“WE WANT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST BANDS IN THE WORLD”: DAYTIME TV TALK NEW SINGLE AND GOING BACK TO GRASSROOTS

INTERVIEW | WILL IRVINE – DAYTIME TV

What happens when you mix stadium-sized ambition with a fierce dedication to the grassroots music scene? You get Daytime TV, a band currently riding a wave of absolute momentum.

Fresh off dropping their blistering new single ‘SUN‘ and armed with the backing of the legendary Marshall, the group feels completely unstoppable.

We sat down with frontman Will Irvine to chat about the making of ‘SUN’, their upcoming, intimate October tour in partnership with the Music Venue Trust, alternate realities and their ultimate daytime telly lineup.

Let’s jump straight in and talk about the brand-new single, ‘SUN’. Talk to us about this track and how it came about.

Will: I had that chorus for a few years just simmering in the background but we never did anything with it until recently. It just made us all feel really happy and kind of takes you to your happy place in your head, wherever that may be.

You mentioned writing that massive chorus for it years ago and parking it. Was there a specific moment more recently that made the chorus finally click into place?

Will: We were writing so many songs last year. I think 44 to be exact. Amongst all that I kept finding myself humming the part of ’Sun’ that I’d written a few years ago, and it had this kind of therapeutic head clearing energy which we liked so we got together and finished it off. Love how it sounds now that it’s finished. Sounds so cliche but it totally does feel like summer to me.

You’ve described this track as a shift toward a more relaxed, dancey vibe compared to your darker, more serious previous work. What inspired this change in direction?

Will: We never set a roadmap for writing songs, it’s just whatever feels right in that moment. I think ’Sun’ sits at one end of our spectrum as a band and we love exploring where we can push boundaries. Our live shows have become massive parties between us and the crowd so it feels right to have some stuff in there that people can dance to.

Have your main influences changed too?

Will: I would say the nature of “influences” probably means that they’re constantly evolving which is a great thing in my eyes.

Now, I heard a wee rumor that in the music video for ‘SUN’ it’s actually the band themselves inside that wild sun costume—is this true? Also, where on earth do you get a costume like that anyway?

Will: That is true about the video! We had a dancer booked to be in the costume but they pulled out last minute when they heard you can’t actually see out of it at all. We didn’t want to break any dancer’s legs so two of the band (can you guess who…) got in there and got their groove on. We had the costume made specially by designer Tori Hitchings who is amazing.

It looks so fun, though! Silliness aside, what was the vision for the music video? Do you feel the final results matched your expectations?

Will: We’re so happy with the video. We wanted the costume to signify the sun, rising and setting via a journey exploring all these different places. In classic Scottish fashion it was pouring with rain on the morning of the shoot but the clouds cleared enough for us to get what we needed with our awesome director and videographer Sam McGill.

Beyond the new single, is this track part of a bigger release plan? If so, what else can fans expect from Daytime TV this year?

Will: We can say ’Sun’ is part of something very exciting and ambitious. We want to take the next step and be one of the best bands in the world and we feel like we’ve got some new ammunition that could help get us there so be prepared.

Later month you will be playing Marshall Records’ 10th Anniversary Party at Blondies Brewery. How does it feel to be signing to such a massive institution of rock music like Marshall? How has life changed for you since you joined them?

Will: Marshall have been amazing since we signed late last year. They’re the perfect cocktail of being really ambitious and supportive, whilst still letting us take charge of everything creative. We feel unstoppable with Marshall behind us.

Having performed in front of some massive crowds over the years, how do those shows compare to the upcoming, more intimate tour dates planned for October? Are there any shows in particular you are excited about?

Will: The October tour is pretty much all cities we’ve never done a headline show in before, so we can’t wait to hit these new territories and show people what we’re all about. Places like Hull, Coventry, Newport often get overlooked for tours so we’re buzzing to have teamed up with Music Venue Trust and Marshall to make these shows happen and keep the venues in these cities going and the scene thriving. They’re gonna be cosy gigs so get your tickets quick!

If it weren’t for music and Daytime TV, what do you think you and the rest of the band would be doing with your lives? Did you ever have any other dream jobs?

Will: I think we’d all be pretty lost to be honest, but an educated guess would be:

Will – Award winning chef
John – F1 driver
Nao – High end fashion designer
Gaz – Owner of a restaurant that only serves toast with different toppings (The Toast Office)

Finally, with a band name like Daytime TV, we have to ask: If you were curating your own daytime TV schedule, what shows would make your dream lineup?

Will: Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares straight into A Place In The Sun. Sorted.