Q&A: The Zebecks

On July 20th, the renowned Glasgow venue King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut was set ablaze by the dynamic performance of The Zebecks, a rising force in Scotland's alternative music scene. This Glasgow-based band, originally hailing from Elgin, delivered a night to remember, captivating the audience with their unique blend of indie-punk and traditional Scottish influences.

Check out our recent Q&A with them below:

1.   Tell us about your King Tut’s headline last Saturday. How was the show and how are you feeling after it?

Dan: Our show at King Tut’s was our biggest and best yet. Everything went to plan and overall it was just a brilliant night. The support bands PVC, Static, and Whissker were all amazing and getting to close the night felt like a big honour. It had been about 9 months since we’d last played a headline show so getting to witness the crowd singing our lyrics, moshing, dancing (and ceilidh dancing to Roseisle) at such a prestigious venue was just really special and felt like a reminder as to why we play in this band and what the result of our hard work looks like. Being from Elgin in the north-east as well, headlining King Tut’s is definitely an impressive achievement and it felt like we had our hometown on our back so to speak.

2.   If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Dan: I’d have to say someone from the upcoming Scottish hip-hop scene. The scene is absolutely excellent, and I feel like linking and infusing it with the indie-punk music Glasgow and Scotland is so acclaimed for can only be a good thing. Someone like Sean Focus, Bemz, or Pence. Hopefully we can make this happen at some point in the future!

Max: Off the top of my head I’m thinking Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, or Joe Strummer.

Hayden: Joe Strummer is definitely a strong contender. I don’t really know why though other than because he’s cool.

3.   What’s the most unexpected source of inspiration you’ve ever drawn from for a song?

Hayden: I’d say a pretty unexpected inspiration was our home area for our most recent single Roseisle. All of our songs are usually about our experience living in Glasgow but for this one, we decided to write about where we grew up and what that felt like. I started writing lyrics that focused on looking back on your childhood and feeling uncertain, then Dan added his part which continues the story before we come together to sing at the end of the track.

Dan: Yeah, Hayden’s lyrics really struck a chord with me as I related to a lot of what he was singing about. I really did see the opportunity to take the song down a path of melancholia and dismay on how uncertain life is as we all approach growing old and dying but as much as that option would have been a valid response, it just didn’t feel very Zebecks. Instead, I stripped it back a layer and thought “what is the most Elgin response to such deep contemplations?” and settled on “are ye dancing, cause I’m asking” which doesn’t exactly answer Hayden’s uncertainty but instead alludes to what we feel is more important: enjoying yourself, making memories, and not thinking too deeply about things. What inspired me was the people and culture of our upbringing – the attitude is often a sarcastic yet endearing one; and behind all that is love for our home. It was definitely an unexpected source of inspiration at the time, but now it makes perfect sense.

4.   What’s one piece of equipment or instrument in your setup that you absolutely couldn’t live without, and why?

Max: Recently we have started using In-ear monitoring systems and it feels like we could never go back now.

Dan: Our good friend and stage tech Ben has been helping us with running them and we started playing around with backing tracks and transitions for our King Tut’s show. It definitely felt like the whole show was one big performance rather than loads of different songs played separately which is the professional jump we have been aiming towards so we’re really happy with them.

5.   If your band could score the soundtrack for any movie, past or present, which one would you choose and how would you approach it?

Dan: I wouldn’t be too sure about films but if we can include TV shows then I would have to pick Glasgow the new TV show that our good friend and former collaborator Leon Miele has been working towards creating. He’s a MET Film School student in London and right now, him and his team are running a kick starter to make the proof-of-concept for the show. It is a drama about student life in Glasgow, the music scene, and the nightlife culture. He’s also told me some of it is loosely based on experiences we had in halls of residence, so I am both excited and worried for that!

The reason I’d want to score it is because our current sound would naturally and authentically work alongside the story and visuals. In fact, he’s already got our single Medicate included in the inspiration tracks. A lot easier than writing some grandiose classical score you’ll find in the blockbusters.

Max: Even though I’ve not seen it surely yous are saying Lord of the Rings?

Dan: Nah mate, that’s a bold answer. The Lord of the Rings soundtrack is perfect and any attempt to better it would be a fruitless effort.

6.   What’s the wildest thing that’s happened to you guys while on tour or during a gig?

Aiden: Probably the craziest thing that has happened at one of our gigs actually happened on Saturday at Tut’s. We brought out one of our heroes and inspirations Declan Welsh to sing one of our songs with us which is still pretty surreal. Only a few days prior Declan reached out as he wanted to work together so we ended up collaborating with him to finish writing and recording our newest single. He ended up recording a vocal part himself and then just offered to play it live with no rehearsals at King Tut’s. This was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down and sharing the stage was such a special feeling.

7.   Now that you have headlined King Tut’s, what is next for The Zebecks?

Aiden: Our next live show will be at Tenement Trail in October which we are looking forward to playing. The line-up is incredible with Declan Welsh and the Decadent West headlining and so many other fantastic local bands so it’s going to be a great chance to play to a new crowd of people that have maybe never seen us perform live before. We also have our new single set to release before then which will be our biggest sounding yet. Collaborating with Declan was a wonderful experience, and we are hoping to continue building our relationship with him.

Dan: I think as well, he has opened us up to the world of features and collaborations in general. His input definitely enrichened my understanding of lyric writing and I hope we can work with more artists in future to benefit from their experience too. Ultimately, it would also be good to impact other artist’s own creativity with our ideas and concepts.

Max: More short term, I am looking forward to getting back to rehearsals so we can think about our King Tut’s show and see what went well and what we can improve on for next time. Now that we have the IEM rack there is so many directions our live show can go in so next up is just exploring those and seeing what sticks.

