Interview with
Rowdy Outsider.
There is a rumour around at the moment that rock and roll is
dying out, that there is no bands coming up the ranks that we can trust with
the heart and soul, of rock and roll. I can safely say that there is no need to
fear, with bands like Rowdy Outsider the future is bright for all you rockers.
Rowdy Outsider consist of lead singer and guitarist, Matthew Doyle, backup
vocalist and guitar God, Conor Whearty, drum machine, Sean Murtagh and bassist
who goes by the name Elmo. On yet
another rainy night in Drogheda I sat in Abbey Lane studio to interview the
fresh, Rowdy Outsider. If you have been
following my blog you can already tell where we’re going to start the interview.
If you’re new, we always start at the start.
Where did
it all begin for you guys?
Conor directed me towards Matthew and Sean, the two original
founding members of Rowdy Outsider.
“We used to get together and practise in 1st year
of secondary school and rehearsed in my parents dance studio. ” Matthew laughed and added it was pure luck that made the band function
well. “It was luck of the draw that I was a singer and guitar player and Sean
was a drummer and we were in the same class and listening to the same music.
Elmo was in then for a very short spell. In fairness he was only ten.” I was
both impressed at the ambition of a ten year old for wanting to be in a band
but also feared for the safety of a ten year old child in a rock band!
Conor was then last to join the band with other members
coming and going before the official line-up was secured. Conor then told me
about one of the guys that auditioned for the band.
“There was one guy who came in and told us that he wasn’t a
very good bassist before the audition. We all assumed, ah we all say that he’s
probably class. But unfortunately he was very honest.” I laughed at the thought
of four very young teenagers having to tell another teen he wasn’t any good.
Can you
tell me about some of your early gigs?
Matthew refused to tell me about the original name of Rowdy
Outsider (no matter how much I persisted) but did tell me about their first
gig.
“Our first gig was at the Maritime Festival in 2014” Conor
quickly added that it was probably their best gig. This being said they had not
yet performed in Odd Mollies, which turned out to be an incredible gig. Rowdy
Outsider opened for The Skins on the 15th of February and absolutely
blew the crowd away. I was impressed considering I have never seen an opening
act cause a mosh pit before. There was nothing else to do other than go insane.
Nerves were running high before the show, however they were used as ammunition
against the audience leading to a fantastic performance.
Matthew then brought me through some of the bands history. “In
April 2014 we came in to this studio and recorded our very first song.” Conor
revealed that Matthew still refuses to play the song. “We then got a record
deal from our first festival.”
The band then had a
break for a while naturally enough and that lead to my next question.
What lead
to the revival of Rowdy Outsider?
As the band began to try and figure out dates, once again,
Matthew Doyle was at the forefront providing me with the exact details.
“November 2017!” he exclaimed. The band erupted into laughter
as they mocked his memory. “Sean texted me one of the days and asked if I was
up for a jam one of the days, I said no immediately” again a fit of laughter spread
through the room to which Sean remarks “Oh yeah I actually remember being
really sad when he said no because I had being trying different bands and one
band had been going well but when it came to a live performance it was a
shit-show.”. Once they had persuaded Elmo the band was ready to perform live again.
Once again the question of the name change came back into
conversation. Although there was no way I could find out what the previous name
was Matthew did tell me how the new name came into existence.
“When we were recording in college one day there was a lot of
cleaners around making a lot of noise when someone quickly said to blame it on
a Rowdy Outsider. Which stuck quite well. A lot of credit goes to Gavin for
that one.”
What made
you decide to start doing gigs again?
“It wasn’t until
I was at a gig watching Modern Love, slightly drunk, I said to myself, aw I really want to do that. So the next day I booked
a gig in Dundalk.” I had to admire the desire Matthew had to perform, it really
shows a sense of professionalism when a band can have an extreme urge to do
what they love. I really think that came across when they played in Odd
Mollies. Not one of them were out of place both physically and spiritually, the
love for good music, is evident. They are also incredibly grateful for the
opportunities they have been given and the people they are working with. We were
all in agreement that places such as Odd Mollies and people like Fran McDermott
and Fran Thornton supporting local artists and supplying places such as Abbey
Lane really can not be thanked enough.
Who do you
draw inspiration from to create your own music?
Conor noted that it was a difficult question to answer.
“When we started first I was all about AC/DC but then Matthew
was Green Day, Sean was Guns n Roses and God knows what Elmo was at the time.” Elmo
quickly added that Nirvana was his lead inspiration. Sean added that Green Day
would inspire the band as a whole, “To this day Green Day have always been the
band that we look up to and would learn a lot from.”
Is there a
message that you guys try to get across in your songs?
Conor directed the question towards Matthew who writes the
lyrics for the songs.
“In 2015 to 2019 a few songs came from wanting to be in a band
again. Songs like By-Pass and Yesterday are
about struggling as musicians and stuff like that. Our other songs so far are
just love songs.” I was ready to leave them with that question however one last
question popped into my head as soon as Matthew had just mentioned that last
statement.
Is it hard
to make it as a band onto the scene in Ireland?
Conor believed that things have gotten easier.
“I think that
it’s easier today than it would have been years ago, being in college now it is
easier to be attracted to people who have the same mindset for pushing
musicians.” Again Sean added the fact that “Fran and Fran have been so good to
local artists bringing together. There is a lot of great music coming from
Drogheda at the moment.”
I then asked if there was anything that set them apart from other
musicians in the area. Matthew was quick to say that it was the lyrics and
meaning behind them. Conor then added “I think it’s our sound as well”. I had
to agree with Conor, there is nobody who has written and performed these types
of songs before, I had no idea how powerful the sound was going to be.
I was then left with very exciting news that I am happy to be
the first to tell the world, Rowdy Outsider have recorded four songs that will
be ready to be released by summer 2019. I can assure you that these will be
truly amazing songs and definitely worth the listen. The interview drew to a
close and Rowdy Outsider then performed a song call Yesterday for me live in
studio. It has already become a favourite of mine, I have left a link to the
song below please have a listen and follow Rowdy Outsider on Instagram.
I would sincerely like to thank the band for the opportunity
to interview them and look forward to the gig on the 21st of March
at the Grand Social in Dublin.
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