When Irish three-piece Slow Riot released their EP ‘Cathedral’ (see HERE for our feature) they quite easily became one of our favourite new bands. Taking a heavy influence from the best post-punk has had to offer (Gang of Four, Wire, God Speed You Black Emperor to name but a few) and giving it their own spin. But rather than just slot it into an existing genre they have taken their place and dragged it forward, helping the scene to progress. We caught up with frontman Niall just as they announce their second headline UK show. Meet Slow Riot…
BM: Let’s get the niceties out of the way: Who’s who and where are you from ?
SR: Slow Riot are Niall Clancy (me) on vocals/bass, Aaron Duff on guitars and Paul Cosgrave on drums. We are from Limerick.
BM: How did you all meet?
SR: Myself and Aaron met through some friends. We both liked a lot of the same records and had planned to start something ages before doing so – it was pub talk for about a year. Paul came in to rehearse with us after a few months and was a perfect fit.
BM: We are not alone in sl0tting you in as a post-punk band. How would you describe you’re sound?
SR: I always find it really tough to answer that question. We are often bracketed as a “post-punk” band – I don’t mind the label because it’s such a broad term but we never really set out to sound like anything in particular. We sound like our individual playing styles combined.
BM: I couldn’t agree more, the post-punk label is a pretty broad church, and you’ve drawn comparisons to quite a few bands that are seen as luminaries of the genre. Can you tell us which bands you personally find inspirational?
SR: It varies a lot between the three of us but we do share some common interests in bands and records. Eagulls, GY!BE, Suuns, Froth and Preoccupations are just some of what I’ve been listening to right now.
BM: I’m guessing there’s a clue there as to how you got your name…
SR: Yes. We’re named after the Godspeed You! Black Emperor EP – Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada. I remember having it on repeat at the time.
BM: What about growing up? Do you come from a musical family?
SR: Not at all. I think it’s pretty strange because nobody in my family or extended family is a huge music fan whereas I’m completely obsessed with music and can think of nothing better than making a career from it.
BM: You’ve just announced details of your second headline show in the UK (details below) – what would you say has been your favourite gig to date?
SR: When we opened for Mission of Burma in Opium Rooms earlier this year. It was thoroughly enjoyable to open for such an influential and awesome band.
BM: Do you prefer life on stage or in the studio?
SR: I enjoy both but I really do relish what little time that we get to spend in the studio. We rehearse in a small storage unit so it’s something else to go from hearing a new song bouncing around a metal box to hearing it sound as massive and as epic as our sound guru Kevin Vanbergen makes it sound in his studio.
BM: As we mentioned earlier you’ve got your headline gig in London coming up soon; what other live dates are in the pipeline?
SR: We’ll be playing our second headline London show at the Sebright Arms on November 10th, we’re making an appearance at HWCH on the 7th of October in the Hub, Dublin and we’ll be opening for the amazing windings at their album launch Whelan’s, Dublin on October 29th.
BM: Can we expect anything else before the end of the year?
SR: The rest of the year is huge for us. We’re releasing a new single and another track this Autumn. We’ll be playing our second headline London show off the back of this as well as some live dates and an appearance at Hard Working Class Heroes in Dublin. We’re also hoping to squeeze some time in at the studio at some point.
BM: Nice one. Finally before you go. Can you recommend any local bands that we might not of heard of yet?
SR: Fonda & When Young. Both bands are mates of ours from Limerick and both are excellent.
Slow Riot returning to London’s Sebright Arms on November 10th. A brand new single follows this September whilst the band continue to write their debut album, pausing briefly to play Ireland’s Hard Working Class Heroes festival in October.
Tickets on sale now: CLICK HERE
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