OFF THE GRID WITH THE HOOTENANNIES

INTERVIEW | THE HOOTENANIES by Anne Kelly

This week, Glasgow’s most exciting new music showcase, Off The Grid, kicks into overdrive with a whopping four gigs across the city. Run by B12 Entertainment, the month-long series is putting 50 rising acts from across the Central Belt onto some of Glasgow’s most iconic grassroots stages.

For the next stop in our Off The Grid interview series, the spotlight turns to Audio’s Friday night bill featuring Dolphin, Haircut Overdose, Sawnoff, Girly Scream, and The Hootenanies. We caught up with Lee, Adam, Shaun, and Eilan from The Hootenanies to talk about their Edinburgh origins, their debut single (dropping this Friday), and what’s next on the horizon.

To kick things off, could you introduce The Hootenannies? How did the band first come together, and who is in the current lineup?

Lee: So I was kicked out of an emo band for only writing pop songs, but couldn’t shake the itch to be on stage. I met our lead singer Adam playing baseball and slowly realised we were into the same music, especially alt rock and power pop, so I proposed starting a band with him. He was friends with our bassist Shaun from studying music together, and we found our drummer Elian from an Edinburgh music Facebook group.

If you could pick 3 bands that sum up your band DNA, who would you choose?

Lee: Ah, for sure. Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements and Big Star; we all idolise them. Though I feel, of course, I have to mention The Beatles, but everyone owes a lot to them.

You are releasing your debut single ‘Come Back to Me’ this Friday; what can you tell us about it? How long has this been in the works?

Lee: So that was the first song I wrote for the band. I was listening to a lot of Green Day at the time and I tried to write it from the point of view of a guy missing his girl who has went off to join the army, maybe an odd take on the whole missing your girl schtick. I maybe wrote the song in 2 minutes? Adam added the nice line of ‘bursting at your seams’ in rehearsals, and that’s stuck nicely.

I believe that this release is part of something bigger? What else have you got coming?

Adam: Yeah! Our debut single is out this Friday, and we have 3 more songs to be released as an EP in October (yet to be announced), so stay tuned! We’re excited to finally get some music out there, and we’re really happy with how they’ve turned out.

Platforms like Off The Grid from B12 Entertainment give emerging acts a real shot. How crucial is that kind of promoter backing to keep grassroots alive, and what difference have they made to you personally?

Adam: Yeah, it’s great. It makes it so much more accessible to new bands or younger bands that aren’t sure how to go about gigging more regularly, and it’s a great way for bands to connect with each other too. It’s helped us get going a lot easier than we thought it would be, so it’s been great!

From all of the gigs you have played before, what has been your favourite and why?

It sounds boring, but our first performance at the Whistlebinkies open mic was great. Playing our songs for the first time to an audience and seeing that people outside ourselves thinking we sounded good was amazing.

What can gig-goers expect from your set at Audio on Friday? Any surprises in store?

Shaun: Gig-goers can expect an energetic live performance! Lots of ripping guitar solos and a wee surprise cover of a classic we all love!

What’s the hardest part of gig day that you think would surprise the average gig-goer?

Shaun: The hardest part of gig day is how much time is spent on soundcheck! It’s really enjoyable, but I think audiences would be surprised by how much work goes into getting the sound right for each band.

Looking across the wider Off The Grid lineup, if you were to buy a ticket to check out any other show on the bill, who are you going to see?

Eilan: I am a fan of The Back Pages. Some of their songs coming out soon sound really good, and they have an exciting Insta page.

The Hootenanies will perform at Audio on Friday 11th September alongside Dolphin, Haircut Overdose, Sawnoff, Girly Scream. Tickets are on sale now for a mere £12 (+ £1 booking fee) from B12 Entertainment.