What are your names?
We are Gavin Marshall (vocals/keys), Ciaran McGuigan (vocals), Chris Kerr (keys), Mark Scrymgeour (guitar), Louise Neilson (bass) and Chris Struzik (drums).
What is the bands name?
Diving Horse
How did you come up with the bands name?
I think it came up and we all thought it was a striking image when we were thinking about a band name. We also discovered it was a Simpsons joke, so it was always going to be a contender. It wasn’t the only name on the list – we opted for the democratic route and this was the winner after our votes were tallied!
What is your genre of music?
Pop/alternative/dance-punk
Give us a little bio about you.
We’re all from around Glasgow, Scotland and have been playing music for a long time together and in other bands. A few of us have been friends for more than 20 years so we’re very close. Diving Horse really got together in 2022 and we found that making music together and writing was a lot of fun so we decided to give it a shot.
What made you go into music?
I just love music really. It was the one thing even when I was young that I really attached myself to and it is/was the centre of my universe. Ultimately though I play music because I feel like I have something to say and this is how I love to say it. I love the process of starting with nothing and working until you have something. That’s even better in a band because there is the possibility that ideas become even better when people work together to make a song.
Who are your influences?
Musically there is definitely a New York throughline – Talking Heads, Television, The National, LCD Soundsystem. A bit of post-punk and disco, and pop too. We are also however really into movies and other pop culture – the movies of David Lynch for example.
Are you signed?
No
You released your new single ‘Big Sands’, tell us more about the song and the meaning behind the song.
Big Sands is the name of a holiday park in a place called Gairloch in the Scottish Highlands. It is stunningly beautiful. The song name had been in my head for a while and I just had the image of a person standing on top of the sand, caught between their life below and almost hypnotised by the endless ocean in front of them. I think the dynamics of the music speak to the beauty of the place and it’s quite grand and sweeping, whereas my vocals have a kind of flatness that describe the angst this person has standing there. I always love songs that have that kind of tension between bright/dark.
Describe the track in two words.
Existentialist pop
What was the writing and recording process like?
The song came together really easily. We had been working on another idea that was all getting a bit complicated so we took it down to the one-note key part you hear in the intro and just started jamming it live in the studio. The drums, guitar and bass came quickly after that. I find that sometimes going to back to something really basic after expending a lot of effort helps get an idea going. When we demoed the song, it had a one-and-a-half-minute intro – thankfully we scaled that down to the intro on the song we eventually recorded.
Who did you work with on the song?
Callum Edwards at Brookwood Recording recorded and mixed the song for us.
Will we see a music video for ‘Big Sands’ and if so can you tell us more about the creative process for it?
Yes, our video for ‘Big Sands’ is live now on YouTube. You can watch here:
Do you have any live shows coming up?
Yep – we are playing McChuills in Glasgow on 29 June and in Stereo on 11 August.
Let us know where we can get tickets if so.
McChuills tickets can be purchased here
What else can we expect in 2023?
We have 2 further singles coming out in the next couple of months, as well as our booked shows. After that we have more singles to record and plan to start working on an EP.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Ideally with some great shows under our belts and potentially an album if we can squeeze it in. We would love to play in another country too if anywhere will have us!
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
I have been thinking about a letter that Kurt Vonnegut wrote to a high school back in 2006 a lot recently – and I think this quote captures why I still play music after 20 years or so in bands.
‘Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting… no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find to what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.’
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Glasses, shirt, beer, keys and bandmates!
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
