Dead Alien Tourist have been using 2021 to make their mark locally.
Individually, Kevin Bruce, Liam Fitzgerald, Aoife Meagher, Serghei Orlove are well familiar with and to Kilkenny gig-goers. The alt/indie-rock quartet have big plans and fresh gigs in the offing. Ian Mc Donnell of Mc Gig Photography sat down with the band recently and brought the camera along as well. Scroll to the end for brand new gig news.
What first got you into music?
Kevin: I remember liking the 1975 entry to the Eurovision. A song called That’s What Friends Are For, I think by The Swarbrigg brothers. I was six. After that it was Bowie all the way.
Liam: I first got into music when I was around 12 years old. I always listened to music when it was being played in the car or around the house, but I never really dove right in until I was about 12. I happened to see a video of Nirvana on YouTube and was immediately hooked into it, specifically the drums. Dave Grohl made it look SO FUN to be a drummer. And it is to be fair.
Serghei: My mother was a singer and I think that genetics passed it on to me…
Who inspired you to make music?
Serghei: My first teacher at a music school and music institute.
Liam: I was inspired by Dave Grohl in his days in Nirvana as well as listening to Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones. A huge influence on me was Brian Downey of Thin Lizzy. To this day, he’s one of my favourite drummers ever. I love his feel around the kit, his chops are great, and his groove is phenomenal. He knew exactly what each song needed.
If he needed to just keep time, then he’d just keep time. If he had space to cut loose and show off, he’d do that too. I could go on with more but then I could be here all day.
How would you describe the music you make?
Liam: I would call it rock music. Simple as that. If I had to choose one of those sub-genre labels, then I suppose I’d say indie rock. Personally, I don’t like things like sub-genre labels. They try to put music into a box, which is something that you can’t do. While I don’t mind some labels as such, for example, when you have jazz, rock, reggae, blues etc. That’s fine with me because you need labels like that. It’s when you have someone try to be too specific about what it is.
To have someone go ‘yeah, it’s a mixture between indie rock with some ‘Saved By The Bell’ vibes and a dash of ‘South Park’ and folk music is just nonsense to me.
What is your creative process like?
Kevin: Pure torture
Liam: I don’t really have a ‘process’ as such. My way of coming up with parts is more or less, listen to the song and try and support the idea that the song portrays. No matter what I do as a drummer, I always want to be sure that it works for the song. For Dead Alien Tourist, with the stuff that we play, that usually means sticking to a solid backbeat and keeping things simple. Having said that, there’s a chance in the future we could have something that’s more for drums but that’s not really up to me.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Liam: If I could open for anyone, I would love to open for Johnny Marr of The Smiths. He just seems like a cool guy in general and I like his stuff. I’d also be down to open up for Paul Weller of The Jam and The Style Council.
Again, he seems like a cool guy and I like his stuff. I wouldn’t like to open for anyone that’s up their own arse really. I prefer guys that have their boots on the ground and don’t think of themselves as above others. If I was talking Irish acts though, I’d like to open up for Thin Lizzy or maybe even The Blades.
Aoife: Johnny Marr would be amazing to open for!! What a legend! Or PJ Harvey or Wolf Alice. That would be cool.
Serghei: I cannot give preference to one person, but I would invite many musicians and bands, for example, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Haydn, Mozart, Rostropovich, Tchaikovsky. Then from the bands: Dream Theater, Symphony X, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deep Purple and many more.
What’s the most useless talent you have?
Liam: I can move my right ear without touching it. That’s the most useless talent I have.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs would you sing?
Serghei: Actually in my shower I wash my body, it’s a matter of hygiene but not music.
Liam: No, I don’t sing in the shower. My house is too full of people for me to do that.
Aoife: Yes, all the embarrassing songs I won’t admit to singing along with a few gems. Mostly cringy though!
What is your favourite song to perform?
Liam: Of our own songs, I like to play Warning Shot because it’s energetic and fun to play. Of our covers, I like to play Bright Yellow Gun by Throwing Muses because, again, it’s energetic and fun. There’s also the added bonus of because we usually finish on it, I like to go full-on Keith Moon at it and just go nuts. It’s quite therapeutic I must say.
Aoife: Yeah Warning Shot is good fun! Also Just by Radiohead, great craic!
Kevin: I love playing Your Loves Whore by Wolf Alice.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
Liam: I’ve mentioned most of them already. I like Johnny Marr, Paul Weller, Brian Downey of Thin Lizzy, Mitch Mitchell from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones, Keith Moon of The Who, Reni from The Stone Roses, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Gene Krupa, Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Art Blakey, Buddy Rich, Steve Gadd, Stewart Copeland of The Police. I could go on for days.
Kevin: Bob Mould, Kevin Sheilds, Steven Wilson are among many.
Aoife: PJ Harvey and Ellie Rowsell amongst others.
What’s next for you?
Liam: Well, first things first, I’m going to finish my time in BIMM Dublin. I’m in my third year now and I’m doing a four-year course.
I’m also going to work towards getting a full drivers license. Once I get that under my belt, I’m going to do whatever I can to make a living as a musician pretty much. I’m looking to work in the session world but I wouldn’t be against becoming a teacher or being a musician in an orchestra or maybe in the army (if I’m able to anyway).
Serghei: I will continue to compose and play music, meet good people…in general, I will live as long as I can.
Aoife: Get through the Plague and hopefully get some new songs together, record and play a few gigs!
Dead Alien Tourist – Live this December
If you’ve been meaning to catch the band live, you’ll have the chance this December as they’ll be hitting Ryan’s on Friary Street for a 9.30pm start on Friday 3 December.
