WILL Irvine is clear that he’s resistant to letting his music fall into one particular genre – but there is one thing he wants to get straight.
“We’re definitely not ‘dad’ rock,” he says, laughing.
Irvine, originally from Achiltibuie but now based in Leith, is the lead singer of the bandDaytime TV. He spoke with The National ahead of their gig in Glasgow on Wednesday evening.
Coming together
Daytime TV spent the month of September travelling around Europe following the release of their latest single, Block Out The Noise.
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He admits that playing gigs has been “euphoric” – particularly because the band started performing together just before Covid hit.
“It’s annoying having to talk about Covid but we first got together just before the lockdown and we were in a rehearsal room in London getting ready to play our first show,” Irvine explains.
“At the time we were all in denial and then the next two years were wiped away. But we did manage to record a couple of bits when we could hang out in those weird periods of time.
“At the end of it all, we felt like we’d been a band for ages but we hadn’t done anything.”
Since then though, it’s been nothing but success with the band releasing their debut album Nothing’s On But Everyone’s Watching.
They’ve supported the likes of The View, Circa Waves and the Kaiser Chiefs and Irvine says he’s thrilled the band are heading to Glasgow to kick off the UK leg of the tour.
Not being put in a box
Daytime TV have already taken their tour around a number of cities in Germany as well as Prague and Warsaw.
“They’re not the biggest shows in the world, don’t get me wrong, but it’s been so euphoric and we’re all really buzzing about it,” Irvine says.
“It’s difficult to tour with all the fun and games of Brexit. There’s a lot on the line and you need it to go well otherwise you’ll lose a load of money you can’t afford to lose.”
So, what can people expect when they go to a concert?
As a youngster, Irvine says he grew up listening to bands like the Arctic Monkeys and The Killers – but adds that he’s keen for the band’s music not to be defined too easily.
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“It’s so tough, it’s that classic thing because I think every musician wants to think they’re unique but I know people like to make similarities,” he says.
“We’re an alternative band. Some call us rock because we play with guitars. I think the way we see it is we’ve got a foot in the rock camp but in a modern way, not in a way I would see rock which almost makes me think of what my dad would listen to.
“We have pop influences as well and we do try to push the boundaries rather than just be here to make up the numbers.
“Before we were attached to a label, the feedback would be that we were ‘too this to be that’, that nobody would put is in a camp.
“We were too rock to be pop or whatever but I thought well isn’t that a good thing. If people are struggling to place you then we’re doing a good job of trying to do our own thing.”
Scotland gig
The band are due to play in St Luke’s in Glasgow on October 11 and, having grown up in Scotland, Irvine can’t wait.
“I’m so buzzing for the show – it’s a venue I’ve been to watch other bands so much. It’s always so good for the sound and the atmosphere.
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“To bring our show there, it’ll be a hell of a night. It’s primed to be the show of the tour.”
And as for the future, the singer added: “I’m honestly not bothered about what we may or may not be. If music makes me feel something then I’m in and that’s what we want to give people.
“We don’t want to take ourselves too seriously. It’s about making music we really like so we can go out and enjoy it rather than doing stuff that might be successful but that we don’t love.”
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