Darling were one of the success stories of Irish music in 2013. Their track Echoes was a staple on the airwaves and even made it into Goldenplec’s top Irish songs of the year. James from the band was kind enough to answer some of our questions ahead of the band’s show at the Academy 2 on Friday 7th February.
First things first, for those not up to speed with indie pop duos, who are Darling? “Darling, I suppose are two like-minded song writers, myself and Gary, who want to write songs that can be heard on the radio and equally as much on some muso’s iPod. Songs that can be performed live in your sitting room but also be deserving of the arenas. We try our best to write pop songs that have that larger than life aspect with some rock sensibility.
Gary’s a living, walking encyclopedia of music, he knows the artists, the producers who worked with the artists and what the artists had for brunch! I’m a little bit more under a rock, when it comes to that but our influences are the same and our goals are too.”
When it came to the naming the band, Darling had all the right qualities. “Names are surprisingly hard to come up with! We spent quite a while trying to find one that was right for us until Gary suggested “Darling”. We sat on it for a while and it just seemed to fit, it’s a bit effeminate but strong sounding. Also it looks nice as a logo!”
For their debut EP, Darling worked alongside Stephen Lipson who has produced the likes of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the frankly a little terrifying Grace Jones; it seems like a long standing relationship has been formed. “Stephen Lipson came about after we had approached various producers over in the UK with our material. Although we hadn’t approached him, a copy of our demo had crossed his desk and he showed an interest in us. He got in touch and that put the wheels in motion. So far we’ve had two sessions over in his studio in London. The fact that he had worked with so many greats wasn’t really a factor. You need to trust the producer you are working with, you know, that you are going to achieve the best possible outcome with them and thank god Stephen knows his stuff and knew what we were after. He’s amazing guy to work with and we will continue to do so for the foreseeable future as long as his door is open to us!”
If you’re thinking Gary and James look familiar you may remember them as members of The Kinetiks. After the break-up you would forgive them for putting the music industry behind them, but hanging up their guitar straps was never an option for the duo. “After the Kinetiks had waved its white flag myself and Gary had already at that point decided our way forward was to keep writing, there was no feeling of giving up we just kept on moving onwards with it. We both sat down in a cafe and wrote on a napkin our blueprint for the next project and we stuck to it.”
Do they regret never releasing a Kinetiks album the fans craved? “No not at all. You never know but we mightn’t be here now if that had happened! Our fate might have been altered! I love where I’m at now and how I got here. I wouldn’t change a thing in the past.”
Going from a band of four to a duo has of course changed the song writing process. James explained “It makes things much easier; it’s like a ‘less chefs in the kitchen’ kind of thing. Gary and myself have been in each other’s pockets a long time. Toe to toe writing in a small room on a bet up Mac… It’s the perfect Darling song writing environment! Haha!”
Every musician has a dream artist they would love to collaborate with and Darling are no different. “I would probably say John Lennon and Paul from the Beatles. If only to have been a fly on the wall for their writing sessions. Class…”
Most bands have their own bizarre gig stories, but what about Darling? “Strange things happen to me outside of the gigs, I seem to have a sign ”Weirdos R Us’ above my head! Mental things but so far so good, nothing of note at the gigs! The way I like it!”
And what does 2014 hold for Darling? “Expect another two EP’s, a lot of hair on stage, designer gear and good wholesome pop rock!” Darling, we look forward to it!