Ahead of their single release and following their bow at Other Voices Derry-Londonderry over the weekend, I had a chat with Dublin band Gangs.
RM: How did Gangs form?
James: We all were childhood friends really and we’d all been involved in other bands when we were younger. We’d always been drawn together by our interests, we all shared the same taste in music and fashion and everything. We’ve been Gangs since Autumn of 2012 and it we all know that this is it for us, it’s meant to be the four of us doing this together.
RM: What was your earliest memory of wanting to write songs/record?
Daniel: We had all been writing individually for a long time before the band. So hearing a good riff or an amazing lyric would no doubt make you want to try do it yourself.
James: We started playing music together when we were about a good bit younger, but not in Gangs, so then it was all about writing like our heroes and trying to put your own stamp on it. There had been tons of songs churned out and dropped when we were finding our legs. Now after a good bit of experience we’ve found a unique sound and found topics that we love writing about, we write the kind of music we want to hear.
RM: What artists/musicians influence your style and songs?
Jordan: We’re all influenced by lots of different artists. It’s always been the case that we are influenced by bands ethics, image and lyrical content just as much as the music. So for us the most influential bands are those who cover all these bases really well, so bands like The Specials, The Beatles, The Jam, and The Stone Roses are all influences for us. (laughs) Theres the madness of Ginger Baker in Johnny (drummer)
RM: You have some great support from some Irish press like Hotpress Magazine, that must be a big boost?
Daniel: Yeah it’s always deadly when you get recognition from the likes of Hotpress, it does great things for you obviously from a media perspective and can open doors for you. It’s something we’re grateful of obviously.
RM: Your playing Other Voices Music Trail Derry-Londonderry in February, but it’s not your first time playing an Other Voices event is it?
James: Yeah we got a slot on the Other Voices Dingle bill back in December, That was obviously huge for us. Especially because it was our first gig outside of Dublin. We did two nights down there and it was very cool to play to the Other Voices crowd and soak it all in. We got received really well down there and we’re looking to go smash Derry in February
RM: What sort of gigs are your favourite to play? Theatres, Music Clubs, Festivals?
James: We’ve always loved the intimacy of small venues, packing out a club and getting a good rock and roll show going is always a great feeling. Lately we’ve been hitting some bigger stages which has also been great, totally different vibe when you’re doing that. We’ve come to see that our sound can handle the bigger venues pretty comfortably and obviously they’re gonna keep getting bigger for us, but the intimate shows can sometimes be the best ones.
RM: Do you have a gig rider/requests? Or If you had one, what would you have?
James: Nah we’ve nothing outrageous, all that “green m&m’s only” stuff is a bit pretentious to be honest. When we go on tour we’ll probably ask for a few things, couple of beers and that but we’re not going all Bon Jovi on it.
RM: What are the main influence(s) in your song ‘2.15’?
Jonathan: 2 15 was not so much influenced but more born out of dissatisfaction, we think that it’s something a lot of people our age can relate to, it’s about taking back your time , that this is the time for young people to stand up and break the mould. 2 15 for us is a representation of our everything we’re about in both its musicality and lyrics, it’s a big rock and roll tune that we think people are going to love , something to sing your heart out to . We shot the video in Dingle actually!
RM: You have a single launch coming up on 20 February, what can people expect at the show?
Daniel: The show is gonna be really cool, we’re planning to do two mini-sets, probably about 45min each . Both are going to showcase some new material and play a few that the fans are gonna know . 2 15 is gonna be the showstopper though we’re very excited to unveil it.
The gig is on in Whelan’s upstairs so it’s gonna be one of those intimate gigs where people can really experience the energy and make a connection with us. Plus it’s gonna be a great chance for us to meet everyone that supports the band. We always want to get to know the people who not only love our music but also put the effort in and come to the shows, we know it’s gonna be a really great night.
RM: Where can people get their hands on your music?
Jordan: We post all our tracks and interviews/acoustic performances on soundcloud, you also get some live videos and that on YouTube. 2 15 will be on Spotify and iTunes, its our first big release. Right now its all about catching us live
RM: What’s next for Gangs?
Jonathan: Well after Other Voices Derry we’ll be launching our single and doing a few shows around Dublin. In March we’re off to London, we’ve been invited to play some shows so we can’t wait for that. We’re dead excited to get over to London and show them what we’re about. Not too long after that there’ll probably be another single out too, then we aim to play most festivals. The big one is Feb 21st, upstairs in Whelan’s and it’s all on our Facebook page.
