Richard Naiff

Richard Naiff
Naiff playing the keyboards in 2003
Background information
Birth name	Richard Naiff
Born	London, United Kingdom
Genres	Rock, folk, folk rock, blues
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Piano Keyboards Flute
Associated acts	The Waterboys Soulsec The Catacoustics Icicle Works

Richard Naiff is a pianist and flautist from London, England who has performed with the bands Soulsec, The Catacoustics, The Waterboys and The Icicle Works. Naiff is a classically trained musician, having joined the Guildhall School of Music at age ten. The Irish music website Cluas.com describes Naiff as "phenomenally talented".

Naiff was invited to participate on The Waterboys' album A Rock in the Weary Land after the group's leader Mike Scott heard his piano work in a studio next to one where the recording sessions for A Rock in the Weary Land were taking place. Naiff joined the band officially in June 2000. Along with Mike Scott and Steve Wickham, Naiff makes up the core of the post-2000 Waterboys band.

Former Waterboy Ian McNabb described Naiff as Scott's "find of the century". Not coincidentally, while keeping his membership in the Waterboys, Naiff also joined McNabb's touring band in 2004, and became a member of a revived version of McNabb's old band The Icicle Works in 2006.

Naiff's rock and roll influences include The Damned.