The Pines Begin to Grow

The Pines perform at Baker’s Night Club In Kilmarnock. Credit: @thepines.official, @lucadickson_ Instagram

Kilmarnock is known for its engineering background, historic places, and having the oldest football club in Scotland. But, for the people who live there, they also know it as having a vibrant music scene. Walk by any pub on a Friday night and you’ll be guaranteed to find a live band playing, and one of these bands could be The Pines.

The Pines is made up of; Jenson, lead singer and guitarist, Jeffro the bassist, Robbie on guitar and newest member Robbie McHolland on the drums. Despite their polished look and stage presence, you’d be shocked to find out that they are all relatively young, with drummer Robbie being the oldest at 19. However, their age hasn’t deterred them from putting themselves out there, having played multiple gigs since their creation in 2023.

The confidence they show on stage took time to build. When asked how challenging it was to get on stage for the first time, lead singer Jenson said: “I was terrified. I mean, it wasn't even a big crowd. It was like ten people, and I was still terrified to just go on the first time.” Jenson says his stage fright has diminished, but it's always there.

The Pines on stage. Credit: Instagram @thepines.official @lucadickson_

A big part of finding the confidence to go on stage comes from being prepared both mentally and physically. Jenson does breathing exercises before the gig, this not only helps to reduce his nerves but also to channel them into his performance.

Jenson said that he doesn’t eat before gigs, adding: “I feel like I can't project my voice as well when I'm singing, it kind of tightens my diaphragm.” He also said that if he has access to his guitar, he plays with it before going out, to get in the mood and bring down the his shaky hands.

On the other hand, Robbie, the drummer, takes a different approach. He doesn’t play before gigs: “If you're really thinking about a lot, you're going to overdo it, and you're going to make little mistakes, and that's going to throw your entire performance off.”

Similarly to Jenson, Robbie tries to stay calm before going on stage, comparing performing with the band to footballers playing a match, he said: “Doesn't matter there's a crowd there, your nerves and your muscle memory are basically just going to take over and you'll be fine.”

Robbie is the newest member of the Pines. He got in contact with the band through Facebook and was asked if he wanted to jam with them. He said: "I immediately thought, this is like a nice creative environment," reflecting on his first impression of the group. “They kind of said to me, just relax, and you'll have creative freedom over your drum parts.”

When it comes to booking gigs, the process is surprisingly easy for them. Jenson explained: “We don't really have any difficulty booking them.” This is because the bassist of the band’s dad is well known in the Kilmarnock music scene. “He has loads of contacts, and that's usually how we get our gigs. He kind of knows people in bands, and if they're looking for support acts or just some slots filled.”

Through these connections they found themselves playing at Bakers nightclub with two other prominent Kilmarnock bands, Stepping on Violets and The Grange Street. “We kind of like to play with different bands, just to get different experiences and talk to different people and play different crowds.”

But when you are playing with many different bands in front of different crowds you run the risk of experiencing backlash. Luckily for The Pines they haven’t experienced this yet. Jenson said: “We get a lot of support at the gigs. We get a lot of support from family and friends, and then they sing along at the gigs and that encourages other people to.” The band does understand that their music just isn’t for everyone, so to counteract this they try and make the setlist diverse, to “try and play something for everyone.”

At their gigs, The Pines play a lot of indie rock, especially covers of the Arctic Monkeys, but they also play some of their own songs. When asked what their biggest inspirations were, Jenson replied: “Arctic Monkeys and the Beatles are probably my biggest inspirations... a band called The Rills from Lincoln made me want to start a band. They've just released an album, and I've been writing so much since I listened to it.” Robbie added: “This is actually not just a band; it’s a creative unit.”

The Pines are a dynamic and passionate group of young musicians who have already made a name for themselves in the Kilmarnock music scene. Despite their youth, they’re full of energy and dedication and they don’t seem to be slowing down. Through support from their fans, they continue to evolve both musically and as performers, and they hope to release an EP soon. So, look out for The Pines because as Robbie puts it: “They know where they want to go.”