Glasgow's favourite punk outfit Deathcats, married Ottawa's 'ultimate party boys' New Swears with a blessing from Fuzzkill Records. Their union has resulted in the fuzziest of EPs following on from Deathcats' debut album release in June and New Swears' second record last August.
Like in that Simpson's episode where Ned Flanders meets his Canadian doppelganger, New Swears are basically Deathcats’ Canadian equivalent. Which is no bad thing of course.
The EP is a jaunty DIY punk party. Opener Liquid Gold is a whirlwind of distortion and energetic longing, while EP closer End Game follows the same suit with a teasingly slow start but euphoric choruses.
What goes up, must come down, and after Liquid Gold comes the slow and heartfelt riff coupled with a few "ooh-oohs" which makes Sprint the EP’s best track. Throw in a melancholy line like, "I used to be faster/but now I can’t get past the couch", and you’ve got yourself a winner.
For New Swears side of the split EP, Satan Loves You is simply a cheery reminder for when you’re feeling down while Scru Bar’s House has the punk’s holy trinity of simple lyrics, shambolic riff and distortion. Renegade Babes is reminiscent of Wavves with a bass heavy solo, and closer Sloppy Blackout is home to the catchiest chorus on the EP.
Following the release of this EP, and some final 'goodbye' shows, Deathcats’ went on hiatus in January. "Always leave them wanting more" goes the wise saying. This EP is the perfect parting gift. And at least, we’ve still got New Swears holding the fort.
- Holly Callender
Deathcats / New Swears - Split EP is available on Fuzzkill Records now as a cassette and digital download here.
Like it or not Christmas is just around the corner, with the festive cheer poised to pounce as soon as the supermarkets sell out of pumpkins; and in some places even before!
Don't get me wrong, Christmas is, as the old adage goes, the most wonderful time of the year. Yet there can seem amidst all the adverts and shopping a sickly feel of commercialism on cocaine. So it's good when things come along that you genuinely have no problem spending money on, such as Christmas party gigs from one of Scotland's finest post-rock foursomes Campfires In Winter.
On
Wednesday 17th
December
in the stunning surroundings of Glasgow's
Sloans GrandBallroom, Campfires In Winter will host the first
Campfires' Christmas Party
with help from a few
friends and some special guest collaborations. Support comes from alternative popsters
Friends In America and garage rock noise makers
Deathcats. And like all good Christmas parties the fun will continue into the evening with a heavy dose of drunken
dancing, the tunes for which will be spun by the The Twilight Sad.
To help make the Christmas party special each ticket comes with a hand signed Christmas card, and gig goers will be greeted with a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie on arrival. And if that isn't enough how about a brass band playing Christmas songs, as well as a photo booth as well. Photo booths and mulled wine... I predict some messy photos!
You have to take your hat off to those wonderful people at Tenement TV, the concept of the Tenement Trail isn’t new by any means – 5 venues providing a day of great music and all within walking distance of each other in Glasgow – it’s been done before for sure. So what is the difference? The difference is the sheer quality of Scottish talent on show, and all for only £14 entry fee. The key difficulty becomes immediately obvious when you look at the line-up. Who can you bear to miss out on?
My day started early with The Rockalls. And what a way to kick off the day. With the darkness of the basement at Nice 'N' Sleazy’s contrasting the sunshine outside on this Saturday afternoon, as did the mood, you would be forgiven for thinking that midnight had arrived as The Rockalls – grown by one from a standard five to a six piece for the gig – burst the Tenement Trail into life. With an explosion of accomplished garage/punk noise, one could be forgiven for feeling that The Cramps and The Damned were having a set-to on the stage. Encouraging the crowd to squat down and to explode onto their feet at their very command, signalling a refreshing arrogance and command for the first band of the day, they romped through their set with No Comin' Back a particular standout. The band also included a cover of Kraftwerk's A Model which had both a familiarity and new edge at the same time.
