Glastonbury calling The Deadbeats

Obviously, Manchester has a history of producing great bands. If The Deadbeats play it right they may just have the capacity to follow similar paths trodden by such greats as The Stone Roses and The Smiths. But before we get carried away with ourselves, for now The Deadbeats are five lads armed with killer tunes and surely a great furure ahead of them. Michael Eavis for one likes their style naming them as the best band at this year's Glastonbury Unsigned competition, and considering The Subways won the gong last year it can hardly be a bad endorsement.  Before the inexorable rush of record companies bidding to snap the band up begins, Gigwise caught up with them - remember where you read about them first.  

Gigwise:  What’s the history of the band?
Luke Daniel:  We were all in Manchester doing our own things, have been good mates for a while, and started playing as a group just over a year ago.
Sam Hammond:  We met at Salford University.

G:  How would you describe your sound?
SH:  It’s a combination of lots of things, kind of bluesy rock’n’roll.
Jo Dudderidge:  We write the songs as a band, not so much in terms of jamming but someone will turn up with some ideas that we then work on.
DK:  They’re very much songs about everyday things like girls and going out.
SH:  We’ve got about 25 tracks written.

G:  What are your influences, then?
SH:  We’re into roots music and anything with a strong groove.
DK:  Obviously bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones…
Simon Fairbairn:  Delta Blues such as Son House and Robert Johnson, Hendrix, Nick Drake, The Beach Boys…
SH:  Then there’s Bob Dylan and Neil Young.  Obviously there’s loads, we try to take the best from all of them and make it something new.

G:  How will you fit into the current music scene with Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and the likes?
SH:  We don’t fit in; we’re going to start a new trend!
JD:  Fair play to those bands, their music’s good, but it’s one of those things that’s only going to go so far.
SH:  There’s no reason why it can’t co-exist anyway.  There’s a lot bands around doing not the same thing as us, but roots-influenced music, like The Zutons.
JD:  Even The Thrills who are a bit more countrified... It’s not like there aren’t bands around doing this sort of stuff.
SH:  Then you’ve got the likes of the Kings Of Leon.  I don’t think we’ll have any trouble getting a share of the market – indie kids like all sorts of music.

G:  You’ve quite an American sound…
SH:  The sort of music we’re influenced by, whether British or American, sounded like that anyway.  The Beatles sang in American accents, it just sounds better!
DK:  You subconsciously imitate what you listen to through your life, and let’s face it ninety percent of what you hear is sung with an American accent or style.  It’s only natural that’s what you do; to force yourself to sing in your own accent would be more uncomfortable and less authentic because you’re trying so hard.
SH:  All I care about is if it sounds good, that’s what matters.  I don’t give a shit about authenticity.

G:  Sam, you released your solo record not long ago, so how does that and The Deadbeats fit together?
SH:  I’ve been doing this as long as I’ve been doing that, so it’s actually taken the pressure off of that a bit…
JD:  That’s the gay thing isn’t it?!
SH:  …yeah that’s mainly for when I play gay clubs!  No, I still write songs, but everyone else in the band does other things as well.  We’ve all decided to put other stuff on the backburner for now and take advantage of this opportunity.  Hopefully we can get our foot in the door and be able to do what we want in future.  For now we just want to stomp our feet and have a party!

G:  Now it’s had time to sink in, how do you feel about playing Glastonbury?
LD:  Can’t wait!
SH:  The only time it pops into mind is when we go “FUCKING YEAH!â€�
JD:  I just can’t wait to see Kylie!

G:  Who else would you like to see there?
DK:  Brian Wilson.
JD:  The Kings Of Leon would be good.
DK:  The thing is Glastonbury’s much more than just about the music, it’s the entire atmosphere and it’s wicked whatever.

G:  What are the immediate plans for The Deadbeats?
SH:  Get wrecked, play ace gigs…
JD:  Some honcho is gonna give us loads of money hopefully!
SH:  If any offers come in for singles or whatever we’ll think about it then, but if it something came in now it’s a bit early in the day.  We need to lay the groundwork first.

G:  You’ve been labelled ‘Manchester’s best looking band’, any comments?
SF:  Yeah it’s true!
JD:  We’ll let people write about that kind of shit, we’ll just get on with it.
SH:  It’s irrelevant really; it’s just a laugh.  It doesn’t matter what you look like, it sounds exactly the same, which is good.

G:  Have you had any celebrity encounters yet?
JD:  I met Darius once; he’s an all right guy…
SH:  There’s a rumour that Keith Richards will be joining us at Glastonbury…
JD:  We share the same lawyer.
LD:  He’s got the demo and showed some interest.
SH:  He’s just trying to have a good time and to regain his youth, but we’re up for it.  We’re trying to get him up for a tune.

G:  How far do you think you can go?
SH:  All the way…
JD:  All the way man!
DK:  All the way to rehab!

The Deadbeats are like a breathe of fresh air, no rock star egos or pretentiousness – just a group of mates out to have a laugh and a good time.  They know they’re onto a good thing and despite the banter that goes on, there’s a sense that they’re determined to make their mark in the music industry – and Gigwise has no doubt they will.