And the music scene in Brighton? It’s a blessing and a curse.
Daniel Scully tells Mick Robinson why
Fast guitar hooks, complex keys, intelligent songwriting… What more do you want?
Creature Creature have just released their debut album, ‘Two Finger Tantrum’ – described by Rock Lifestyle as ‘the best debut of 2020’ – and one day will tour “although this time we’ve had to be patient. It’s been like the longest and most boring game of chess ever.”
When and where did the band form?
We’re East Brighton born and raised. We started off as very folk-punk and were called 40 Shillings On The Drum, but we slowly gravitated towards straight up rock and punk. We changed the name to Creature Creature to be more fitting with the sound.
Who came up with the name?
Seb, our keyboard player, saw the film Critters 4 when he was young and it gave him nightmares, so for a while after he told us, we’d shout ‘Creature Creature!’, – a line from the film – and we joked we were going to call the band Creature Creature to remind him about it. Then we did.
What’s the inspiration for the album?
The album’s about being unapologetic for who you are and how you want to live your life. As long as you’re not hurting anyone, do what you want. I write all the lyrics and my inspiration comes from many different things; films, tragedies, love, drunken nights, the never-ending tendency of those in power to oppress hardworking people. I tend not to be overly political but there’s definitely messages in there if you dig in.
Biggest gig you’ve played?
Angmering Social club. No, just kidding, getting abuse and drugged up wasters in our faces and wanting to fight… that was a real low. Biggest would be Beautiful Days festival down in Devon where we met Feeder’s guitarist, Tommy Gleeson, who became the producer of our debut album. Favourite gig would be supporting punk legends UK Subs at Lewes Con Club.
Fave venue to play?
Hope and Ruin have nailed it as an intimate venue with a big sound. Accessible by up and coming touring bands and local ones alike. They put on some killer shows. We’re still waiting to grace the Concorde 2 though…
Fave venue to watch bands at?
Speaking of Concorde 2, you can’t beat it. Great atmosphere, great people, fine sound system. Always love a show there! Can I praise them anymore? What have we got to do to get a support slot there? Our drummer Matt gives good back rubs.
What’s your thoughts on the local scene?
The Brighton scene is great, or was great pre-pandemic. Very much hoping we can get it back to where it was once live music starts happening again. To live in an area with a thriving music scene is both a blessing and a curse. It’s great that there’s lots of places and opportunities to play, but also the competition is fierce so you have to work extra hard to stand out. Actually, that’s not a bad thing either.
Any particular bands?
There’s the obvious ones flying the flag like Royal Blood and Architects, who have deservedly just scored a number one album. If you dig deeper though, there’s a wealth of varied artists to discover. Nice Guy Dave’s just released some more music and he’s always entertaining.
Any tips for Brighton bands just starting?
Find the right people with the same aspirations as you. Be sure you’re all on the same page for what you want, it’ll save the ballache of finding new members when you tell them it’s time to make the leap and do a tour. And practice, practice, practice! And then practice some more. A lot of artists gig before they’re ready. It’s important to get a feel for playing live, just don’t put yourself out there until you’re tight.
Fave bands UK or worldwide ?
So so many, but right now I’m really enjoying some of Bring Me the Horizon and Frank Carter’s new material. It’s so good to hear some heavy artists actually breaking through to commercial radio. From a totally different scene I always enjoy Frank Turner and the Pogues. That folk-punk style of lyrics really helped me develop as a writer myself and is something I’ve brought through to Creature Creature even though the style is different.
And although I’ll never get to see them, I’ve been a long-time fan of The Clash and have recently been rummaging around their live shows on YouTube. That’s perfection right there.
What bands did you listen to growing up?
Cliche but Oasis got me into music. I wanted to be them for a while but with fuzzy hair, it was just never going to work. From there I went to the Beatles, funny that, then to the Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Clash, The Stooges – anything with some attitude.
First thing you’ll do when lockdown ends?
Get the bloody band back together in one place! Blast through our album live and loud, then go to the pub for an ice cold pint or ten. We’ve just booked a Brighton show for 14th August, that’s an exclusive! Put it in your diary, full details announced soon (so keep an eye on the Whistler website – ed)
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/creaturecreatureuk
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http://instagram.com/creaturecreatureuk
YouTube:
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Official Website:
westhillwhistler.com 