Next up were Acrylic who painted a more familiar sound, drawn from the Glasgow indie/pop pedigree, but none the less captivating for it. Having recently received justified praise from Hector Bizerk, the five piece ensemble delivered their very own brand of sailing close to the edge indie pop, in the well-trodden footsteps on Franz Ferdinand and Dogs Die in Hot Cars.
With the shortest journey of the day between Broadcast and Sleazy’s, once Acrylic finished I found myself next door in no time, watching Vladimir
storm the space with their Dundonian brand of near anthemic punk
thumping rock. With an already impressive list of support slots
including the magnificent Fall, and a sound reminiscent of Deerhunter
and Radiohead, and an eerie cover version of Born Slippy, the
foreboding and sinister sound hung well in our small collective cell.
The set ended with a reverberating chant of "We are Vladimir" as the
band left the stage, and even as the crowd filtered out, we were left in
no doubt who we had just seen. Headline slots are in the wings and
deservedly so.
Back to Sleazy’s for the last in the venue's hat-trick of openers. Deathcats
suffered slightly due to a crossover of start times, however the venue
soon filled and the band had the crowd dancing with their own brand of
pulsing pop and latchkey lad lyrics. The form and sound is both
convincing and compelling and all that was missing was a few 'Gabba
Gabba Hey's' and their cover would have been blown.
Back across in Broadcast, and next band TeenCanteen are just too lovely for words. A set of simple soaring soft centred pop perfections see the girls enter even the toughest heart in the room. Beautiful melodies and kissing harmonies delivered in a pleading local lilt make TeenCanteen one of the gems in the Scottish-pop jewellery box. Each time they take to the stage, they seem to add shine that little bit brighter, and from an array of tracks, the pick of this set was Vagabond. Having recently performed at Wickerman, T in the Park and on our very own Scottish Fiction Sessions, they are now commanding the attention of a larger fan base and the wider media.
Advertised as 'The Birth of Roxy Agogo' on their Facebook page, it was
with baited breath and stellar recommendations that I dropped by to
catch the band's first ever gig. I was not to be disappointed. Such freshness
from such obvious musical references and a star quality which shines
like a beacon, Roxy Agogo delivered a mesmerising short set of 5 songs:
Crocodiles, Saturday is Dead, Pink Performer, Fake Forever and When You
Dress Up, and in doing so both reignited the flame of
Bowie/Pop/Murphy/Numan in a new age, and touched down effortlessly on the
stage which has been lit and waiting for some time. Rozy Agogo are the real
deal and it was a delight to watch them take first breath.
Tiujana Bibles are the complete rock band in every sense of the word. Touring hard and performances at both Wickerman and Belladrum were the foundations on which this gig at the O2 ABC 2 would prove to be a showcase for just how accomplished they are, and with a set list of infectious tunes, this environment was bound to be a triumphant arena for them. From back to front they nailed every track, each individual member commanding their space as an individual and collective force alike. The crammed playlist began with the single Crucifixion, and the momentum continued through Toledo, Last of the Go Getters, 6 2 Midnight, Runnin' Red Fruit and finishing on Wild River. When it comes to live music, they are a 'must see'
So, with the end of the night approaching came the real difficult decision of the day, how to end it? With Hector Bizerk, Friends in America, Randolph’s Leap and Campfires In Winter all justifiably demanding attention, it was a given that someone would miss out.
In the end I opted for Randolph’s Leap at King Tut's, or as Adam indicated during a brief interlude “It’s only old folk that call it King Tuts Wah Wah Hut isn’t it?” Aye that’ll be me then.
Randolph’s Leap are a delight to behold. Lyrically endearing and musically sweet, their previous album/EP releases The Curse of the Haunted Headphones, As Fast As A Man, Real Anymore and Introducing… were all beautiful collections of angst ridden humour. Earlier this year the band released Clumsy Knot on Lost Map Records and they have delivered one of the albums of the year. Three songs in, and having delivered Goodbye, Foolishness of Youth and Nature to an enthralled crowd, a broken bass guitar proved a potential stumbling block until, as if by magic, a replacement was offered and after some tuning, we were back on course again, partying with Microcosm, as if you could do anything else to such a tune! Following older singles News and Hermit, the now iconic and trademark I Can’t Dance To This Music Anymore had the swelling crowd in sympathetic voice as we swayed and gazed into our emptying plastic glasses and contemplating journey home. Light of the Moon finished the set as each member took it in turns to reduce the stage presence by an eighth and downed instruments and walked off to a building applause.
