Scars on 45 will play Houston's House of Blues on Thursday, May 3.
After more than a year’s worth of anticipation from fans and critics alike, English indie-rockers Scars on 45 finally released their self-titled, debut full-length April 10 on Chop Shop/Atlantic records. In support of the album, the band is preparing to play a number of shows with singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson.
Scars on 45 will be making a stop in Houston Thursday, May 3 at House of Blues.
Sevensixtyeight.com had the opportunity to ask vocalist/guitarist Danny Bemrose a few questions in anticipation of the show.
Scott Gonzales for sevensixtyeight.com: What is it that you enjoy about Houston audiences?
Danny Bemrose: This will be the third gig we’ve done in Houston. We supported O.M.D. (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) at House of Blues a year ago, and the crowd was amazing, really warm and enthusiastic, so that was a great gig. The second time was our own gig. The crowd was again fantastic, but there were a few more people there for the O.M.D. gig. I remember it especially because I had laryngitis, so Aimee had to sing the entire set on her own. She completely nailed it though. (It) gave me a chance to just play guitar and give some killer stares to the rest of the guys if they hit a wrong note.
S.G.: What are your thoughts on playing with Ingrid Michaelson?
D.B.: We can’t wait. It’s a tour we’ve been looking forward to for a while. Ingrid is a great artist and I’m told her live shows are something special, so it should make for a good three weeks. Hopefully, she’ll let this English bunch of Muppets get onstage and sing a song with her. Maybe we can persuade her to sing one of ours, too.
We’ve been lucky enough to go on tour with some amazing people over the last 18 months. They’ve all taught us so much and shown us the hard work it takes to become a successful touring band. We’re more than happy to put all that hard work on to practice.
S.G.: What has the initial response been to the new album, and have you had a stronger response from your live audiences since its release?
D.B.: The response has been great. It’s strange to play gigs and have people stand at the front, knowing the words to all the songs. We’ve been lucky enough to play for some amazing crowds over the last 18 months, so I wouldn’t like to say the response has been stronger since the album came out, but it’s certainly nice to see the different faces in the crowd light up when you play their favorite song off the album.
We’re the kind of band that love playing anywhere. It doesn’t matter if there are 500 people in a venue singing every word back to us, or a venue where the only noise coming back to us is the bartender cleaning the glasses in between songs. That’s what Jagermeister is for, isn’t it?
S.G.: Your songs reflect the thoughts of people who have dealt with a lot of heartbreak, yet they are often set to up-tempo rhythms and have a polished feel to them. What was the approach when writing the songs on Scars on 45, and was the finished product what you had in mind?
D.B.: There wasn’t really a thought-out approach to writing the album and there certainly wasn’t one in regards to the recording. There was never any specific idea to write about, I just picked up the guitar and whatever came out, came out. I wrote about things that I had personally experienced at the time, or the people around me were going through, and it just so happened the best songs were mostly about relationships and affairs of the heart. There’s nothing quite like the extreme feeling of finding love, or losing it, to highlight a person’s true character, and I suppose I’m such a good friend that I’m always there to listen when people go through heart-break – then I write about it and exploit it to the world, ha-ha.
S.G.: Is there a sense of relief now that your debut full-length has been released?
D.B.: Yes there is. We set about recording this album just for ourselves in our horrible, damp, stinky rehearsal space back in England without the knowledge that we’d ever sign a record deal. No one was interested in us at all in the U.K., but we carried on regardless. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.
We were lucky enough to sign to such an incredible label like Chop Shop/Atlantic who really understood what we were about. The album definitely couldn’t have been recorded anymore D.I.Y., so the fact that it’s now out there for people to actually buy, we see it as a huge milestone for us – as a band and as individuals. I guess it’s also a little pat on the back for sticking with it for so long and ignoring everyone who told us we couldn’t do it. We totally understand we’ve only just started, and that there’s so much hard work to do, though. We’re a very ambitious band and are fully prepared to work ourselves in to the ground to achieve everything we hope to achieve, and to repay the people who have shown belief in us.
S.G.: What’s next for Scars on 45?
D.B.: Touring, touring, touring. After the Ingrid tour, we head out with Dia Frampton for a month. She was runner up on the last season of “TheVoice.” Aimee is obsessed with that TV show. We then have festival appearances over the summer and in the fall we’re heading out on our own big tour, which we’re all so excited about. It means we get chance to travel this amazing country meeting the wonderful people at our gigs, so come along and say hello. Don’t be shy!
For more information on the band and its upcoming gig in Houston, click here.