The JD Set - DUTCH UNCLES (Interview)

The JD Set Manchester
27 May Band on the Wall

DUTCH UNCLES – Duncan

How did you come to be involved in the Jack Daniel’s gig. I’ve just spoken to your biggest fan, Mike Joyce, was it through him?

D: Yes, he is fan of the band I am in. It’s very strange, it feels like it’s come full circle sometimes. Me and the rest of the band are such big fans of The Smiths, and are the reason we are making music. I remember one of the first times he came to one of our gigs. He was at the bar, and I kinda jumped back a little bit. It’s odd because he looks so much like he did back then, he doesn’t look much different except for the normal way people age I guess. It’s a very satisfying feeling that he’s a fan. So yeah that’s why. He asked us to take part. It’s a chance to play with a friend. It’s a great opportunity really. It couldn’t be passed down.

So are you very excited about the gig?

D: Yes. I think it’s certainly going to be talked about around Manchester, the idea of it all. Looking at it, it’s hard work. It’s going to take a bit of doing to pull it off. I guess it detracts from the nerves really. It’s a good feeling though.

Do you know which Buzzcocks songs you are doing yet?

D: I know one of the songs that I’m doing. I’m dong the song ‘Nothing Left’. I’m doing it with The Whip. I know some of the other bands that are involved, some of them are doing straight up covers. We’re kind of waiting on Mike Joyce to work out how it’s going to sound musically. When the guys get it down, I’ll just complement it on the top. Make a bit of a show of it, something like that. I know the Whip have got ideas about changing the songs around to suit a more dance thing rather than a punk thing. It all sounds very exciting to me.

At what point in you life did you first hear the Buzzcocks, you’re very young. Are the Buzzcocks looked up to still on the Manchester music scene?

D: The first time I really knew about them would be from the film ’24 Hour Party People’. I’m not sure if they are so much a big influence now on bands in town [Manchester]. A lot of the music is trying to stay away from older Manchester really. I guess the only time I’ve ever given them a proper listen is when Mike [Joyce] introduced me to them, apart from the songs that you’d hear in a nightclub or whatever. Mike taught me about it all. I’m surprised that there aren’t bands around town that I know have picked up on them really. When it comes to Manchester, it’s The Smiths and Joy Division really. It’s guitar rock and it’s indie, bands like Oasis, or Happy Mondays or Stone Roses. We take a lot of influence from New York bands like Talking Heads, Television. Coming back to England, King Crimson would be another one. More prog and minimalist, Steve Reich is a big influence too.

Are you quite excited then to be able to tap into the older heritage through sharing a gig with Mike Joyce and John Cooper Clarke?

D: Definitely, that’s been on my mind. It’s an honour in a way to be able to play a gig that sort of stamps on Manchester’s legacy of sorts. It’s not a full legacy, but still. Especially as where I’m coming from, I’m an unknown element in it, so I’ve got a lot to prove. It’s definitely going to make me raise my game.

What do you hope to learn from the experience? Do you think you will learn about making music from deconstructing others’ material?

D: I’m looking forward to seeing how other bands work. That’s a big thing. My band we don’t jam. We write our music, not in a cold way, but in a very programmed way, our bassist is a classical composer who programmes the notes into files. We never really jam out ideas, not that I’m expecting the other bands to jam. I’m just interested to see how it is working in other bands really, to see if there’s other ways of doing things.
It’s taken a while to get where we are, it’s not like we just thought about it. Even though we are still young for what we’re doing, we been in bands for years, making music for like five years now. It’s taken years to bring our songs out, to bring them to an interesting form. Not necessarily radio-friendly, but as accessible as possible whilst being as weird as possible.

How do feel about playing this gig in Manchester? Have you got a large home crowd? Lots of friends?

D: It can be a very positive thing. The thing about Manchester is that it’s not that big a place, the gigging community is not that big, so ultimately you find yourself playing to friends a lot. It’s hard to think that you’ve ‘made it’ but you have to think your friends are the first who will get you, your friends are your first fans. As long as you remember that it’s always going to be a good experience. They tend to hear your new material first and you want them to feel the excitement. I’ve got the easiest part!

The JD Set will take place on 27 May at Band On The Wall, Manchester
. Visit www.thejdset.co.uk to become a Friend of Jack and keep up to date with news and competitions.

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1. Cant wait, the Last one was awesome in Manchester!

   — Steveo · Apr 15, 10:49 AM · #