And so we all followed suit, a wonderful end to a wonderful day of the best of Scottish talent. Tenement Trail is the best thing to happen to the Glasgow music live scene in many years, and I should know, I’ve seen many years.
- Words by Bobby Motherwell, pictures by Hannah McMillan
Saturday 4th October sees Tenement TV bring their now famous Tenement Trail festival back to the streets of Glasgow.
Back for it's second year, Tenement Trail will see music lovers sprawl across five Glasgow venues; King Tut's, Flat 0/1, Nice 'N' Sleazy's, O2 ABC2, and Broadcast; and take in over 35 acts across 13 hours.
Building on their reputation for spotting and supporting local talent, the festival plays host to to likes of Friends In America, Campfires In Winter, Atom Tree, and Randolph's Leap.
Tickets are on-sale now from Tickets Scotland and in Tickets Scotland stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Tickets are priced at £14 per ticket advance. Tenement Trail will kick-off from 2pm and run until midnight with an official after-show in Flat 0/1 until 3am.
The full line up can be found via the Tenement Trail website, and it's guaranteed that there's something for everyone. Here's a select few of our Scottish Fiction tips if you are heading along on Saturday.
Joining me on this week's show were two of Scotland's finest young
songwriters, Andrew Pearson and Lovers Turn To Monsters. Fresh from
releasing their collaborative album Everything We Miss, they chatted
about the process of recording together and treated us to three live
tracks.
And in order to sate the appetite for the best new Scottish
music there's tracks from White, Jonnie Common and LYLO. Our usual
features included too with a classic track from Camera Obscura, a
Re-Mixing It Up track from Jo Mango via Carbs, a Cover Lover track from
The Last Battle, and a vinyl play of a 2002 single from Idlewild.
With the news that this year's T in the Park would be the last to grace the hallowed Balado turf, the festival is set for a bittersweet party from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th July, before it moves to Strathallan Castle for 2015's festival. It's perhaps fitting that this year's festival marks the 21st year of T in the Park, with 21 traditionally being the age at which young adults go out and seek their place in the world. The festival, for my tastes, has lost its way a little over the last few years, and one wonders if a new site can let it find its feet a little bit.
That all being said, those heading up this weekend will not be thinking
of the future, but of the three days of great music that lay ahead of
them. So if you're will be one of the 100,000 joining in the last
Balado cries of "T IN THE PARK", here are Scottish Fiction's tips for
the weekend.
The
Sad at Balado. Oooh baby! The Twilight Sad are undoubtedly one of
Scotland's best live bands, as proven by their 10th anniversary shows
last year. Unknown to some, cult following to others, and
post-punk/indie Gods to others, The Twilight Sad play early doors on
Sunday in the King Tut's Tent, right after Earl Sweatshirt (so head
along early to catch him as well). Prepare for ear-grinding,
face-dissolving, heart stopping noise, with some of the best penned
lyrics this side of Frabbit.
If you like your electro chilled out and spacious, a la Jon Hopkins,
then Atom Tree is tip for you. Producer/musician Shaun Canning, has
padded out his project with the addition of Julie Knox on vocals and
Michael Robertson providing the drums, lifting the band from Canning's
bedroom to the clubs and venues of Scotland and beyond. Recent release See The Light, turned heads and made many do just that. Join the following and catch the band playing Saturday evening on T-Break Stage.
What
do the Highlands sound like? You'll not get a better answer to that
question than Call To Mind, who play T on the BBC Introducing Stage.
