Tell me about yourselves? How did you all meet? Where are you all from?
Robbie – I’m from the Isle of Skye originally but we all first met in Edinburgh through Gumtree adverts nearly 3 years ago!
Calum – I’m from Auchterarder just outside Perth. Moved to Edinburgh in 2016 and decided to leave my old band to start this one. This is the first band I have sang lead vocals in, a thing I still find very daunting!
Jamie – I’m from Elgin, moved down to Edinburgh a couple of years ago, met Calum and Robbie here, Ally through Calum and Cameron from back home in Elgin.
What are your names and what position do you have in the band?
Calum – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
Jamie – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Robbie – Lead Guitar, backing vocals
Cameron – Bass Guitar
Ally – Drums, Percussion
What if anything does your band name mean/Why are you called that?
Calum – I think it might have been a reference to something in “1984”. I’m sure Jamie was reading it at the time we were trying to decide on a name and that phrase stuck out to him, so we went with it.
Describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?
Calum – A mishmash of indie, alternative and punk with synths thrown in. Each of us have a range of different influences and I think that comes through in the music a little bit. I’m sure someone on an independent radio said we sound a bit like The Cure, which I’m happy with.
What song(s) do you remember most from your childhood?
Robbie – Personally I remember a whole lot of traditional Scottish folk music and Gaelic music growing up in Skye, but at the same time without me realising it I was hearing a lot of music from bands like The Cure from my mum, I think subconsciously most of my guitar playing/sounds come from hearing that as a child.
Calum – I can’t think of any particular song, once I started listening to Music i was hooked and would listen to anything I thought sounded good.
Jamie – I remember a lot of folk and country stuff my dad used to listen to and my Mum listening to Abba. First songs specifically would be Sugar and Spice or Sweets for my Sweet by The Searchers, remember dancing round my living room with my dad to them when I was like 3 or 4.
Do you have a process for writing your songs?
Calum – No method just madness. A lot of what I write is spur of the moment, if I come up with a vocal melody or guitar part I will record it on my phone then demo it on my laptop adding in drums and keyboards and then send it to the rest of the band for their ideas and if it sounds good enough we practice it. Most of my lyrics are references to something but mostly it is just whatever comes out of my head on that particular day.
Have you released any music yet, and if so how has it been received?
Calum – Yeah released 2 singles so far. A Week In The Sun/ Good Thing Going On as a double A-Side and Addiction as a stand alone single. Both have been received pretty well. Managed to get them played on some independent radio stations round Scotland as well which is great.
Are you planning any music releases for the near future?
Robbie – We have our first 4 track EP coming out on 3rd May! It’s entitled ‘Reasonably Good Indie Music’ after a major label executive (won’t name any names) described our music as such so we thought there is no better fitting title for our best collection of songs yet! We recorded the tracks up in a big barn conversion studio in Skye over 4 days, that was definitely an experience different from bashing out songs in a city studio.
If you have released music, where can fans to be find it?
Spotify, Soundcloud, Itunes, Amazon….Anywhere type our name into google we will come up!
Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues?
Robbie – My favourite venue we’ve played is Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh. We’ve headlined it a number of times and the staff are always extremely helpful and professional, I think all our best gigs have been there.
Do you have any gigs in the near future, and if so where and when?
Calum – gig calendar is getting quite busy for us which is great. We are playing in The Mash House on the 4th May supporting Bright Skies, The Barrel Ale House in Berwick on the 11th May, Mash House again on the 8th June supporting Shambolics, we have booked out 13th Note in Glasgow to put on our own show on the 6th July and we might have some gigs later on in the year up north, which are still being sorted out.
How do you balance your music with other obligations?
Robbie – Myself and Jamie and both chefs and Cameron works in a pub so this makes getting nights and especially weekends off very tricky. We work around it somehow though!
Following on from that question, what has been your biggest challenge as a band and have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so then how?
Robbie – I can’t speak for the others but I think the biggest frustration was releasing our forthcoming EP. It’s been a 14 month process from recording to release this month.
And let’s end with something a little different…Which famous person, living or dead, would you have dinner with and why?
Robbie – I’d have a curry night in with Chas and Dave followed by a drunken knees up at the local. Criminally underrated musicians!
Calum – probably Robbie Robertson from The Band, love all their work so i would just love to pick his brains about what it was like being in that group.
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