It’s the Edinburgh Fringe Festival…need I say more? I’ve never been a huge fan of the Burgh at this time, but the music events here are some of the best around.
There are loads of gigs in the capital all year round, but it’s special in August because the weird and wonderful flock to us.
So when the opportunity to meet a new Scottish band supporting Doves came my way, I knew it was worth a look. What I encountered was nothing short of amazing.
The Ray Summers are like the cheeky neighbourhood boys that you could’ve mucked about with down the park when you were 15, drinking cheap cider and sneaking your first time fag. I am obviously crossing my own childhood antics with the impression these guys give, but I honestly don’t think I’m far off it.
Although I had seen their name scattered through the lineups at some of the big festivals this year, I never twigged to give them a listen. I suppose it has a lot to do with their genre. When you think of the modern Scottish music scene, the genres that flash past are ambient or alternative and indie, but what does that actually mean? When everyone is trying to be different, then no one is.
The Ray Summers are not in any of those categories, pigeonholes, labels or whatever. They are the true definition of the term “indie”. It means unique, self sufficient, independent of common sound. While so many bands are trying for tragic/romantic echoes of emotion, these guys are playing music of a past time which gets inside your bones. You honestly can’t stop your body from moving to it.
And it truly moved Berry and I. Hints of Cajun rhythm and blues seep through the hot, infectious (that’s right, I’ll wap that word in!) rock and roll, that is reminiscent of American artists Jace Everett, The Black Keys, and Dead Weather. Their sound should be featured in the smash hit TV series of True Blood. (Ladies, does that help get your head round how good their music is?)
The closest Scottish artist to them in terms of sound is Paolo Nutini, and they have in fact already supported him.
We get a call to tell us that their soundcheck is over so we take ourselves to the Vat and Fiddle to catch up with the band’s lead guitarist Dougie, and vocalist Urey, before they are due to hit the stage at the HMV Picture House. The lovely Jackson sorts us out with drinks to keep us occupied.
I admit I was a little under-prepared for their interview, but what makes it worse is that they could not contain their banter. But before I continue with what came next I’ll tell you the tale of how they got their name…
Once upon a time there was a duck called Julian and he had a friend named Arthur the Racoon. One day they were invited to a toga party on the upper east side of Nowhere and Lost Forever, which they thought was beastin’! But it was a pretty tragic series of events. Dante the Hare O.D on talcum powder while Oscar the Otter had his first taste of Smokey Joe’s hot syrup which sent him mad and caused him to recite the entire back catalogue of the artist formerly known as Prince. Howard the Rabbit, the party’s host, thought “enough is enough”, and went and called the heavies. They brought the rain. It was a massacre, but Julian and Arthur hid and witnessed the atrocity which wasn’t much, mostly just big badgers politely telling them to move along. A big badger spots Julian and Arthur and gives them each an ice pole and tells them to get tae…
So now you know it was because the bass player’s father used to be in a band called The Ray Summers back in the day, and the boys simply liked the name for themselves.
Dougie: “Are you recording?”
I am.
Urey “Hiya!”
Dougie “Check, check”
Urey “One, two, one, two!”
I’m not sure how to start this off.
Urey: “That’s the trick of a journalist. Just fill it out. Say you met this band, and they were young and fresh and raring to go for the gig, that’s what you’re going to write, right? Cause you can’t say they looked like a big bag of cocks.”
Dougie: “Aye, hungover to fuck.”
Right…big bag of cocks. Carry on.
Urey: “Right, so we’re at the festival. What have we got coming up? We have an album coming out. We’re recording it just now, and it should be out later this year and that’s a debut album, and that would be worth a mention?”
Dougie: “It’s highly anticipated.”
Urey: “We played T in the Park this year that was fun.”
Dougie: :We played Rockness this year.”
Urey: “That was also fun.”
I’ve always wanted to go to Rockness.
Dougie: “It’s good!”
Urey “It’s a really good festival. A lot of dance acts.” Dougie: “T in the Park was great.”
Urey: “We were on at the same time as Eminem, and the Prodigy, and Mumford & Sons. But the tent was still rammed, so that’s something to be proud of.”
I would think so. I would think so.
Berry: “Encourage them, encourage them.”
Dougie: “I don’t think you have actually asked us a question yet?! She’s like, ‘ouch they’ve done all this. I’ll get all this in’.”
Urey: “I’ve just recently painted my downstairs toilet. It’s all white and has a picture of Abbey Road on it, if you’re interested? White and black checked tiles.”
Berry: “I have a picture of The Warriors in my bathroom.”
Dougie: “I have a hosta in my toilet. It’s a plant.” Berry: “I kill all my plants.”
Urey: “I also just got some nice Alovera Andrex (something hygienic).”
Berry: “Come to the Body Shop and get some nice hand wash!”
Dougie: “Don’t sell the Body Shop to us.”
Urey: “So anyway, Emma. Ask away.”
Berry: “Are you playing in Livingston any time soon?”
Urey/Dougie (in unison): “No.”