Atmospheric, rich and poignant, the four piece swell and swoop in live
shows, their instrumental moments engulfing the crowd in one big hug.
Be warned, if you are looking for guitars and quiffs look elsewhere. If
however you're open to music from the most beautiful album this year so
far, then Call To Mind are a must see.
Last year's T saw Lauren Mayberry and co. played to a
heavy crowd on the Transmission Stage. With the festival taking place
before their album, The Bones Of What You Believe dropped on 20
September, their ample crowd was based on buzz and hype. Now the goods
are out there, and their top 10 and 20 placings in the UK and US album
charts respectively means the masses will be out in force this time.
Personally I don't think CHVRCHES are as good a live band as they could be, but there's no doubting the crowd love them, and their set this year could prove a real highlight.
We've blogged about Deathcats extensively for the last few months, and with good cause too. They've spread faster than ebola, and are a lot more fun too, rapidly gaining a reputation across the country as an incredible prospect live. Grungy, garage rock guitars, layers of fuzz and reverb, youthful lyrics and ultimately not giving one iota of a fuck, Deathcats' set at the T-Break Stage on Friday is the let loose rock out you need to complete your weekend.
Headliners Biffy know all about plugging away and building success, and fellow Ayrshire boys Fatherson have paid attention and taken notes. Fatherson have been around the Glasgow/Scottish music scene for years, gigging relentlessly, and taking their time with releases in a build up to their album I Am An Island, another nod, intentional or not, in Biffy's direction. Fatherson are their own band however, and they switch with ease from ear bursting guitar rock, to stripped back melancholic indie anthems. Catch them playing in the King Tut's Tent on Saturday.
Previous
session guests on Scottish Fiction, Blood Relatives have an ear for a
catchy melody and witty lyrics. Unashamedly pop, they splice in
influence from the likes of Camera Obsura, Phoenix and elements of Belle
And Sebastian, to present a more intelligent package, which knows how
to dance. With tracks like Dead Hip, Duck, and Deerheart, all
taken from their 2013 debut album, you'll be leaving the T-Break Stage on Sunday evening
with sore cheeks from smiling and sore ankles from dancing.
Medals is the side project/part time hobby/alternative band of JP Reid, him of Sucioperro and Marmaduke Duke fame. Whatever the aim is, Medals has proved a worthy outlet, with album Disguises gaining plaudits last year for it's rock/pop uplifting sound. Medals play on the BBC Introducing Stage, and which hopefully will see them play to a plentiful crowd.
Perth four piece wecamefromwolves have pop punk vibe, with elements of
Biffy whizzed in there too, able to craft rock songs with teeth and pop
sensibilities. Fresh from releasing their Paradise Place EP in
April this year, the band have been edging down into the central belt
with a handful of gigs now clocked up. I've not yet seen them live, but
on the strength of the tracks on their EP, you can bet their set on the
T-Break Stage will be one to catch. Set your alarms for early doors on Saturday morning.
Hail
the conquering heroes! Biffy Clyro and T in the Park are like Frodo
and Sam; always together, and relying on each other. In the past Biffy
have used T to build their profile, fanbase, and live shows but you get
the feeling this year T are using Biffy as their trump card to sell
tickets. Arguments will rage whether 'old school' Biffy were better,
but bearing in mind that latest album Opposites topped the
charts and was short listed for the Scottish Album of the Year Awards,
they ain't doing to bad these days either. Fans from back in the day
will also have the pleasure of rocking out to back catalogue favourites,
as the band don't shy away from dropping their early work into festival
sets. Headliners on Friday night, you can't say they won't put on a
great show.
All girl harmonies and dreamy pop hooks? Check. It must be TeenCanteen, who pretty much capture that summer feeling with their sound. Another band who have previously appeared as Scottish Fiction session guests, their whimsical everyday dreams, and tales of love lost and found, all backed up by cheery melodies will perk up any festival goer who is in need of it. Check them out in the T-Break Stage on Friday night.
