Mid-way through an intense set of UK tour dates, October Drift frontman Kiran Roy took a breather to chat life on the road, Desert Island Discs & dream riders...
First off, to those just discovering October Drift, how would you describe your sound?
Low vocals over shoegazey, grungy guitars. We're heavy on the reverb, there's no such thing as too much in our eyes. We try to write catchy songs with strong hooks and melodies but without being too cheesy.
Out of the four of you, which band member do you reckon would be most likely to:
- run a marathon?
Definitely Dan. He's gone through spells of getting really into cycling, diets and the gym etc. I can totally see him getting into marathon running.
- break the yard of ale record?
Definitely Alex. He's an ale connoisseur and is the most alcoholic.
- appear on Bakeoff?
Definitely Chris. He's got a GCSE in food tech so is the most qualified. He reckons he makes a great baked Alaska but I've never actually seen the evidence.
- embarrass themselves on stage?
Probably me. I've got a tendency to climb things and I've tried and failed before. Having said that Alex had a phase of blacking out on stage, it happened twice around the same time which I'm sure was embarrassing, definitely surreal.
- go to a Justin Bieber concert?
Definitely Dan. He openly admits to liking the new album.
- be a Jedi?
Definitely me. I'm a ninja so I'm half way there. Next step: Jedi.
Of all the musician’s in history, which artists would make up your ideal band?
I'd have Keith Moon on drums, Kevin Shields and Jimi Hendrix on guitars. Brian Wilson, Billy Corgan and Bob Dylan would do the writing and arranging. David Bowie and Elizabeth Frazer share the vocals. Nicole Fiorentino from The Pumpkins on bass. Tom Furse from The Horrors and Johnny Greenwood on synths/keys/electronics. Now that'd be a band!
What’s been your favourite gig to date?
My favourite gig of all time would have to be Thom Yorke and Jonny greenwood at Glastonbury 2010. Me and Dan watched Local Natives and the Big Pink in the sunshine and then the secret set by Thom Yorke all in a row.
Who are you guys listening to at the moment?
I've just had my bag nicked and the speakers in the van are blown so not really heard anything on this tour apart from live music, and the playlist our sound engineer/tour manager Francis Murphy put together to play at the gigs. To be fair the playlist has some great tracks on it by The Kills, Fugazi, At The Drive In, Butthole Surfers, Silverhorse, Fun Loving Criminals and Sigor Rós among a load of others.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Difficult to say. I'd love to explore music with more unusual instruments or an orchestra. I think a collaboration with Justin vernon (Bon iver) would work beautifully. I’ve got a feeling our heavy sound with his vocals would work a treat.
If you could travel anywhere in time (forwards or backwards), where would you go?
Definitely forward. I'm too curious of where we'll be and what will happen to go backwards. I'd probably skip forward 500 years.
What’s on your perfect rider?
We're still at the stage where were buzzing to get any kind of rider! Nothing too fancy - probably just fruit, whiskey, water, beer, hummus, socks and boxers.
What are your top 3 Desert Island Disks?
Too hard to say. I can't choose just 3 records, really I'm too indecisive for these to mean anything. I'm trying to think of albums I could listen to on repeat and also ones that wouldn't make me too insane if I was stranded on a desert island. I'd go for:
- Nick Drake - Bryter Layte: I was given this album when I was a teenager and slowly fell in love with it. It wasn't instant at all but now it's one of my favourites.
- The National - High Violet: This was the first National album I heard. It sounded like the band I'd been waiting to hear if that makes sense?
- Radiohead - In Rainbows: Sonically and musically this album is immense. The songs and production are so good I think I could listen to it on repeat.
Lastly, what’s the dream?
My idea of success would be to have the freedom to collaborate and work with whoever we wanted. I'd love to get to the stage where we can sell out Academies across the country. To make enough money to get by from just writing music and taking it on the road would be amazing, and own my own house at some point.
Check out our review of October Drift's gig at the Bullingdon, Oxford (23.03.16) here.
October Drift: Losing My Touch (Official Video, 2016)