We get the lowdown with Leeds based band The Signs.
OT: ‘The Signs’, how’d you come up with the name?
DAN: Well we wanted a name that people would recognise easily and one that sounded classic, like a band from the 60’s or 70’s. Someone suggested it to me and it just seemed like a good fit for the band.
OT: You mentioned at the gig in Leeds that it was one year to the day since you played your first gig. How many gigs have you played, and how long have you guys been together?
DAN: We formed in July of last year, so just over a year ago. We all live in Leeds and have done for a while, but we’re from all over the place – Manchester, Sheffield, Hull and Aberdeen. We’ve all been in other bands before, and me and Sean had been playing in another band for about a year before we formed The Signs. We were just lucky to find a great drummer and bass player so easily and so quickly through putting ads up in shops and on the net. I don’t know exactly how many gigs we’ve played, but it must be about 30-40. I’ve been playing in bands since I was 14, so I must’ve played hundreds of gigs by now!
OT: How do you prepare for a gig and do you have any pre-gig rituals?
DAN: Generally, you have a lot of time to kill before a gig once you’ve sound checked, we usually have a few beers and watch the other bands, play around with a riff or two, play some pool, watch telly – it depends if you’re in a nice hotel or not! We don’t have any specific rituals before a gig – we used to have a group hug thing going on, but that stopped when the awkward looks started…ha-ha.
OT: how do you go about writing new songs, do you write the lyrics or get down the main riff first?
DAN: I write most of the songs, and they come pretty easily. Sometimes I’ll have a chord progression in my head and hum along till I get a melody, or sometimes a line will pop in my head and I’ll grab a guitar and try to write a verse or chorus around it. It can be pretty random, during a film or in the pub or something, so I have to write things down so I don’t forget it later! I only keep about 10% of what I write, quality control is important! They’re always completely finished by the time I show the rest of the band, and they put their own stamp on it.
OT: finally, circles is a great song and I must say my favourite, do you have a favourite song of your own?
DAN: It changes a lot. ‘Medication’ always gets a good response and never gets boring, ‘Don’t Come Tell Me’ is fun to sing, and ‘Let The Light Shine Out’ has a big jam-out thing at the end which is a good opportunity to stretch our musician muscles. Its often the newer stuff that’s the best to play ‘cos you haven’t gigged it to death like songs that have been in the set for months and months!
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