Dundee
trio Fat Goth cannot be explained. They cannot be described, nor can
you prepare yourself for them. Fat Goth can only be experienced, in
pure visceral, unadulterated, unfiltered and uncensored glory. T-Break
Stage, Saturday night. Be there.
Other selected highlights, including non-Scottish artists, across the weekend would include; Pixies, Slaves, Earl Sweatshirt, We Are Scientists, Tame Impala, The Amazing Snakeheads, Eilidh Hadden, Tuff Love, Birdhead, Kill The Waves, Secret Motorbikes and The LaFontaines.
For full line up, and more information about T in the Park, check out the official T in the Park website.
Back in the autumn of 2012, the now defunct Queen Jane frontman James McGarragle got in touch with a couple of demo's for a new side project he was working on. That project was called Deathcats, and the tracks he sent were admittedly rough around the edges but bursting with energy and promise. From the Shred Or Dead demo's, I Wish It Was Summer went on to be included in2013's The Raddest EP, a triumph in fuzzy surf pop and the bands first collaboration with Fuzzkill Records.
Fuzzkill have stayed backing the band, and on 9th June released their debut album, All Hail Deathcats, on 12" vinyl and download. It's a partnership that has worked well, partly down to both parties DIY ethos and belief in the music they love. From those early demo's, Danny Dyer remains, nestling in midway through the album. It's beefed up production and the guttural yelp from McGarragle show just how far the band have come in a short period of time.
The album starts of with Solid, a track that high fives surf-pop bands like Wavves and Best Coast, and includes a sweet little guitar riff. A solid (pardon the pun) album opener which tees up nicely for DREAMZ with its "woo oohs" firmly planting a smile on the listeners face. A fuzzy, catchy love song and a highlight of the album.
Released as a video and single, and it's clear to see why, Saturday Night Golden Retriever
is the album stand out. Three minutes of hardcore, youthful, reverb
fun, than in a live setting is guaranteed to induce crazed dancing.
It's the perfect embodiment of what Deathcats are about.
Melted draws in some of the bands other influences, think Pixies and Black Sabbath, pulling things to a more garage rock sound rather than the pop sun drenched surf vibes evident elsewhere. Dissertation also has a harder, rockier feel, with scratchy guitars and distorted vocals providing the layer of fuzz that engulfs the full record. The band also dip into prog rock and heavy metal influences on album closer TROLL TOLL.
There's not necessarily any reinventing of the wheel going on here, but with All Hail Deathcats, Deathcats reaffirm that it's a bloody good thing to have around. Their catchy song writing, and feel good summer vibes will find them plenty of admirers, allowing them to continue to preach from the gospel of reverb.
- Neil Wilson
Deathcats - All Hail Deathcats is out now via Fuzzkill Records. You can stream the FULL album via the widget below and download or buy the 12" vinyl from here.
Lovers of cats, makers of scuzz DIY punk rock. What is not to love? Deathcats have been receiving lots of love from Scottish Fiction over the past year, and rightly so. I'm a massive fan of their DIY attitude towards recording and releasing music, having got four tape releases under their belts, and working with local indie labels such as Fuzzkill Records and Electric Company. Pounding forward, marching relentlessly, the time has come to revel in reverb glory with Deathcats debut album All Hail Deathcats. I caught up with lead singer James McGarragle, sunning it up in Spain, for an intimate and cosy look at the album.
1) Solid
This song used to be entirely different. It was like 8 minutes long and sort of sounded like a late 80s emo song. We realised it didn't fit at all with the other songs so took the one main riff we liked and turned it into something new. We usually start our sets with this song as it´s pretty upbeat. Lyrically it´s just about having someones back and sticking by them, being 'solid' for them.
2) DREAMZ
I wrote this song in one night messing about on Garageband and posted the demo online straight away. I didn't even think the other guys would like it or would want to play it as it was pretty different from what we were playing at the time. I'd say it's our only love song to date and probably has the catchiest chorus. It's about the sexy people who make you feel high.
