80s Spanish punk and experimental electronica from bands such as Aviador Dro, Las Vulpes and Dulce Venganza. Basque music informs much of their songwriting: the riff on ‘Champion Sound’ is lifted from the Basque folk piece ‘Sagar Dantza’ and ‘In The Summer’ draws upon music heard at the Carnival of Lantz in Navarroa. Paul Lester, of The Guardian has described their style as "what would happen if you went back 100 years, dropped a load of recording equipment into a remote Basque village and left the villagers, steeped in folk music, to their own devices." Their unique style has caused NME to comment that “Crystal Fighters have stood out as one of the most interesting prospects by a mile – something genuinely new sounding."

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