It’s A Sign
In the early 80s, keyboard players William Gilmour and Martin Russell left The Enid to form Craft. Despite the promise of good things following the release of their self-titled album in ’84, the band disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared. Five decades on, the long out-of-print Craft has been expanded and reissued as First Signs [Definitive Edition], and Prog catches up with the pair to find out more.
Words: Jerry Ewing
Stargazers: Craft back in the day and (right) their reissued debut.
CRAFT/PRESS
“I’d completely dried up and I couldn’t do anything musical so I did these drawings of zodiac signs. When I came back to Ireland, my dad asked: ‘Why don’t you form a band?’”
William Gilmour
I do wish I’d kept as much hair as Martin…” Former Enid keyboard player William Gilmour smiles wistfully from Prog’s computer screen and motions towards a thinning scalp, before breaking into a chuckle. Alongside him on screen is fellow former Enid keyboardist and bassist Martin Russell who, at 65 years old, sports a luxuriant thatch that would be the envy of a man half his age, let alone the 69-year-old Gilmour.
It’s been a while since either man faced the music press, but neither seem particularly phased. The ebullient Russell talks and talks. And then talks some more. The more mildmanned Gilmour patiently awaits his turn, and then carefully chooses his words. Despite their paths not crossing for many years, a kind of yin and yang is evident between them that suggests they’d make a good creative pairing.