3) Jaguar
This is the last song I wrote for the album. I wanted one more sort of pop tune for Side A. I came up with the song fairly quickly but had no idea about lyrics or a name so it´s just named after this really funny Danny Devito quote from It´s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, hence the sample at the end.
4) Melted
I definitely think this is one of the more 'garage' tracks on the album. A lot of folk call us a 'garage' band which I´m sort of uncomfortable with but I suppose this has quite garage vibes. The lyrics are just about being really fucked up. Me and Keppie (Ross Keppie from Fuzzkill Reocrds) got really fucked up together one night and were lying together on the floor and it felt like we were melted together. We were listing our 'Top Five Bands' of all time and it took about two hours to get to number two.
5) Saturday Night Golden Retriever
This is the song with the most ridiculous title on the album. Our drummer's girlfriend once said something on Facebook and I was in a stupid mood so started commenting loads of things that rhymed with it and 'Saturday Night Golden Retriever' was one of them. I had just wrote this song and it was called Say Something and straight away I knew that this was a ten times better name. The song is about people who make all these grand plans that never materialise which I think most people are guilty of, especially right after they leave university. I'm very guilty of it and it causes me a fair bit of anxiety.
6) Danny Dyer
This is the first Deathcats song I ever wrote. I was playing in another band and knew that this song wouldn't suit what we were doing and therefore wanted to start something else, therefore Deathcats was born. I still really enjoy playing this song and I think we've only ever dropped it once from a gig. The song is about the whole lad mentality when it comes to sleeping with girls on nights out. How some guys will take advantage of totally drunk girls or the whole mindset that a girl's a bit easy if she has a one night stand but it's always high fives if it´s a guy. It's not such a big issue when you're older but definitely something that was prevalent when I was at university and went to a lot of shit club nights.
7) Dissertation
This song started as a riff that we used to mess about with in practice and then we fleshed it in to a whole song. It was written around the time the three of us were all doing dissertations at university. For anyone who has done a dissertation they will know how stressful it is and I think the intensity of this song represents that horrible feeling. It's just a big sort of "fuck this" in the form of a three minute song.
8) Alligator
This song is another example of a random riff that I came up with in practise evolving into a full song. As is always the case with these songs I usually piece together the lyrics really quickly and they are always nonsense. I just liked the sound of the word alligator and therefore I made the rest of the lyrics about someone who was wild. Ca raze eeeee!
9) Comin´Up
I wrote this song when I had been listening to a lot of Black Flag. It took us a solid 3 hours of practice to get it dialled as the main riff is pretty hectic. If you have ever been trapped in a night club toilet when you have been 'comin' up' then this song is most definitely about you.
10) Troll Toll
When we play out of town we're usually in the car for a couple of hours at a time and we usually listen to any of the first five Black Sabbath albums on repeat. I came up with a total Sabbath rip-off to end one set with when we wanted to do something new. We had a bit more time than we thought in the studio and decided just to record this for a laugh. It turned out pretty well and we decided it was a pretty rad way to end the album. Yet again the lyrics are total bullshit and another reference to Danny Devito's character in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
Deathcats - All Hail Deathcats is out on Monday 9th June via Fuzzkill Records. You can stream the FULL album via the widget below. Pre-orders of the 12" vinyl are available directly from here.
Free from the hell that is college graded unit work, Scottish Fiction is back with another hour of freshly squeezed new Scottish music. With enough variety to tantalize all tastes, there's full blown grunge from Algernon Doll, along with chat about Radio 1's Big Weekend, dark electro pop by way of Eilidh Hadden and Atom Tree, and a blistering track off the new Broken Records album. Grab a glass and pour, it's Scottish Fiction your one stop shop for the best new Scottish music.
Consistently offering opportunities for smaller Scottish artists to get on the T In The Park bill, develop their onstage performance, and get festival experience under their belt, the T-Break stage has announced the 16 acts playing at this year's T In The Park.
It's one of the best line up's for a few years on the T-Break stage. Our personal picks include Atom Tree, Birdhead, Blood Relatives, Deathcats, Fat Goth, NAKED, Secret Motorbikes, TeenCanteen, Tuff Love and We Came From Wolves.
