Watch: East Kilbride act Leif Coffield on bringing his synth-pop sound at the Edinburgh Fringe

As part of Edinburgh Fringe Festival celebrations throughout August, the St James Quarter has relaunched their free music event Sessions for 2024, providing a platform for up and coming musical artists. Leif Coffield from East Kilbride performed his set on Saturday 17 August garnering an enthusiastic audience of both fans who knew what to expect and passing shoppers persuaded by his upbeat synth-pop soundscapes. 

Leif began releasing music in 2020 and has been performing live consistently at Glasgow’s grassroots venues since 2021, including headline shows in the West End’s Hug and Pint and the iconic King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. With his career now taking off and a fanbase solidly affirmed, the 28-year-old songwriter and producer is one to watch, moving beyond the realms of the city’s intimate scene and onto stages further afield.

We caught up with Leif following his performance in the capital. While Glasgow is renowned for its broad indie music scene the East Kilbride act supplies something more distinctive. When questioned on how he curated his catalogue, he said: “People always describe their music as something more elaborate and more specific than it is. I’m a synth-pop artist. 

“My influences go outside of Glasgow. The Glasgow music scene is a funny one because a lot of people are friends. Most of my friends in the music industry in Glasgow are hip hop artists, or they’re in the hip hop scene. The indie rock scene is also massive, but it seems like there’s more of a connection of people in the hip hop scene. The indie rock sound is the most populated I would say in Glasgow but I wouldn’t say I’m affected by it. I had to reach, my influences went outwards. 

“The Weeknd was a big influence. A-ha - Take On Me was an absolute belter, everyone knows that. People like Dua-Lipa, Kanye, Jamie XX, Bon Iver, they’re all massive influences. 

“It’s brilliant to be here. St James’ Quarter. I didn’t actually know what to expect. Whether I’d just catch shoppers or if I’d draw a crowd, and the crowd formed and they stayed and it was great. I was like ‘rejoice, this is a celebratory time’. I think it’s brilliants they’re putting on things for up and coming artists you can never have enough. 

“I would say in the Glasgow scene there are a few great venues to play, King Tut’s is one of them. We did a headline show there last year. There’s a few others - Saint Luke’s is brilliant, Nice N Sleazy’s, Broadcast, those are key for people coming up. They are brilliant venues. King Tut’s was amazing, that’s iconic.”

An extensive lineup of performances will be taking place at the St James Quarter until 25 August. Tickets are free and can be claimed on the St James Quarter app.