Glasgow-based alternative outfit The Zebecks released their summer single Roseisle, on the 19th of June. The follow-up to February’s Medicate which Tenement TV described as having an “aura of maturity”, Roseisle explores a new avenue of their sound, taking the traditional folk music of their native Scotland into the modern era – a canvas for the two vocalists Dan Thomson and Hayden Peace to sing in cathartic release about the value found in human connection.

A moving take on youth, life, and death, grounded in references to Scottish culture, Roseisle juxtaposes both naivety and maturity with the two narrative voices which offer their hand to the listener and take them into a rhythmic ceilidh dance on the beaches of the Moray coast. It tells a tale of travelling home (the title refers to a coastal area near the band’s hometown of Elgin) at the end of life to ‘die so meaninglessly’.

“As a band who, as teenagers, collectively migrated away from our hometown to find meaning in a pursuit of music – this song is our most personal one yet. It invites the listener to share with us, in a fleeting moment of nostalgia, thoughts of their own home and to resonate with the feeling of wanting to return there someday when life has settled down (Thomson).”

Produced by Jamie Holmes (Gerry Cinnamon, Declan Welsh and the Decadent West, Theo Bleak) at Castle of Doom studios and mastered by Felix Davis at Metropolis Studios (The Vaccines, The Murder Capital, Porridge Radio), the track was recorded live to best capture the trad-Scottish sound and features bagpiper Lewis McNish in the climax of the song. It’s traditional songwriting in its most authentic form; a piece which builds from the ground up into a heartfelt burst of emotion. The single conveys a natural progression from the Scottish influence they have alluded to in their earlier releases and realises The Zebecks forging their own artistic identity.

Follow or stream here - www.thezebecks.com

Q&A: Roller Disco Death Party

Photo by Brian Sweeney

Roller Disco Death Party are a two-piece electronic duo from Glasgow, Scotland, comprised of the songwriting expertise of Neal McHarg (synths) and the musical prowess of Amelia Boyle (drums). The duo met through their shared community work background; Neal is a Community Worker based within a charity called PRYDE where his work also focuses on youth empowerment through music. Amelia is the founder of GigSafe, an organisation that creates a help point at live shows for anyone not feeling safe or harassed.

During the pandemic as the world moved online, Neal reached out to Amelia to be involved in a video library of inspirational music industry professionals for the young people he worked with to look up to. It was through that where the pair bonded over their shared love of electronic music.

So far in 2024, Roller Disco Death Party made their live debut through winning the Tenement TV x SWG3 x HOUSES Festival competition this year alongside their debut release ‘Day By Day’ being used as thetheme tune for 9 episodes of the Late Night at the Euros with Compston and Smart show across the BBC this Summer.

Tell us all about Roller Disco Death Party and how it came to be?

Amelia: Neal and I crossed paths through a university project a few years ago, and when he reached out to me to be a part of this project I jumped on it, as this genre of music is something I’ve always wanted to do.

Neal: The idea of the band is inspired by the likes of Soulwax with the live drums tied in with the electronic sounds, The Chemical Brothers with their collaborations and Justice for their big bass sounds. The producer that we’ve worked with to help hone our sound, Jagz Kooner,  has done work for 2 out of 3 of those acts, so was the perfect person to bring on board as a producer/mixer for Roller Disco Death Party.

Which Scottish acts are you enjoying listening to at the moment? And who do you think could become the next big thing in Scotland/the UK/internationally?

Neal: There are so many interesting projects within the Scottish Music Scene just now, like Tina Sandwich, Gallus, VLURE and Soapbox plus we’ve also got a great underground hip-hop scene with the likes of Paque, Psweatpants and Lupo ZenAku. It’s incredible just how much talent we have for such a small country.

I think they could all do well in different ways, like Gallus are doing great in Europe just now.

Tina Sandwich is a must any time she playing in Scotland just now, and VLURE pretty much going to take over the world just shortly. With the Hip-Hop scene, it’s great to see Bemz running his own festival (M4), which will help so many artists take it to the next level.

Amelia: For me, it’s also Tina Sandwich, Dead Pony and Young Fathers. I think all are doing and will do incredibly well, they each have a unique approach to their musical output which is really refreshing to see.

Do you have any advice for upcoming artists in Scotland, what would you tell your younger selves to help them navigate the industry in 2024?

Neal: I think just to back yourself 100%. Don’t go in and not put your all into what you're doing.

Amelia: Believing in yourself is a big one, I would definitely go back and do that some more. Don’t work for free and don’t wait around on people that won’t help you progress.

Tell us your three desert island albums.

Neal:

Soulwax - Nite Versions

Jagwa Ma - Howlin

Justice - Woman Worldwide

Amelia:

Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose 

Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles 

Shame - Songs of Praise 

If you could collaborate with anyone on future music, who would it be?

Neal: I would love it if someone like Soulwax/2manydjs or Erol Alkan would remix a track of ours.

Amelia: James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem. I think it would be really interesting to sit in a room with him and talk about lyrics and dance beats. 

And finally, what can we expect to see from Roller Disco Death Party throughout the rest of 2024?

Neal: Now that we’ve finally launched this project that we’ve been working on behind the scenes, you’ll see more collaborations and a new electronic/live band sound in Glasgow. We’re releasing our first collaboration with Jack McQuilstan Borril (Quiche, The Joy Hotel) on Thursday 25th July - a track called ‘Last Days of Isolation’ that is part of our debut EP. His vocal range is another level and it breathed so much life into the track.

Amelia: A lot of sweat, joy and hopefully the start of a change in the Glasgow music scene. It would be nice to bring the dance and the guitar scenes together. We’re really excited to show you what we’ve been working on.

Join us at Resonate 2024 on the 28th November at Platform, Glasgow. Final Early Bird tickets are still available and close to selling out! Click here for tickets.