Congratualations to all the acts playing, and if you are heading up to Balado on the weekend of 11th, 12th and 13th July, then be sure to check out as many of them as possible. There's also a free track from each artist available via the T-Break website.
Fader up, headphones on, tunes a go. This week's podcast takes a drive through pastures new, stopping to take in the heady sounds of new tracks from Deathcats, Vasa, Book Group and Friends In America. There's some well deserved SAY Award praise for Hector Bizerk, and a lagoon of other great sounds. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Drum roll please... Scottish Fiction is BACK. Repackaged and reorganised as a condensed one hour podcast but still bringing you the best new Scottish music about. As we've been away for nearly two months, this week's returning episode is all about catching up with what we've missed. That includes tracks from Machines In Heaven, Secret Motorbikes, Call To Mind, Deathcats and a whole lot more. Tuck in my friends, and dine at the banquet of indulgence.
There have been so many bearded singer songwriters on the show this year, that it will become enshrined that all our live guests must have facial hair. But when there's so many folk out there making great music, it's difficult to ignore. The latest guest live on Scottish Fiction, was Owen McLaughlin, who goes by the name Gone Wishing. He chatted about his music, influences, differences between band and solo work, and also picked the music for the first part of the show. There's the chance to hear three live songs too, all from his forthcoming new EP 'The Fires Of Future Strangers'. On the show as well, there's new music from Withered Hand, There Will Be Fireworks, Casual Sex, Turtle and much much more!
All hail DEATHCATS!!! a side project of James from Queen Jane, who are bringing fun, noise, scuzz and all out passion with their music and live shows. The band put out their first bunch of material recently, and have a whole raft of shows coming up. We chatted to James to get the low down on DEATHCATS!!!
Hello, how are you?
Hello Neil. I am good, thank you. We eventually decided to record some songs the other weekend. We recorded them at our friend, Josh’s house in one day. Very half arsed but very fun. We’re happy with how it’s sounding and other people seem to be stoked on them, so yeah, I’m good.
It's the question everyone hates, but could you tell us a little bit about your music and your influences?
You could call it garage/surf/punk. I like to call it Post Surf or Catcore. It’s got lots of reverb and energy. It’s aggressive but in a positive, non threatening way. When writing DEATHCATS!!! material I’ve been influenced by early Beach Boys, Beach Fossils, Minor Threat, Black Flag, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Spectrals and Japandroids. Non –musical influences include skateboarding, cats, 80s skateboarding culture, late 70s/early 80s american hardcore, goofyness, 50s Californian Surf culture, Spongebob Squarepants, my girlfriend, my friends and nostalgia. Basically just things that make me happy influence the music. No serious emotional stuff here. It’s all about having a laugh and not taking anything too serious.
What's your song writing process like?
I really don’t know. DEATHCATS!!! was started as a joke, a sort of side project. I messed about with some simple songs and they’d be written in about ten minutes. Before I knew it I’d have a full song. Right now we have about ten songs that we plan on recording so I’m not writing much until we work our way through them. Last week my girlfriend said it would be funny to write a song about climbing trees, so I did. It’s real fun to play. But aye, I come up with something I like. I try to keep it simple and take it to the other two and we whack it out.
What could we expect to see from a live show?
There is lots of energy. I really go for it when playing. In the other band I play in there is quite complex vocals and I have to hit pedals here and there etc. There are more riffs so I can’t jump about too much. With DEATHCATS!!! it’s all easy to play so I just throw myself about and contort and twist myself into mad shapes. We all spend most of our time in University or work so when we get thirty minutes to let loose we make the most of it. At the end of our last show I sort of jumped/collapsed off the kit and banged my head pretty badly. I felt rubbish for the rest of the day but it was worth it. So you can expect lots of movement, goofy screaming and head injuries. No leather jackets or Jesus And Mary Chain style standing about shit.
