Music
The Galway band talk about west coast living and why three is always better than one.
A few years ago, Brian Kelly was living in Korea. He was working as a teacher, but by his own admission had a remarkable amount of free time. Driven by boredom, amongst other things, he began to develop his budding musical ability, experimenting with computers and recording equipment. As it developed into a series of recordings, the project was named ‘So Cow’, and shortly after, Brian began to play these songs live.
To begin with, it was just him playing bass and drums to a backing track, an experience he describes as ‘both fruitless and terrifying’. For this reason, the project quickly evolved to a three piece, which he is much happier with, for various reasons: ‘I also realised it's much better having a shitty show if you have other people to commiserate with or shout at, instead of just being mad with yourself back at the flat’.
It’s worked out better from the listeners point of view too; bandmates Jonny White and Peter O’Shea help to keep some of Brian’s wilder ideas in check: ‘No one needs a mini rock-opera about the N59 in their lives, and having other people in the group to say as much stops me from executing these things (I've not given up on this idea, mind. But will probably try every single other idea in the world first)’.
Brian is reluctant to put a label on the music, and actually, although I’m the one who asked him to, I agree that it’s best left more or less undefined. Terms like ‘indie-pop’ or ‘guitar pop’ are floated but as he says himself ‘those labels are relatively pointless, aren't they? Compared to other genres of music, it's really everyone trying to put an individual stamp on a bunch of stuff that's pretty much 1.2.3.4'
So Cow have had some pretty enviable experiences with gigging and touring over the past year or so, from a band’s point of view. In March, they played a typically chaotic set of gigs at showcase SXSW, which culminated in what sounds like a glorious collaboration (of shows) with fellow Galwegians the Saw Doctors.
It was ‘brilliant and bizarre’, Brian says, to play with such established rockers, who have always been supportive of the endeavors of So Cow. He says that as a Tuam man, this slot was not something to be undertaken lightly. After that, they were kept busy over the summer with slots at various festivals and other gigs, and I’m delighted to hear Brian say that the Westport Festival was a highlight for him, because that’s the one that we caught that so impressed us.
At Westport, they played on the stage sponsored by The Roisin Dubh, a venue Brian says he’s played about 40 times thus far, so for familiarity at least, it is one of their favourites: ‘Elsewhere in the world, the Wurlitzer Ballroom in Madrid, Death By Audio in NYC and Parts & Labor in Toronto are probably the all-time top three’.
But although they enjoy touring, they are in no hurry to leave Galway as a permanent base. Like Daithi, who we interviewed recently, they seem to have it sussed; obviously the internet has changed things so much that musicians can pick and choose where they live, so why not choose the cheaper and (arguably more beautiful) west coast. Besides, Brian adds ‘there's a night bus back from Dublin, so we're covered’.
They’ve also been working on final release details with the new album, originally due to be out this October but now delayed until the new year: ‘...we just realised pretty much every Irish band that sounds vaguely like us were also putting out albums in October. I fancied a Britpop-style beef with a few acts. Though we'd probably end up being the Mansun of the scene’ Brian explains. The album is already all set to go.
Brian tells me what it was like to work with Greg Saunier of Deerhoof who produced it: ‘the primary memories are of wandering down Banna Strand on a fairly sunny afternoon talking about noodles, and then buying noodles, and then eating those noodles. The man is a machine. The work he did in the six days would have broken most people. He plays drums on one of the album tracks, an vaguely-surfy instrumental that was kinda written with him in mind’. Unfortunately, we have a few more months wait to hear all of this; it’s due for release February 2014.Meanwhile, the boys are keeping extremely busy, between the release of a split split 7" single with a Spanish group called Image Makers, a December mini tour of Spain to go with it, a potential Halloween party in Galway, and of course this very week the Hard Working Class Heroes Festival in Dublin. Dott, Bouts and Lie-insare top of Brian’s list for this festival and he also mentions #1s and Big Monster Love as bands he’s enjoying at the moment.
He’s too modest to say it, but take if from us, if you’re in Dublin this week, So Cow should definitely be in your top acts to see.
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