We managed to grab 10 minutes with Dunfermline band Dancing on Tables ahead of their set on the main stage at Solas Festival 2018.
After playing The Fresh Stage at last year’s Solas Festival Dancing on Tables received the big promotion this year to main stage- giving them the chance to show Perth exactly what they are made of. Dancing on Tables are an Indie Pop band consisting of Robbie McSkimming, Callum Thomas, Hamish Finlayson, Gregor Stobie and Michael Waterworth. They have been together for over four years after starting out in high school.
Dancing on Tables have seen massive success over the past few years playing up and down the UK and being named one of the biggest bands to watch in 2018. Having recently provided the music for Scottish Water’s ‘Top Up From The Tap’ campaign, being featured in The National Museums Scotland Rip It Up exhibition and playing their first ever American show. What can these guys not do?
Where do you draw your musical inspiration from then?
It’s really quite varied, every one of us has different influences. Gregor the bassist loves his funk, Hamish loves his classic blues rock, Michael loves electronic dance music, and me and Robbie have quite a mix between us as well. We try to draw on everyone’s influences and bring them together into what fits for us.
With such varied influences, how do you go about making music?
The most productive way we do it is we go to a little cottage on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Fyne – where you get no signal. We go there and the five of us lock ourselves away for the weekend with beer. They have their own studio and whenever we fancy doing something we pop in and play with some ideas or we will just go and jam and yeah, then we end up with our songs.
Do you find the massive amount of talent in Scotland, and the UK, intimidating or do you see it as a positive?
Scotland has a really really strong emerging music scene. Being part of that feels like a wave we want to ride. All these bands are going out playing major festivals and to be associated as part of that scene we think is a real positive. It’s a compliment to be a part of what everybody is achieving at the moment, especially in Scotland.
Edinburgh and Fife are definitely starting to pick up as well. We struggled for a bit at the start, venue wise, we don’t have the variety of venues Glasgow has. Dunfermline has PJ Molloys which is amazing, they have been great to us. Even in Edinburgh you have venues like Sneaky Pete’s and The Mash House that are really supportive to smaller bands. We played our first Edinburgh show at The Mash House, it was really cool.
And you have played in Perth before, obviously…
We have played in Perth at The Green Room a couple of times, which is always fun. We spotted John Hassall from The Libertines there not that long ago, it was the strangest experience chatting to one of The Libertines before the set, in Perth of all places! The Green Room is in the same bracket as PJ’s and Sneaky Pete’s, they are always there for smaller bands to help them get their foot in the door.
What’s coming up next then?
More music coming up at the end of August and festivals all throughout summer, we are playing Belladrum and Latitude. We are just going to keep doing what we have been doing and hope more and more people enjoy it!
I caught Dancing on Tables’ set later that day. They are as energetic and fun as they are talented. I also saw them last year at Solas Festival, seeing how they have grown and what they have achieved in 12 months is incredible and it just goes to show that everything is on the table for these guys (pun absolutely intended).