If it were all to end tomorrow, what would you say has been your greatest achievement?
Our greatest achievement has been actually getting around to doing this. We talked about it for so long and never done anything about it. Once we played our first show we thought we might as well keep going. Also, we know that if Piers Morgan heard us he’d be disgusted and I’d die happy knowing I gave that useless man sore ears.
What have you got planned for the rest of 2012?
Playing a lot of shows, supporting bands and also putting on gigs with bands we like. We’re playing MILK on October 17th, supporting The Spills at Bloc on October 24th. Putting on our own Halloween show at Pivo Pivo with Captain Majestic, Halfrican and Killl Surrrf on November 1st and then supporting Hooded Fang on November 14th at Nice 'N' Sleazy's. We also plan on giving the EP to as many people as possible. I’m going to make some tie dye t-shirts, maybe some DEATHCATS!!! badges and balaclavas. You know, capitalise on our passion for fashion. Definitely record some more stuff and put that out for free on our own label.
Explain the name 'DEATHCATS!!!'? Is it proclaiming death to cats, or are you named after cats who bring death?
DEATHCATS!!! is not just a band. It’s a collective. Once you are a member it’s for life. Hence why in all press related photos our faces are covered as the identity of the individuals are not relevant. The individuals you see playing live are just members of the collective, who believe in the All Mighty Lord DEATHCAT, Lubocrantinus.
But basically it’s a funny name that we liked. We knew we wanted it to be more than a band. We wanted to put on shows with bands we like and get our friends involved whether it’s making videos, helping with art work or whatever else. So DEATHCATS!!! is a gang. If you like garage music and jumping about then you’re more than welcome to join our gang. Also, we’d never proclaim death to cats or any animal. We love animals, especially cats!
At Scottish Fiction we focus on new Scottish music, how do you as a band view the Scottish music 'community'?
I thought about this for a while and came to the conclusion that it’s great, well here in Glasgow. There is so much going on in Glasgow. One thing I find now with music though is that less people go to see a band or artist until they have had a good bit of hype on the internet. I think the internet has kind of killed the curiosity element of music. There are a lot of great bands no one knows about because said bands don’t bombard bloggers, radio presenters and promoters or record one single a year as they won’t bring out a proper record until they get signed, SPAM constantly on Facebook or film cliché music videos that act as more of an advert as opposed to a piece of art. So a lot of people don’t go to shows until they have heard a lot about the band but not actually went to hear the band. There is a guy who always goes to Milk and wears glasses and always has headphones around his neck. He always calls me the wrong name and he’s always usually quite drunk. But he is always at shows, regardless of what type of act is playing. People like him are an example of what is good about the community. But I think the internet has definitely killed the curiosity side of music. People don’t venture out to shows as much as they did as they can check out a band on Facebook. That band might not have the best recordings online but could be amazing live. On the other hand there are also lots of very amazing people out there such as Stephen from Flowers In the Dustbin, Fielding from Cry Parrot, Hannah and Aileen from Milk and people like yourself who run wee blogs with more energy and devotion than paid journalists and get nada out of it apart from self satisfaction. You are what creates this community.
What other Scottish artists would you recommend to the Scottish Fiction readers?
Kill Surrrf, Halfrican, Baby Strange, Future Glue, Campfires In Winter, Secret Motorbikes, The 10:04s, Kick To Kill.
Thanks for speaking with us, would you care to share a joke with us?
Piers Morgan getting paid to have an opinion on things, that’s a joke.
As always if you missed Wednesday night's show then fear not as here is the show to listen to again! This
week's podcast see the return of new feature Re-Mixing It Up with a
track from the forthcoming The Twilight Sad 'No One Can Ever Know
Remixes' album. We also have an Aye Tunes Friday Freebies track from
Arran Arctic, a track from our Classic Scottish Album which is
Idlewild's '100 Broken Windows', and three tracks from our Featured
Artist, Boards Of Canada. There's also new music from PAWS, RM Hubbert, Emma Pollock, Errors and much more!
Enjoy!
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