Q&A: NIGHT OF SEVENS
Interview: Toby Rogers
Numerology-inspired indie-psych five-piece Night Of Sevens are a band firmly in control of their own destiny. A fearsome rock ‘n’ roll democracy built on shared musical ideals and a love of outlaw literature, their lysergic drone-rock is simply breathtaking. We caught up with them for a chat about their journey so far.
Firstly, how are things going?
Things are going well. After releasing our debut single on our own label RagTag Records in March we’ve been gigging throughout the North to promote it. We had a brief set-back when our drummer hurt his wrist but we spent the time recording new material until he was fit. We’ve just completed a round of gigs including Evolution Unsigned, a gig for Dead Young Records in Leeds, supporting Future Sound of The Left at The Brickyard in Carlisle and we just played the best gig we’ve ever played at The Paragliders Ball in the heart of the Lake District. The organisers were great, the setting was beautiful and the crowd were wasted and bang up for it, people getting on the stage and jumping about. It was a really intimate atmosphere, a real pleasure to play there.
Who does what in the band?
Bobby – vocals, Kev – bass, Nathan – drums and vocals, Shaun – guitar and lyrics, Wes – guitar and vocals. All the songs are written by jamming ideas and recording everything we do. We’re the only true democracy on the planet.
How did you get together?
Through a natural process of gravitation brought about by a love of similar music, literature and shared ideals.
Where did the name come from?
It was a pain in the arse coming up with a name. It took us about three months of deliberation. At the time there was an interview with Nick Cave in Mojo about his new outfit and he was saying how all the good names had gone over the years and he’d had real trouble settling on one until he came up with Grinderman. A few days later a friend of ours mentioned Night Of Sevens would be a good name for a band. It’s the the seventh sister’s birthday in the Chinese lunar calendar, equivalent to Valentine’s Day in this country. We’re not into numerology or any of that bollocks but seven is a lucky number and it just so happened that the elements conspired in our favour and we played our first gig on 07/07/07 at The Bridge Hotel in Newcastle a few months later.
How would you describe the band to someone who hasn’t heard you yet?
In an effort to avoid comparisons, visceral rock ‘n’ roll.
You’ve been enjoying some pretty good press lately. How does that feel?
You’re putting yourself out there to be judged and when people are complimentary there’s a certain sense of gratification in it, but for us there’s so much bullshit gets written because people want to promote their nights or be seen to be writing nice things about the right bands that it’s hard to know what’s genuine.
Who are your biggest influences?
Apart from our five major senses we’re listened to a lot of Neil Young, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, The Stooges and The Velvet Underground to name a fraction. Literary figures that have had a bearing on our collective mindest include Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and Irvine Welsh .
What are your plans for the future?
Apart from a great deal of uncertainty the future holds a lot of promise for us. We’re getting a bit of interest at the moment and being careful to choose the right path. We’re currently busy holed up in our studio recording two EPs to be released simultaneously in the autumn of this year, under the name The Life And Death EPs . These EPs will be followed in the spring by our debut album. We can’t give too much away but it’s going to be a concept album of epic proportions. We’re consciously moving on from the stripped-down garage-rock approach. Having had our own studio for the past nine months has given us the freedom and space to experiment, unconstrained by time and completely cut off from the world. Every band should have that opportunity. It’s the only way to fulfil your potential. We’re looking to push ourselves into new territory now and recreate live what we’ve been forging in the studio. We’re in a constant state of becoming.
Night Of Sevens celebrate the official launch of RagTag Records at The Cluny on August 8 with suport from psychedelic troubadour Fading Face.
Check myspace.com/musicofsevens
