The Sundowners… Star rising
Interview: The Sundowners
Published on May 14th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
When we interviewed Cold Shoulder bassist Andy Ashton last month, he recommended that we check out the luscious summer-pop harmonies of Wirral five-piece The Sundowners – we did so and were sufficiently impressed to seek more information, kindly supplied to us by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Fiona Skelly…
How do you all know each other, and when did you get started as a band?
Me an Niamh [Rowe, also vocals and rhythm guitar] have been mates for years – she showed me how to play guitar and I encouraged her to sing, so we started playing together doing covers at small gigs and that’s mostly where we found our style and learnt hamonies. Alfie [Skelly, lead guitar] saw us playing and he wanted a singer for his band at the time, so we went into practice and jammed “Run Away” by Del Shannon for about an hour.
He never officially asked us to join but we just kept showing up. For a while we had another drummer and bass player who went on to play in other bands, and that’s when Tim an Jim joined. We’ve all been playing together now for just over a year.
How would you describe your music, if pushed?
Well i’d say there’s a definite influence of ’60s/’70s rock and roll but individually we’re all into lots of other eras and genres that come through. I mean we get the obvious ones like The Byrds but have also had a lot of people say some of the songs are like Blondie.
Who or what are your primary inspirations for music-making?
The Beatles as a band and solo artists, Tom Petty, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen and Oasis.
Where can we hear your music?
On our Facebook page, our SoundCloud and our MySpace. We also have some videos on YouTube. We’ve just recorded in Parr Street (Liverpool) our new single “Humming Bird”, to be released with a B-side, so listen out for that!
Which have been your most exciting gigs so far?
We played a great gig supporting Cat’s Eyes in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London but a close second has to be York – we played some dive and went down a storm with a load of students. We always enjoy supporting The Moons.
Got any more big gigs or festival dates coming up?
There’s no festivals planned this year but there’s plenty of gigs always popping up, mostly in Liverpool, Manchester and London. You can find out dates on the events page on our Facebook.
Are there any other up-and-coming acts that you’d like to recommend or give a shout-out to?
The Moons, Neville Skelly, By The Sea, Ren Harvieu, Cold Shoulder and The Sand Band. Also love Paul Weller’s new record!
Fiona Skelly, thank you.
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
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