What are your names?
Andy (me), Dermot, Rich and Joe
What is the bands name and how did you come up with your band name?
The Dials. We’re named after 7 Dials, an area of Brighton where the band formed. Every couple of years, another band pops up with the same name but they always disappear off the face of the earth within 6 months. This is known as The Curse Of The Dials. You have been warned.
What is your genre of music?
Our genre is Psych Garage. We’ve patented it so nobody else is allowed to be it without buying a licence from us.
Give us a little bio about you as a band and individuals.
We formed in 2002 and have been playing and recording ever since. We once had to be rescued from a bank vault by 9 firemen. This is completely true, Google it.
Are you a signed?
We formed our own Gear Discs record label and signed ourselves. These days, there’s not much a record label can offer a band, the internet has removed the mystery from the music industry.
You’re set to release your new album on October 13th 2017, what can you tell us about it?
There’s a lot going on – it has pump organs, mandolins, Moogs, mellotrons, pastoral folk and Bavarian waltzes. It’s our 4th album and the first we’ll be releasing on vinyl, which feels great. We spend hours just listening to the run-out groove.
Tell us more about some of the tracks on the album.
The album’s just the thing for a romantic night in. The first single Cuckoo Stone is big and funky and is a love song written from the point of view of a Neolithic standing stone near Woodhenge in Wiltshire. Sail No More is about despair on board a nuclear submarine and Heathen Sun is about aliens stealing all the children of a small English village but everyone being too polite to mention it. On reflection, it’s a terrible record for a romantic night in.
What was the writing process like?
We’d usually start with the bones of a tune from me or Dermot then do our best to ruin it. We recorded the ones that survived.
What was the recording process like?
We worked with producer Ben Thackeray for this album and he has a great bedside manner. He knows a hundred ways to ask someone to record their part again without actually saying it was terrible (“that was amazing but I forgot to press record”). He also made each song about 10 minutes shorter, which was no bad thing. Lovely chap.
What was the title process like?
The album was originally called The Moon And The Stars And The Tides Of The Sea but we quickly realized it was almost impossible to come up with a suitable cover image which didn’t look like a mindfulness meme. That Was The Future seemed like a strangely appropriate title given the current state of the world.
Will we see any videos from any singles you release from the album?
Yes! We’re just finishing the video for Cuckoo Stone and it’s looking amazing. I won’t say too much about it except that it involves a lot of sinister dolls and we’ve almost got the face paint off.
Do you have any other gigs coming up or a tour after album release?
We’re having a big album launch party in Brighton on October 6th at the Hope and Ruin. Steve Mason will be DJing along with Colin Baldock and Innerstring will be supplying the light show. Tickets are available via www.thedials.co.uk so grab them quickly as it will be a night to remember.
Other dates confirmed so far are:
September 23rd – Knoxbridge Festival, Frittenden
October 7th – What’s Cooking, Leytonstone, London
October 27th – Oslo, Hackney, London – supporting The Sadies
October 28th – The Railway Tavern, Southend-On-Sea
What made you go in to music?
You don’t really have a choice, it’s already in you.
Do you play any instruments?
We play all the instruments on our records. Between us, we’ll have a bash at any anything… sometimes it’s easier to sound good on an instrument if you have no idea what you’re doing. We’ve made a career out of this.
Who are your influences?
This week? The Zombies, Caravan, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis and Showaddywaddy.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Usually inspiration strikes in any situation when it’s impossible to write anything down – driving, sleeping, swimming, skydiving etc
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
As members of the landed gentry. That’s how proper rock stars always end up.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
I build synthesizers, Joe races historic cars, Dermot has a narrowboat and Rich has a campervan. Essentially, they have all found different ways to avoid me and my synthesizers.
If you could collaborate with one UK Artist or band who would it be and why?
Robert Wyatt. His voice is breathtaking.
If you could collaborate with one US artist or band who would it be?
George Clinton. We need a good band leader to kick us into shape.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
I can only speak for myself, but anything from the Stone Roses’ debut album.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Never tie your shoelaces in a revolving door.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Be polite to everyone and don’t trust anyone who is polite to you.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Never eat anything bigger than your head (Miss Piggy)
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Be decent to the soundman
Be decent to the other acts
The words
The notes
The drummer
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Soundcloud
Website
