INTERVIEW: A wee chat with The Sandemans

On Monday evening I caught up with Perth based, and very talented, alt-rock band The Sandemans. The Sandemans consists of; Lead Singer Dean Whyte, Lead Guitarist Sean Hodge, Rhythm Guitarist Thomas Jackson, Ciaran Sinclair on Bass and Perth’s very own Johnny Cash look-alike on Drums, Liam Moran. Having just released a video for new song ‘Set The Fire’ it now looks like they are off to big things in 2018 with a debut album and several big Glasgow shows. Having risen to popularity so quickly and yet being so mysterious I thought it was about time we had a chat with The Sandemans.  So let's start with something easy, how did you all meet? Dean: Sean and I have been writing horrible tunes together since we were like 13, 14.  Sean: At school we went into the music room and said we needed a drummer and the teacher was like… Dean: We’ve got a fine young man who looks a bit like Johnny Cash! Sean: So we invited Liam along for a practice Ciaran: And Liam and I were at school together.

Liam: And Thomas is my uncle… Dean: Before The Sandemans Sean and I actually wrote a song called ‘School Boy Error’ Sean: It’s a horrible song, so horrible.   And where did the name come from then? Dean: Sandeman Court! It sounds like a cool name and it’s from Tulloch. I was going through Google Maps and I zoomed in on every court in Tulloch until I found one… When did you form? Sean: It was about September 2016 that we got a proper band together.   What would you say your biggest influences are - as a band or as artists? Ciaran: Slipknot! Sean: I write a lot of the stuff for us so personally I take a lot of influence from Kasabian, David Bowie and The Smiths as well. Dean: When I write my influence comes from Primal Scream and even sometimes the likes of Otis Redding. I know we sound nothing like him but it’s good to take influence from everything and not just be limited. Thomas: For me it’s got to be Arctic- Sean: I knew you were going to say that!

Thomas: Monkeys with their wee catchy tabs. *Makes guitar noises* and The Beatles as well. Ciaran: Oasis are my favourite band. Liam: I’d say Oasis or The Beatles as well Sean: Liam I didn’t even know you listened to music I thought you just played the drums and that was it! Do you get a lot more attention now that you guys have kind of exploded in the past 6 months? Thomas: I went in to McDonalds after the gig in Methven, and some random woman came up to me and asked if I had played there - she said we were really good! Dean: It doesn't matter where we go people always shout ‘Sunny’ at us. We went to Wetherspoons and just sat down and straight away a group of girls shouted ‘Sunny’ at us. Ciaran: Even sometimes just walking down the street. Dean: SUNNY! Ciaran: If we don’t get big it is going to be stuck with us forever.

6. Talk me through the creative process...

Thomas: We’ve changed how we write songs recently!  Sean: Some songs I used to write on my own and they would add their own bit to it and then I would give Dean the words- Dean: Or we would come up with the words at the same time at the studio.  Thomas: But our new method is better. We muck about and put words over it. Sean: We’ll play a tune now, like anything, and Ciaran will come up with a bass, Liam with drums. Thomas: We always have stuff we never do as well, we come up with a lot and nothing happens with it. Dean: Tyskie, All Around & Lose Control were all made up on the spot, that’s why the words are so weird. Do you guys argue a lot?  Sean: Dean and I - all the time. Dean: He says I am bad at Fifa! Sean: We usually just scream at each other. Say I write a song and I’ll say to Dean that I want it sang this way, he will still say I am wrong, my own song is wrong. Then he will shout at me. Dean: I usually can't sing it that way! Hollie: And the rest of you guys just sit quietly and watch it unfold?

Ciaran: I stopped it once, it was a 3 hour practice and we were all hungry. Dean: Ciaran is always hungry! Sean: Liam sits quietly, Thomas tries to keep the peace but when that happens all annoyance goes from Dean and I to him. Dean: Thomas will say something like 'Try and trick your unconscious mind into believing you are okay' Thomas: I'm too open minded for them. So what's happening in the future? You guys have just released Set The Fire and a video for it, any more songs? Dean: Well we have a collection of songs coming out. Rest: An album! Have you got a name for this new collection of songs? All: John! Dean: You know that Eric Clapton Album, we're gonna get a picture of Sean’s grandad in a denim jacket for the cover and call it John. So you've got the 24th of March in Glasgow at Audio -  anything after that? Sean: A few other gigs coming up in Glasgow and The Revivals on Easter Sunday at the Twa Tams. Dean: Barras 2021. Thomas: Maybe getting our own studios. Sean: yeah right - in like another 10 years! Well I think that’s it guys, any last minute words? Thomas: At the end of the day, it’s night.

A huge thank you to The Sandemans for having a chat with me! Be sure to check out their new video for ‘Set The Fire’ on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXStEk_66HU

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