The Needles: No More Beans In Aberdeen
A struggle can be a good thing for a musician àyou'll either create something out of nothing or sit at home watching telly and eating beans
| 13 Sep 2006
In the eye of a storm lies a miniscule area of serenity. Surrounded by crashing winds and torrential rain, it's a momentary relief from the wrath of Mother Nature. But in the eye of The Needles there's no such pacifying centre. Brimming with infectious hooks and sumptuous melody, the sound of this Aberdonian quartet is as incessant as any tropical tornado.
With the release of debut album 'In Search of The Needles' the band have finally unleashed a record to match the ferocity of their live performances. But, as The Skinny discovers, The Needles have encountered some tumultuous weather on the road to success.
"In our times of frustration and misery, the only place we could turn to was our imagination," says compelling front-man Dave Dixon. "A struggle can be a good thing for a musician – you'll either create something out of nothing or sit at home watching telly and eating beans."
As students in the 'Granite City' the band could have become connoisseurs of the flatulence-inducing delicacy, but their grandiose pop melodies suggest this time was spent sharpening their piercing sound.
Reminiscing, Dave says: "We tried to create what we thought was lacking in contemporary music – and perhaps what still is. We wanted to reproduce the gloriousness of pop and combine it with rock 'n' roll in the naïve belief that we could have the same global impact as The Beatles and Elvis."
Armed with these colossal ambitions, The Needles moved to Glasgow in a quest to push their music to a wider audience. "I think we might have got a little complacent and lazy in Aberdeen," says Dave sincerely. "Glasgow's made us prove ourselves all over again. There are some amazing bands down here and we've had to subconsciously raise the bar in order to compete with them."
This creative replenishment seems to have worked wonders for the group. The sparkling single Dianne received significant national airplay and Summer Girls looks set follow suit. But perhaps most excitingly, a session on Mark Lamaar's Radio 2 show has just been announced. "It's strange because it's one of my favourite radio shows and it feels like I'm invading my own private life," enthuses Dave. "But really I'm cock-a-hoop – in my mind this means The Needles have made it."
With this new found sense of celebrity, the trappings of rock n' roll may be lurking just around the corner but it's a topic Dave seems particularly dubious of: "I think rock n' roll is a myth," he says cynically. "You'll find milkmen and bus drivers are much more deviant than any musician. Reg Presley [ex-The Troggs] used to say 'I wrote that on a pot of tea' – and who are we argue with that?"
Who indeed. And as the rest of us attempt to compose a musical masterpiece through the prolific power of Tetley's, it's good to know the only thing The Needles are brewing is one hell of a storm.
With the release of debut album 'In Search of The Needles' the band have finally unleashed a record to match the ferocity of their live performances. But, as The Skinny discovers, The Needles have encountered some tumultuous weather on the road to success.
"In our times of frustration and misery, the only place we could turn to was our imagination," says compelling front-man Dave Dixon. "A struggle can be a good thing for a musician – you'll either create something out of nothing or sit at home watching telly and eating beans."
As students in the 'Granite City' the band could have become connoisseurs of the flatulence-inducing delicacy, but their grandiose pop melodies suggest this time was spent sharpening their piercing sound.
Reminiscing, Dave says: "We tried to create what we thought was lacking in contemporary music – and perhaps what still is. We wanted to reproduce the gloriousness of pop and combine it with rock 'n' roll in the naïve belief that we could have the same global impact as The Beatles and Elvis."
Armed with these colossal ambitions, The Needles moved to Glasgow in a quest to push their music to a wider audience. "I think we might have got a little complacent and lazy in Aberdeen," says Dave sincerely. "Glasgow's made us prove ourselves all over again. There are some amazing bands down here and we've had to subconsciously raise the bar in order to compete with them."
This creative replenishment seems to have worked wonders for the group. The sparkling single Dianne received significant national airplay and Summer Girls looks set follow suit. But perhaps most excitingly, a session on Mark Lamaar's Radio 2 show has just been announced. "It's strange because it's one of my favourite radio shows and it feels like I'm invading my own private life," enthuses Dave. "But really I'm cock-a-hoop – in my mind this means The Needles have made it."
With this new found sense of celebrity, the trappings of rock n' roll may be lurking just around the corner but it's a topic Dave seems particularly dubious of: "I think rock n' roll is a myth," he says cynically. "You'll find milkmen and bus drivers are much more deviant than any musician. Reg Presley [ex-The Troggs] used to say 'I wrote that on a pot of tea' – and who are we argue with that?"
Who indeed. And as the rest of us attempt to compose a musical masterpiece through the prolific power of Tetley's, it's good to know the only thing The Needles are brewing is one hell of a storm.
In Search of The Needles' is released through Dangerous on Sept 4.