Surco
Finn Holderness, drums
Jasper Eade, bass, vocals
Joe Webb, keys
Pippin Casbourne, guitar
With a recent EP, Here’s One We Made Earlier still fresh in their pockets and a headline gig at The Waterfront on the horizon it’s a good time to get to know teen band Surco.
WHO?
When school friends get together to form a band, often they quickly realise there is one big problem - they can’t play any instruments. Surco are different - they all knew how to play before they joined up. Up and running from the start is why they sound like a band well down the line, giving lie to the fact that they are still only 16 and 17. Not that there is any arrogance or pretentiousness about them - they all believe they have tons to learn, but that fragile and delicious sound of theirs, enveloped in powerful guitars and delicate keys makes you take them seriously from the start.
WHAT?
The challenge for Surco was each member came to the band loving different types of music, from 80s power ballads to funk. How to blend that together was the problem, so they taught each other what they knew, filling the gaps in each others musical knowledge. They accepted that so much had already been achieved in pop that originality was hard, but utilising the past, being distinct and doing it well was the direction to go. They worked their way through different genres, trying different things till they found what they believed was their own cohesive core around which new ideas and new directions could be forged. Along the way the band have taught themselves how to record their own work, using this as a way to fill out and complete the sound you can hear on the recent EP.
LIVE?
Surco like to feel their live sets are events. “We try not to just bang them out,” they said. “We rehearse especially for them, think carefully about the set order and love to throw in a special mystery track too so there’s always something new in every performance. We love to feed off the atmosphere of the other bands playing too.” They acknowledge the help they had from Annie Catwoman at Sonic Youths and Craig Hill giving them gigs from the start. And with three of the band at CNS and one at Access To Music, they have a healthy regular crowd of people to draw on. Now they can spot the odd regular at gigs – including Richard Harrison from Future Radio who they say has been a great help and supporter to them as well as being a fan. “When you start a band you don’t expect people from far away to come and support you, so when that happens it’s nice to know you are doing a good job and that people keep coming because of the music.” Surco headline The Waterfront Studio on Friday 17th February alongside Gentlemen, Dog Fight and Tuesday Club.
THE FUTURE?
Don’t expect what you get from Surco now is how it will always be. “As our audience moves on, we want to move on too,” they said. “We’re passionate about our music and want meet other people, play support slots for bigger bands and play gigs elsewhere too. We made this band to play music and have fun. After all – who wouldn’t want to be in a band?”
LINKS
facebook.com/surcoofficial
twitter.com/surcoofficial
soundcloud.com/user-893696484
