Last Updated on 25/09/2022
Earlier in the year, Noisefirst got the opportunity to speak to surfgaze architects Seabass, an exciting four-man band based in London. After introducing myself to Ollie, Jamal, George and Albert, we got talking about the formation of the band, the reason for the surfgaze label, and the way that Covid-19 has reshaped the London circuit, as well as much, *much* more.
We also catch Seabass (pun intended) at an important time for the band, as they have just released their second single “Harpoon”. Give it a listen!
Noisefirst: Guys, I’m going to start firing a few questions at you. Ready?
Ollie: Of course!
N: Great. Could you tell me a bit about how Seabass came to fruition?
O: Well, we first formed at Uni.
N: Which one?
O: New College of Humanities. Not many have heard of it, as it’s a newish liberal arts school. Very small. I think my entire English class had like eight students and I remember there being absolutely no music scene.
Jamal: Yeah, all the music lovers got smooshed together by the society officer at the Uni. They said that if you guys want to start a music society, then go for it. Initially a few of us created this jazz band that me and George played in and after that we had what was referred to as the Alt & Indie Rock Gang, with which we just played whatever we wanted really.
N: What kind of stuff were you covering?
J: We covered everything … well not everything. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, the Drums, and some crowd pleasers like White Stripes.
N: Oh, who are the Drums?
J: They’re like a 2010s synth/indie pop band. They’re difficult to describe but you’ve got to listen to them just for their groovy percussion alone.
N: Were these covers from a mutual interest in music or were they something that one of you put forward and the others were like yeah, that sounds good, let’s play that.
O: Yeah it was pretty much the latter.
J: We all came from different music tastes including a guy called Tom who played bass for us at the time.
N: What about you, George and Albert. What sort of music influences your musicianship?
George: Well, I grew up on old guitar legend Steve Vai, Guns’ N Roses and, to be honest, Jack Black. Then afterwards my tastes evolved into more technical, prog stuff like Periphery. Any time you hear an aggressively picked chord or lead line, it’ll usually be me.
Albert: Influences? I grew up with synth, so stuff like Human League, A-ha. But then I like Nick Cave too.
J: Albert properly channels Nick in his lyrics.
A: It’s the same music that my dad listened to really.
N: I totally get that. And so, carrying on from the Uni story, what was the next step?
O: Well, I suppose it would have been writing originals. We kept having jams and thought, let’s start solidifying these ideas. That started properly happening when Jamal was basically recording demos in his bedroom with his shitty laptop microphone. He’d ask what we’d think, and it would always sound sick.
J: “Daisy Surf” (Seabass’ first single) was the first song we ever recorded and is actually over three years old now in terms of when it was written. I’d recorded these chords onto my laptop microphone and then Oli listened to it and sent me back some lyrics and that was how it was born.
N: Is that what happens now?
O: The EP that’s coming out includes a lot of our legacy tracks, so the songs on that will follow a similar process. However, as time has gone on, we are starting to write a lot more together. In fact, we’re coming up with a lot of stuff now by improvising on the spot. We’ll have a simple idea and then, during a jam or even a gig we’ll just invent stuff there and then and keep what we like. That way, all our songs are very DIY and have each of our personalities stamped onto them.
J: Up and till this day we’ve not actually recorded in a proper studio, we’re too broke.
N: Haha, the studios don’t know what they’re missing. So stuff you’ve put on Spotify, is that all home studio?
J: Yeah.
N: Wow I’m impressed! The production’s great.
O: Jamal’s also always been building his mixing and mastering skills.
J: Lockdown’s given us an inordinate amount of time to sit down and understand how everything works. A friend called Ben has also given me loads of feedback that’s allowed me to make our recordings sound how we actually want them to. He’s been massive for us.
N: Sure. And this will help massively when you eventually do get into the studio.
J: Yeah we’re going to be that really annoying backseat producer.
N: Haha, the best kind! All jokes aside though, it’s great that you’ve made yourselves a clear path. I also see you call yourselves a surfgaze band.
