The Diggers

The Diggers are a post-Brit-pop power-pop band distinguished by their low-key approach. Where their contemporaries played fast-and-loose, they were soft and gentle, which limited the audience for their 1997 debut album, Mount Everest. Formed in Scotland in the early '90s, the Diggers consissted of Chris Miezitis (vocals, guitar), Alan Moffat (vocals, bass), John Eslick (guitar) and Hank Ross (drums). Miezitis and Moffat had been friends since they attended school in Methill together, eventually forming an acoustic duo that played throughout Scotland. Once they were 18 in 1991, they moved to Glasgow with the intention to form a band, eventually recruiting Eslick and Ross. Over the next five years, they played and rehearsed consistently, without making too much headway. During 1993, they were sidlined as Eslick recovered from crashing his car into a herd of cows, but once they returned, they began to win fans, including Martin Carr of the Boo Radleys. Carr helped the Diggers land a deal with Creation in early 1996, and throughout the following year, they toured and prepared their debut album, earning their first substantial exposure when they opened for Super Furry Animals during the summer. The Diggers released their debut album, Mount Everest, in February of 1997 to mixed reviews and moderate sales. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine