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Interview with
THE CLOCKWORKS

(22nd January 2021)

Interviewer – Dave Bruce

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How did you all find each other and decide to share your musical talents as a group?
James and Sean met and bonded over music while at school. Sean was in a band already and James was writing songs in his bedroom. We began to play together and roped in Damian, who was in Sean’s class and had just started learning drums from Sean. When we moved out of Loughrea Town to Galway City, having played with a couple of bassists before, we met Tom and he completed the lineup.

How would you describe your sound?
We wouldn’t know how to describe it exactly but we did get signed off the back of describing ourselves as a punk version of The Streets.

Why do you think people resonate with your music?
That’s hard for us to know, and maybe not for us to know. We always try to make our songs feel real and honest and alive: they don’t have to be loud or fast, but alive. We always used to say we want our songs to be “Move now, think later”, in the sense that you physically move or are emotionally moved when you first hear them, intuitively. But then you can stick on your headphones later on and lie on your bed and delve in and think about them too. That’s the aim at least.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
So much inspires us. We take inspiration from everywhere really. We recently watched some of David Bowies performances on a BBC compilation show they released to mark 5 years since he passed away, and they were always incredible. Queen Bitch on The Old Grey Whistle Test is a brilliant performance.

Your single has been released. Describe its origin and evolution.
Our latest single Enough Is Never Enough was released in November and is a story of various different fictional characters such as a bigoted Café owner and a beggar with a card machine that the narrator meets on a lonely walk through Galway City.

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Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
We love the idea of releasing an album and often talk about it, but for now we are content putting out singles and putting all our efforts into one song at a time.

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
Hopefully we’ll be playing live again soon. There are suggestions that live touring might be possible by the end of the year and we are just writing and rehearsing as much as possible now so that we’re ready for it when it is.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
So many, but Johnny Marr springs to mind. He’s a brilliant guitarist and someone we’ve all been inspired by creatively.

Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
Absolutely, we’ve always had the goal of headlining Glastonbury in mind. Aside from that, we always want to write the best songs we can, create something real and authentic, and hope they connect with people.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
When a gig is going well, the band and the crowd are all lost in the music, in the moment, and there is that feeling that we’re all part of something special. That’s the best thing about performing.
One of the highlights so far was our last headline gig before Covid, it was in London and it was one of those special moments.

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Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:

JAMES:
Album – Is This It – The Strokes
Artist –  David Bowie
Movie – The Godfather
Place to visit – Paris
Venue to play – Alexandra Palace
Food –  Raspberries
Drink – Ale
Person in History –  Oscar Wilde
Tattoo – Sean’s The Clockworks Tattoo.

SEAN:
Album – A Flourish and a Spoil, The Districts
Artist – The Smiths
Movie – Pulp Fiction
Place to visit – Paris
Venue to play – Alexandra Palace
Food – Carbonara
Drink – Guinness
Person In History – Michael Cera
Tattoo – Clockworks ‘Painter Man’ Logo

TOM:
Album – Meat Is Murder, The Smiths
Artist – The Smiths
Movie – Godfather
Place to visit – Montreal
Venue to play – Roisin Dubh
Food – Moules-Frites
Drink – Sangria in the park
Person In History – Julius Caesar
Tattoo – “Tóg go bog é”

DAMIAN:
Album – A Grand Don’t Come For Free, The Streets
Artist – Mura Masa
Movie – Santa Clause 2
Place to visit – Amsterdam
Venue to play – Roisin Dubh
Food – A dirty burger
Drink – Schooner Tonic Wine
Person In History – Muhammad Ali
Tattoo – None, never found something I liked enough

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Check out THE CLOCKWORKS below
Bandcamp – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter 

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AMNPLIFY – DB