24 May 2008 (released)
24 May 2008
Scottish electro-indie five-piece Drive-by Argument are causing ripples in the current music scene. Having formed in 2004 and just prior to the release of their debut long player Music News met up with lead singer Stoke and pointed some questions his way.
Where did you meet?
We met at University on a music degree. One of the modules of the course split the class into different bands at random, and we were just one of those. We were told to go away and write some songs together, and the rest is history.
Where did you get your name from?
When we formed we were told by our lecturer to come up with a name in 5 minutes, and Ryan (Bass) thought that 'Drive-By Argument' was quite good. We all hated it at first, but we've warmed to it now. It's actually from a sketch in Family Guy.
You’re live performances seem to be very heated affairs who, if anyone, do you try to emulate?
I don't think we try to emulate anyone really. I've always thrown myself around on stage, it's just a lot more fun than standing about. If I go to a show I like to have a good time, and I don't think it's any different if you're on stage! We just like to enjoy ourselves.
How important is playing live to you?
Really important, we've always seen ourselves as more of a live band. I think the music comes across a lot better in a live situation, and it's where we're happiest. When we record our stuff, we really just try to emulate that live feel, and it's a lot harder than you'd think!
Who are your influences?
Because of how we formed, we would never have got together under normal circumstances. We all come from totally different musical backgrounds, and so our influences are pretty varied! The Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, Mozart, Postal Service, The Faint, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kylie, and plenty more.
Who writes the songs?
We all write the songs together. Sometimes one of us might come to the others with an idea, a few chords, a riff or a progression or something, and we'll all play around with it until we get something we're happy with.
The debut album is self titled, could you not think of a decent name?
That is exactly why! A lot have people have brought it up, and because everyone is used to our song titles being a bit outlandish, I think they expected something special for the album. I think the pressure of that got to us a bit, and we couldn't settle on anything!
What should we be expecting from this album?
A lot of scope. There's a good range of styles on this album, we wanted to try and express everything that we were about. I think people have come to expect a certain thing from us, and hopefully they'll be surprised... and pleased!
What are your three favourite songs?
That's a tough one. Personally the three that I'm happiest with would be 'There's nothing as epic as Golden Axe', 'How the Tree's Sleep', and 'Dance Like No One's Watching'. For a mixture of reasons really, but those tracks lyrically mean a lot to me, and I think sound really good on record.
What festivals have you played?
We've played quite a few of the festivals over the last couple of years, T in the Park, Belladrum, Middlesborough Music, Dot to Dot, Download, Rockness, Austria FM...
Playing any this year?
Not as of yet, but we'll see how the year goes!
Full line-up
Stewart "Stoke" Brock - Vocals/synthesiser
Stuart Kennedy - Guitar/backing vocals
Ryan Drever - Bass/backing vocals
Colin Keenan - Guitar/synthesiser
Lewis Gardiner - Drums/electro beats
The debut album is out now.