Bathgate?
Urey/Dougie “Yes.”
Harley’s?
Urey/Dougie: “The Attic.”
That’s all new. Bathgate is getting busy with building their music community.
Dougie: “The thing is we have quite a following in West Lothian. We always go down well there. We did a tour with Kassidy earlier this year and the first date was in Bathgate at Harley’s.”
How was it?
Dougie: “Bangin!”
Eh… (a slight pause descends)
Urey: “You have not planned this out.”
I’m lucky that you guys are quite laid back.
Dougie: “Do you write in shorthand?”
No.
Dougie: “We only talk to journalists who can write in shorthand.”
Urey: “Yeah, we’re out of here!”
In a desperate attempt to turn this car crash interview around I ask about the boys’ day jobs.
Don’t you run a petting zoo or something?
Dougie: “It’s live animal handling workshops.”
Berry: “Do you have turtles?”
Dougie: “I have a snapping turtle, giant African land snails, giant millipedes, tarantulas, snakes, scorpions.”
So you teach people how to handle them? As in this is how you stroke a turtle?
Urey: “And to tie all this is we actually have a song called Coalmen and the Turtle Strokes.”
(A member of the Ray Summers is actually a coalman!)
Dougie: “Never use smokeless coal! It burns the arse out of your fire.”
Urey: “I don’t know. We’re meant to be talking about our music!”
Dougie: “Grade one Columbian coal. It’s magic. Aye, never use smokeless coal.”
How long have you lot been a band?
Urey: “Two years.”
Dougie: “We were all in bands before in Falkirk but then we all found out that we were single, if you know what I mean, and we all got together and touched each other.”
Urey: “The first time was a bit awkward, I’m not going to lie. But you just get used to it. Sound check, touch, sleepover.”
Dougie: “‘Mon, ask a question!’
What’s your favourite venue?
Dougie: “King Tuts! We always have a good gig there. But in Fife, we always have a good time. It’s kind of our spiritual homeland.”
Urey: “If the crowd is having a good time then it doesn’t matter what venue you’re in.”
Berry: “We’ll be at the front tonight.” (she imitates the 90s ‘Raise the roof’ dance move)
Dougie: “I’ll be looking out. I’m going to go on my East coast rant. There are loads of bands coming out of the East coast at the moment. I think people focus on Glasgow and Edinburgh a bit too much. Bands like Tango in the Attic. These bands are pretty banging.
Urey: “There’s a lot happening everywhere that’s the problem. Our music is upbeat, it’s groovy. It’s infectious – say it’s infectious, wap that word in.”
Dougie: “We like to think we stand out from everyone else right now.”
Urey: “We sometimes think that it makes it difficult for people to label us, you can’t stick us in a collective. People might not know how to market us because we are different. We have been called every genre. Nothing has ever stuck. We have been labelled everything before. But I think that’s a massive compliment.”
Dougie: “Young reggae upstarts!”
Urey: “We’re actually groovy indie punk.”
Dougie: “We like to think we’re psychedellic punk.”
Urey: “Yeah, a lot of our songs go into one groove, and then it goes into another groove. Lots of twists.’
Dougie: “Right, ask another question.”
Do you help out other bands, are you part of a big community?
Dougie: “That’s what I was saying about the East coast. Tango In The Attic record in the same studio as us. They played with us last night. Good lads, nice boys. And bands like Kassidy are lovely too.”
Urey: “We’re just such likeable people.”
Would you ever create your own festival?
Dougie: “Well, funny you should say that.”
Urey: “We self-promote our own gigs.”
Dougie: “We want to create a rolling festival over Fife and call it East Coast Mafia. Got some big names involved.”
What kind of bands?
Dougie: “Not going to tell you.”
Urey: “Juan Pablo!”
Dougie: “Juan Pablo is going to be a big part of it.”
Really, that would be nice?
Dougie: “Where are they from?”
Ayr.
Urey: “Nah!”
Dougie: “Forget it. Ask another question.”
I can’t. I just had dinner and I’m really chilled right now.
Urey: “You remind me of Drew Barrymore.”
Dougie: Oh, totally. Do you get that a lot?”
Urey: “You have the same lips as her, and you speak a bit like her and you look a bit like her. Are you Drew Barrymore?”
I bet she’s a better interviewer.
Dougie: “We’ve just been interviewed by Drew Barrymore.”
Very shortly afterwards, the boys have to leave and get on stage. They literary chat with me until the last minute and go straight on.
Hearing their music live is a hurricane of sound. Stepping into the auditorium it’s as though I had been transported to an old French colonial dance hall in New Orleans. In fact I think that’s where they should go next. The Howlin’ Wolf in New Orleans, and I would go and see them.
I’m proud to have met this band, because they are still young and on the brink of massive discovery. When I’m older and going through my record collection I can bring it out and tell folks about the time I got to interview them on a sunny afternoon in Edinburgh. As for their genre, I think they should just invent a new genre for themselves. Call it ‘Musique De Soleil’.
There – sorted.