RobMoro 
Ahead of their single release and following their bow at Other Voices Derry-Londonderry over the weekend, I had a chat with Dublin band Gangs.
RM: How did Gangs form?
James: We all were childhood friends really and we’d all been involved in other bands when we were younger. We’d always been drawn together by our interests, we all shared the same taste in music and fashion and everything. We’ve been Gangs since Autumn of 2012 and it we all know that this is it for us, it’s meant to be the four of us doing this together.
RM: What was your earliest memory of wanting to write songs/record?
Daniel: We had all been writing individually for a long time before the band. So hearing a good riff or an amazing lyric would no doubt make you want to try do it yourself.
James: We started playing music together when we were about a good bit younger, but not in Gangs, so then it was all about writing like our heroes and trying to put your own stamp on it. There had been tons of songs churned out and dropped when we were finding our legs. Now after a good bit of experience we’ve found a unique sound and found topics that we love writing about, we write the kind of music we want to hear.
RM: What artists/musicians influence your style and songs?
Jordan: We’re all influenced by lots of different artists. It’s always been the case that we are influenced by bands ethics, image and lyrical content just as much as the music. So for us the most influential bands are those who cover all these bases really well, so bands like The Specials, The Beatles, The Jam, and The Stone Roses are all influences for us. (laughs) Theres the madness of Ginger Baker in Johnny (drummer)
RM: You have some great support from some Irish press like Hotpress Magazine, that must be a big boost?
Daniel: Yeah it’s always deadly when you get recognition from the likes of Hotpress, it does great things for you obviously from a media perspective and can open doors for you. It’s something we’re grateful of obviously.
RM: Your playing Other Voices Music Trail Derry-Londonderry in February, but it’s not your first time playing an Other Voices event is it?
James: Yeah we got a slot on the Other Voices Dingle bill back in December, That was obviously huge for us. Especially because it was our first gig outside of Dublin. We did two nights down there and it was very cool to play to the Other Voices crowd and soak it all in. We got received really well down there and we’re looking to go smash Derry in February
RM: What sort of gigs are your favourite to play? Theatres, Music Clubs, Festivals?
James: We’ve always loved the intimacy of small venues, packing out a club and getting a good rock and roll show going is always a great feeling. Lately we’ve been hitting some bigger stages which has also been great, totally different vibe when you’re doing that. We’ve come to see that our sound can handle the bigger venues pretty comfortably and obviously they’re gonna keep getting bigger for us, but the intimate shows can sometimes be the best ones.
RM: Do you have a gig rider/requests? Or If you had one, what would you have?
James: Nah we’ve nothing outrageous, all that “green m&m’s only” stuff is a bit pretentious to be honest. When we go on tour we’ll probably ask for a few things, couple of beers and that but we’re not going all Bon Jovi on it.
RM: What are the main influence(s) in your song ‘2.15’?
Jonathan: 2 15 was not so much influenced but more born out of dissatisfaction, we think that it’s something a lot of people our age can relate to, it’s about taking back your time , that this is the time for young people to stand up and break the mould. 2 15 for us is a representation of our everything we’re about in both its musicality and lyrics, it’s a big rock and roll tune that we think people are going to love , something to sing your heart out to . We shot the video in Dingle actually!
RM: You have a single launch coming up on 20 February, what can people expect at the show?
Daniel: The show is gonna be really cool, we’re planning to do two mini-sets, probably about 45min each . Both are going to showcase some new material and play a few that the fans are gonna know . 2 15 is gonna be the showstopper though we’re very excited to unveil it.
The gig is on in Whelan’s upstairs so it’s gonna be one of those intimate gigs where people can really experience the energy and make a connection with us. Plus it’s gonna be a great chance for us to meet everyone that supports the band. We always want to get to know the people who not only love our music but also put the effort in and come to the shows, we know it’s gonna be a really great night.
RM: Where can people get their hands on your music?
Jordan: We post all our tracks and interviews/acoustic performances on soundcloud, you also get some live videos and that on YouTube. 2 15 will be on Spotify and iTunes, its our first big release. Right now its all about catching us live
RM: What’s next for Gangs?
Jonathan: Well after Other Voices Derry we’ll be launching our single and doing a few shows around Dublin. In March we’re off to London, we’ve been invited to play some shows so we can’t wait for that. We’re dead excited to get over to London and show them what we’re about. Not too long after that there’ll probably be another single out too, then we aim to play most festivals. The big one is Feb 21st, upstairs in Whelan’s and it’s all on our Facebook page.
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