An interview with Gaoler’s Daughter
Q1: How and when did the band form?
Alfie: In the backstreets of south London
Ben: In early 2008 we started ‘jamming’ at ‘The Toilet Factory’, a squat in Camberwell on Sundays. Our first proper gig was on 28th June at The Wilmington Arms.
Q2: Your first EP came out at the end of 2009, what’s next?
Ben: The next EP ‘Alchemy’ is nearly ready and will be coming out in the spring. There’s talk of doing a Steve Lamacq session around that time too. In the meantime we’ll keep writing, rehearsing and gigging hard.
Alex: Alchemy is a lot more ‘us’, the sound of it is what we have been working towards, it has really come together on this EP.
Alfie: We’ve got loads of gigs coming up. We really want to play some festivals in the Summer too.
John: I want to play as many festivals as possible this summer, maybe get a little European jaunt together too.
Q3: The band play a lot of shows in the London area, do you plan to travel further afield?
Ben: Of course. It’s simply a question of finances. We can’t afford to underwrite our touring costs as we are all poor!
Alfie: We do have gigs coming up around the UK in March and April though and maybe even some in Europe too!
Alex: Yes, we have plans for Europe and hopefully New York in the near future. We would love to record out there as well as play gigs.
Q4: The lyrics of the songs are very poetic, where does the influence and inspiration come from?
Alfie: Books.
Ben: Ask John!
John: Most of my lyrics are introspective I suppose. I try to avoid the whole ‘we’re getting drunk on a Friday night’ kind of stuff. Maybe people relate to them, maybe they don’t, but writing is a lot cheaper than therapy! I read a fair bit too, as I think everyone in this band does, and it’s bound to have an effect on how I write. Rather than taking direct inspiration, I seem to reference certain books or poems, and use them to enhance the ideas I have.
Q5: Steve Lamacq appears to have picked up on the band, having played ‘Jumbo Jet’ on his show a few times. This must have been helpful?
Alex: It’s more than we could have hoped for, it’s come at a perfect time for us, just as we are in the flow of releasing stuff and getting used to recording with each other, it’s a good sign of things to come I think.
Ben: We’ll find out in time just how ‘helpful’ it’s been. It’s certainly good to know that he likes our music though.
Alfie: Lammo is a great ally to have, and he knows his music. The good thing about him is he plays what he likes, and is not governed by traditional radio playlist restrictions.
John: Every band wants to get on the radio, so from that point of view it’s great.
Q6: Shakespeare or The Smiths?
Ben: Why choose. They have both had a huge impact on me.
Alfie: We like Shakespeare’s music, the early stuff mind, he got a little bit wayward towards the end, and of course The Smiths wrote some smashing plays.
Q7: The band have a very distinctive sound, what are the individual band influences?
Ben: Thanks. We try not to think too much about influences when writing songs. Whatever serves the melody and the moment is right. We never set out to write a song that sounds like this or that. We’re not that cynical.
Alex: I love ‘80s indie: Echo And The Bunnymen, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Smiths, but I’m a sucker for drum & bass, breaks, dub and dub step, these are the things I seem to be listening to a lot at the moment. We like to draw inspiration from all sorts of places, me and Alfie were listening to Disney songs last night……..
Alfie: Whatever serves the melody in that moment is right. We never set out to write a song that sounds like this or that. We’re not such cynical songwriters. As far as our individual influences go, I like Family, Curtis Mayfield, most things on the Motown label, not that Bruce Willis album though. “I didn’t like that one bit, apart from his shoes on the cover.”
Alex: …also Ian Dury and The Fall!
John: John Martyn, Dylan, Captain Beefheart, Kate Bush…
Q8: Alcohol or records?
Ben: Again, why choose. We spend most of our money unwisely. Let’s just leave it at that.
Alex: I think that’s the hardest question I have ever been asked, they go hand in hand, don’t they?
Alfie: How can you choose between the two things that make wedding receptions worth going to?
Q9: Do the band have a political standpoint?
Ben: We don’t like to force our political beliefs down people’s throat. Our music is about escapism and enjoyment. We just live our way and lead by example.
Alex: I don’t personally, I’ve never been hot on politics.
John: I try not to get too involved in this kind of thing, especially regarding lyrics. I think I’ll leave that to people who know what they’re talking about. We are, after all, a band not the panel of Question time, and music, especially our music, is all about escapism rather than getting bogged down in things beyond our control.
Alfie: Get rid of Boris Johnson, he’s funny on ‘Have I Got News For You’ but that’s about it. If he gets rid of bendy buses, Alex wont be able to get to gigs!
Q10: Who would you most like to work with, in terms of a producer and musicians?
Ben: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Captain Beefheart, Prince, Armand Van Helden.
Alex: Producer would be Rick Rubin, just to see what the hype is really about. I think Jack White would also be a good for me in the studio, trying out loads of guitar effects, nah actually, fuck it, Dr. Dre or RZA! Musician wise, that’s tough. Maybe Thom Yorke, I would love to know what goes through his head when he’s making music. The obvious ones for me would be Johnny Marr, I’m a big fan, maybe he’d be a good bet for a producer…
John: The m*therf***in’ D R E, and Quincy Jones. Plus Paul Tipler who’s very much into what we’re doing and has produced some great bands like Eighties Matchbox b-line Disaster.
Alfie: We would all love to work with up and coming producer Ben Bones, as most big name producers are normally judged on the amazing projects they worked on in the past when they were establishing themselves. Bones has a great career ahead of him, and we would love to be one of the great projects HE has worked on. Have always wanted to work with Snoop, standard.
Gaoler’s Daughter can be seen out and about – CLICK HERE for details
Jumbo Jet – from the EP ‘The Only Way To Travel’ is available through The Gaoler’s Daughter store HERE
Tags: 360, 360 degree music, 360dgm, Alchemy, Alex Mahood, Alfie Ambrose, Armand Van Helden, Ben Bones, Ben Hutchinson, Bo Diddley, Camberwell, Captain Beefheart, Curtis Mayfield, Dylan, Echo And The Bunnymen, Family, Gaoler's Daughter, Ian Dury, Interview, Jack White, John Martyn, John Sterry, Johnny Marr, Jumbo Jet, Kate Bush, Louis Arstrong, Miles Davis, Motown, Paul Tipler, Prince, Rick Rubin, Shakespeare, Steve Lamacq, The Fall, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Smiths, The Toilet Factory, The Wilmington Arms, Thom Yorke
