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► February Band of the Month: Saturday's Kids
February Band of the Month: Saturday's Kids
Saturday’s Kids are an unusual choice for UWIC Band of the Month as none of the band members are actually UWIC students, but their songs are so impressive that we thought we would pick them as our choice for February band of the month anyway. The four-piece South Wales group, who are currently studying their A-Levels, are yet to release anything official but have played an impressive number of gigs since their formation 18 months ago; even supporting the likes of noise-rock outfit Lovvers. Taking influence from the likes of Sonic Youth, Saturday’s Kids play firey post-punk fronted topped off ferocious vocals – but more impressively the band are also able to slow things down to a grungier, dirtier and almost progressive feel mid-song, giving a diversity that adds to the listening experience. Enough words from me, I’ll let the band do the rest.
Briefly introduce yourselves. How long have you been together as a band and how did you all meet?
Well there are four of us in Saturday’s Kids. Me (Sion) - I play guitar and do vocals - Jordan, he plays guitar, Rhys plays bass and vocals and Mathew Greenburg who plays drums. We’ve been together for about 18 months, but we have had a few line-up changes and stuff. Me, Jordan and Rhys all go to the same school and have known each other quite a while, but Greenburg we met at gigs. Before he was in the band he used to leave love letters on our MySpace.
Reviewers often liken you to Nirvana as well as drawing similarities to the punk scene. Do you think these are fair connections? If you could write your own review, how would you describe your sound?
I would say at points we have quite a grungy sound, but we have never intentionally tried to write music that sounds like Nirvana, in all honesty none of us have really listened to Nirvana a lot, I think all the myth of Kurt Cobain and the general religious hype around them turned me off the idea of listening to them when I was younger, but only recently have I realised that I have missed out on a pretty good band. We try and keep our music as fresh and original sounding we never really want a stylized defined sound, but we obviously have a quite visceral post-punk crossed with some dirtier grunge sound going on but also a edge of early D.C emo such as Rights of Spring and Embrace, variety is our game. I would have to say Sonic Youth is the biggest influence on our sound, especially albums like Daydream Nation and EVOL especially. I love the contrast of gnarly feedback and beautiful melodies.
What types of music are you all into that don’t influence your sound (here’s your chance to let a weight off your shoulders and tell us all the shit music you like!)?
Well Jordan from a young age has had an unhealthy obsession with Status Quo to the extent that his guitar is a Francis Rossi signature model. We like to remind him of this fact as much as possible. Saying that there have been occasions on long drives to gigs where we have ended up listening to Justin Timberlake’s first album and singing along, we are ashamed of these moments.
Following that question on writers relating you to a punk sound, I’m going to do the same! Would you say it’s simply a musical similarity (if even that) you share with the punk scene, or do you share other similarities such as a political enthusiasm or a hatred for Pink Floyd?
I think it has a lot to do with the experimental and pushing edge of punk that we have the most connection, it is all about having some sort of dangerous edge, that excitement, something new that gets people moving, or maybe gets people thinking. A lot of our lyrics are not about us pretending we have some deep epiphany about politics, its more about a personal philosophy, our angst, our rage, our personal insecurities. Punk and Hardcore is the genre which is the most open for new expression something slightly dangerous, slightly unnerving. There are people who still think punk is the Sex Pistols in 1976 but its not, they played stripped down rock and roll, that was all destructive almost anti-music, but they influenced a lot of people to start bands to play music and growing from that attitude that they started came some amazingly innovative bands and there has been development and change over 30 years. Just listen to Public Image LTD Metal Box - how layered and deep that music is, and that is what is punk to me, experimental, pushing, dangerous. Also in the punk/hardcore I find there is a lot less of the ego that surrounds other bands. Our music also has a huge post-punk element musically but we try to amalgamate a lot of other genres into our music.
Despite your age, you seem to be very competent at putting on gigs and how you all hold yourselves on stage. Did you all have much experience of being in bands at a young age?
Well for me and Jordan this was our first band we have never played in any one else, but we have been playing a lot of gigs since 2008 so we have grown, learnt how to play better together, I don’t think we have ever thought specifically this is how we will stand or move or anything. Greenburg played in two bands before, Imagination Arrow was one of them, also Rhys played in a welsh language band called Byd Dydd Sul, and he sometimes plays for Zimmermans. I wouldn’t say any of us had any huge experience before playing in Saturday’s Kids.
What do your mates in school think of your music?
We don’t really play up the fact that we are in a band in school.
Your name seems to be a reference to The Jam song. Is this the case, or is it a coincidence? Big fans of The Jam?
Yeah that’s where the name comes from, it is intentionally done, it is a lesser known jam song. I like the irony of our name, the song “Saturday’s Kids” is about the usual drunks on a Saturday night. Yeah The Jam are a wicked band, they have some real tunes, we are not die hard fans.
Your live shows are always incredibly energetic, with you, Sion, seeming especially explosive with the delivery of the vocals. You must be knackered after them, especially if you have a few gigs in a row?!
We all go into a sort of spaced out zone for the first 10 minutes after playing, but that is all part of it, the music inspiring movement. It is all part of the thrill and fun being absolutely knackered from playing; it feels better finishing playing and being drenched in sweat.
You’re a band. You play lots of gigs, and see lots of support bands. Any lesser known bands you’d recommend the readers should have a listen to?
I wouldn’t say any of theses bands are lesser known than us but here are some cool local bands. Evariste Galois are a indie punk band from Cardiff they sound not too dissimilar to the Hated. We are doing a split with these guys and they are coming on tour with us also. Oui Messy, they are playing our release show on the 12th, they play pop influenced post-punk like The Jam or Gang of Four, their song ‘Second House’ is a tune. Harbour, also from Cardiff, they play super fast, rhythmic hardcore, sounds like early Dag Nasty. The Muscle Club - played a few show with these guys, there bassist is helping bring out the split. They play really fun and energetic indie-pop.
You’ve just organised a tour covering a large amount of the country. Have you booked this on your own? It must be quite a daunting thought travelling so far?
Well yeah we booked it ourselves, we have played quite a few shows outside of south Wales in various places across the U.K so we already knew some promoters, but its been hard work. Yeah slightly daunting how much travelling we are going to do but that is all part of touring, we didn’t expect anything else. All of us are really excited; it’s the first time for all of us to go on tour, and hopefully not the last either.
Here’s your opportunity to piss off UWIC (or the Cyncoed crowd at least). What do you think of rugby?
I would say we are more football boys.
What are your plans for the future? Tell us about the tour, and if you have any official releases available.
We have a split CD/Tape with Evariste Galois release coming out on the 12th of February. Also we are doing a 6 day U.K tour with Evariste Galois from the 12th of February to the 17th to promote the release. It is our first tour so we are all really exited for this, it was a lot of hard work to book and organise but will definitely worth it. Also we have plans to try and release three 7” before the end of the summer, also hopefully another tour in the summer to promote the first or second 7”.
You are of an age where university and exams loom. Are you all planning to go your separate ways for your education or do you anticipate Saturday’s Kids will live on?
Well we are all either having gap year’s or doing something to keep us all in the same vicinity next year so we will live on for at least another year, and after that I am sure we will try our hardest to keep Saturday’s Kids alive.
Saturday’s Kids play Roath’s YK Bar on 12th Febuary kick starting their UK tour. To find out more about the band, their upcoming tour, and their release, or to download their awesome demo CD, head to myspace.com/thesaturdayskidsuk. If you want to be featured as UWIC band of the month, email me at j.j.may@outlook.uwic.ac.uk.
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