Citizens: A Spoonful of Hardcore

Glasgow trio <b>Citizens</b> prove that there's much more to hardcore punk than the BPM

Feature by Lauren Mayberry | 29 Sep 2009

As with any genre, the true characterisation of ‘hardcore’ is difficult to pin down, what with the emergence of copious subsets and fusions within each definition over time. Many artists highlight just how far hardcore punk has come since its North American birth; thicker, heavier, time signatures side-stepping from the beat. But melodic? Tuneful? Not always. It is in this regard that Glasgow’s Citizens are something of a rarity.

The three-piece, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Craig McIntyre, bassist and vocalist Owen Batchelor and newly acquired drummer Iain Stewart, came into fruition almost two years ago. “I find it very difficult to describe the band to people because I never wanted to sound exactly like anybody,” explains McIntyre. “We all really like bands like Jesus Lizard and Shellac but draw influence from weird stuff like folk, country, jazz and black metal. I always got bored playing standard stuff.”

Beginning to garner a big live reputation (and a loud one at that), Citizens are keen to shirk any presumptions usually associated with the heavier ilk. “I write most of the stuff on acoustic guitar because I am really interested in melody," says McIntyre. "And if it doesn't sound good played acoustically then it probably won't translate to electric.” It was, in fact, the wish to avoid predetermined notions about their sound which led Citizens to choose their moniker in the first place. “We just wanted something that would be give listeners no preconceptions about how we sound, and it seemed to fit."

This year has so far been a busy one for Citizens, playing shows across the UK, as well as recording and releasing their debut EP. Following a line-up shuffle at New Year, things were quiet until their introduction to Stewart by other local buzz-collectors United Fruit. “It just worked so well that we have managed quite a lot in such a short period of time,” McIntrye notes. The EP in question, Try Smiling, was recorded at Lofi Studios, and is available via Wolves Among Wolves, their co-operatively run label/promotions company. “I started putting on gigs with [friend] Phil Differ when we were quite young just because no one else would put our bands on. We got more and more involved and started bringing up bands from England and overseas, and decided to make it a legitimate project.”

Calling upon a CD Presents-esque ethic and the experience of their own tours, Citizens recognise the importance of connections and community in their pursuits. Citizens, it seems, are doing well in an environment where tight, idea-filled rock music is finding a hungry audience, working alongside commendable local promoters such as Unthank, This Is Our Battlefield, Predestination Records and Cold Dead Hands. With upcoming tours and intentions for a split release or album with Art For Blind Records, as well as plans with other musical outlets (each member is already in another band, with McIntyre and Batchelor recently taking on vocal duties in a new grind project), the rest of the year is set to be enviably busy, including opening for Lords in December, proving that, in a time where a ukulele seems to be a local band’s best friend, there are still some who have the capacity to be imposingly heavy and melodically adroit.

Playing O'Henry's, Glasgow, on 9 Nov and Captain's Rest, Glasgow, on 19 Nov.

Try Smiling is available now in Avalanche and Monorail.

http://www.myspace.com/citizensuk