J: Yeah haha.
N: Could you tell me what that means?
O: It’s a mix between surf rock and shoegaze.
J: We were thinking one day that we needed to market ourselves well without going for that saturated post-punk moniker. “Daisy Surf” was influenced by Bombay Bicycle Club shoegaze-like reverb, but then it also has the rhythms and vocal tones you’ll hear in surf rock.
N: So it’s not really that you’re playing both surf rock and shoegaze, but more that you’re blending the two together to make your own sound?
J: Yeah essentially.
N: Do you know any other bands that have mixed the two genres?
J: I’d say Brian Jonestown Massacre have that mix in some of their songs.
N: And what about stuff you’re writing right now. Does it still follow that surfgaze sound?
J: More recently, we’ve veered towards post-punk again, taking influence from bands like the Sound and the Fall, mixed with some stuff from Unwound and their post-rock stuff.
N: So when you’re playing live, what’s the set up?
O: At the moment, the run down is Jamal on bass, George on lead, I’m on second guitar and then Albert is on synth and vocals. We’ll also bring in a drummer for gigs, although Jamal will drum during our sessions.
N: Nice. And playing live, what has your experience of the London circuit been like?
J: It’s interesting what’s happening at the moment. Something fundamental must have changed during lockdown, because previously you had some bands who were a bit I’m too cool for you, please don’t talk to me. That’s largely changed now though. We played one of London’s first live grassroots gigs in August at a pub called The Victoria. There were bands there who we’d not spoken to before and perhaps in the past conversation would’ve been at an arm’s length (figuratively). Instead, the crazy thing is that every band who played at the venue went the next night to support the others on the listings. All of a sudden a massive sense of unity and a common struggle has come up.
A: Music has been put at risk and we’ve all had to reassess what’s important. The venues have even had us on their playlist between gigs.
J: Yeah it’s always really pleasant to see that camaraderie.
N: Are there any venues in particular that you reckon everyone should check out when things go back to normal?
J: The George Tavern in Chadwell, for sure. That’s the venue that made us want to gig live. When we went for drinks, we’d see their Marshall amps stacked on stage and think this is so sick. The atmosphere in there is beautiful. Later, they’d also do so much to give us a platform. They have to be the main one to mention.
O: There’s a couple more too. The Victoria in Dalston. That’s a really great music venue; great stage, great dance room, rain or shine. They’re the pub who have been doing these outdoor gigs, which is so nice of them. Another one which I’m dying to get back to is called the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston, who have done some insane music nights. It’s quite hard to get on the bill, as they have got some up and coming superstars there, but it’s still one hundred percent worth checking out.
N: Sounds sick. Shall we talk a little bit about the EP that’s coming out? Any dates?
*This reply preceded unfortunate events, namely Lockdown 2 Electric Boogaloo*
J: In terms of an EP, there is one that is very near completion, which we’re planning on having out around the end of October. The main thing with that is that we don’t necessarily want to release it if we can’t gig it. If Lockdown 2 Electric Boogaloo happens, we’ll have to take some other approach.
N: Has the EP got a name yet?
J: It doesn’t actually. We’re absolutely f****** awful with names. We’ve sat around the table at least four times now and nothing.
O: Although cover art has been sorted.
N: And you’re already writing stuff for later too? Is there an album in the works?
J: We want the EP finished and after that it’ll just be a case of sifting through untouched material, as we’ve now got such an enormous backlog of demos. If lockdown continues, you’ll probably see us drip release singles first.
N: Finally guys, do you see the band continuing for the foreseeable future?
J: Definitely.
G: As long as we’re under one roof and got a bunch of gear then we’ll be sound.
O: At the end of the day, we love making the music. It’s an exciting thought to start gigging again and have it once more as a bit of a job. It’s a life-long project – we enjoy it!
Make sure to follow Seabass on instagram or facebook to find out more about what they’re all about!
