Photo Credit: Debbie Ellis
ARGH KiD (aka David Scott) is currently on tour spreading the word on the streets with his witty realistic stories, closing down cinemas (I shit you not!) with his band’s massive sound which you just can’t pigeonhole. Wayne ‘AF’ Carey catches up with him before he heads out for more power packed shows across the country including a guest appearance in Northwich with Steve Ignorant’s Slice Of Life!
How did it all start?
“I DIDNʼT START OUT AS A POET. Iʼve been playing/writing music for a long time; earlier ventures just never materialised beyond rehearsals for one reason or another. Iʼve played Saxophone from school and can get around on a guitar, piano, production programmes. “Poetry” was a way to get my words out; the success of that enabled me to meet/interact with a lot of high profile musicians (Steve White for example) and producers that I didnʼt have access to on my first attempts at a music career and from there it was like, OK weʼre doing this.
Where did getting the band together come from?
The music, and band, is just me coming full circle; realising what had always been my ambition. Iʼve been fortunate to form, and those whoʼve seen us live will agree, an ensemble of brilliant musicians in Ian Barber (Bass), Jim(Drums) and Hayley Youell (Vocals). They all come from different tastes which is
perfect because we donʼt have a genre. I hate labels etc – why should one person identify as one thing?? I also act, paint and write so you need a catchall term for that. I find the concept of boxing someone in terrifying (in a good way) and it encourages me to push boundaries. Some people are comfortable with
the idea of being the next so and so but I canʼt be arsed wearing another manʼs shoes.
perfect because we donʼt have a genre. I hate labels etc – why should one person identify as one thing?? I also act, paint and write so you need a catchall term for that. I find the concept of boxing someone in terrifying (in a good way) and it encourages me to push boundaries. Some people are comfortable with
the idea of being the next so and so but I canʼt be arsed wearing another manʼs shoes.
Who are your main influences in everything you do musically and non musically?
With that in mind youʼll find most of my influences never “stuck to the script”. I love artists stories as much as the work they create; I take guidance that you should never give a toss about what other people think and stay true to self – this more important to me than anything – people like Picasso, Donald
Glover, Da Vinci – I devour biographies and again my music influences are much the same, Bjork, Coltrane, Prince, J Dilla, The Roots – you donʼt get what you expect and thatʼs what I try to emulate in EVERYTHING I DO inside/outside of art. I want to look back on a body of work, in all mediums and see a variety. If Iʼm not striving to be original then you may as well be a tribute band. I donʼt mean that in an offensive way but thereʼs a lot of talented bands that are being steered to be “The Next…” by managers and promoters and itʼs shit. 2019 and people are still trying to be the next Oasis… Iʼm not into reheated cabbage.
Glover, Da Vinci – I devour biographies and again my music influences are much the same, Bjork, Coltrane, Prince, J Dilla, The Roots – you donʼt get what you expect and thatʼs what I try to emulate in EVERYTHING I DO inside/outside of art. I want to look back on a body of work, in all mediums and see a variety. If Iʼm not striving to be original then you may as well be a tribute band. I donʼt mean that in an offensive way but thereʼs a lot of talented bands that are being steered to be “The Next…” by managers and promoters and itʼs shit. 2019 and people are still trying to be the next Oasis… Iʼm not into reheated cabbage.
Where do you draw your stories from?
Stories…mostly personal, or if not my story a lot of my work comes from other people that I know but at the moment Iʼm playing around with not being so literate with my words and add some ambiguity. I also like to bring humour in, I think thatʼs such an undervalued (and underplayed) card in music; humour is
SO important and there isnʼt enough of it. I like to have a line that will make the listener laugh, and at the same time sucker punch you in the gut. It has to strike the right balance. I love comedians for that – the best ones (Hicks, Pryor, Rock) Iʼve seen as more prophets than clowns.
SO important and there isnʼt enough of it. I like to have a line that will make the listener laugh, and at the same time sucker punch you in the gut. It has to strike the right balance. I love comedians for that – the best ones (Hicks, Pryor, Rock) Iʼve seen as more prophets than clowns.
How would you explain your style?
What we do as a band isnʼt like how other bands tend to work, we create the music to fit the content/words Iʼve written, much in the same way that a composer would create a soundtrack to a film – and because Iʼm so fortunate to work with fantastic musicians weʼre pretty fucking good at it. For example, a song like Never Drinking Again is about being over age in a club you shouldnʼt be in so we took an AfroBeat and Drum and Bass influence; Reunion is an angsty tale about a son meeting his estranged father, so it called for Punk, and so on and so forth. What ARGH KiD do is create Movies for the Ears.
Any surprises in store for the rest of your dates and any you’re looking forward to?
Man, we just had two amazing experiences, at Kendal Calling packing out the House Party tent, then smashing Manchester International Festival. Iʼm really looking forward to getting out and bringing the show to more cities – to be honest we get more bookings in London than we do in Manchester. Weʼve been really embraced by the London audience and weʼre hitting Camden and Hackney in the summer for what will be our 6/7 gigs in the capital this year which is quite an achievement. But everywhere really. We have Glasgow later in the year, then Liverpool. We were invited to be the first band to play in their War Museum and the reception the scousers gave us was insane, I canʼt wait for Jimmyʼs over there. Then of course, last gig of the year Night and Day 22nd November – weʼve got guest appearances and some tricks up our sleeve for that.
Tell us about your upcoming releases on the label and what to expect.
The new EP Derelict Dreams will be out in September; we were looking at an album release but Iʼve realised that they way people consume music now I think the EP is the right sort of appetiser and you can carry a theme through an EP. This is what I call my Nostalgia EP – 3 tracks that are heavily influenced by growing up and the genres (because you music journalists need them)
range from smokey 90s hip hop (Tearaways), Punk (Reunion) and Sigur Ros type shite (Beige Boy) with live strings from Emma Sweeney. No track is the same but each gives you a “movie for your ears”
range from smokey 90s hip hop (Tearaways), Punk (Reunion) and Sigur Ros type shite (Beige Boy) with live strings from Emma Sweeney. No track is the same but each gives you a “movie for your ears”
Tour dates:
Website: https://www.arghkid.com