College has always been a breeding ground for bands, often cited as the place where members first met, wrote their first song, played their first gig and, in some cases, got their first glimpse of success.  The list of successful college-born bands includes Queen, Coldplay, Pink Floyd and MGMT. The next set to join that list, if 2017 is anything to go by could be Dry Roasted Peanuts, a Cork-based band whose roots lie in University College Cork.

The group is quickly becoming one of the most talked about bands on the Lee-side. Their very first release, ’The Fox and The Deer’, from October 2016, combines the eeriness of Radiohead with the subdued vocals of Jim Morrison. Their most recent track, ‘At Both Ends’, is a much more raucous affair, highlighting the duality of the bands sound.

The group have been around no longer than two years, but in that time they’ve carved out a sound and a name that’s uniquely theirs. Golden Plec caught up with the band's bassist, JJ Lee, to discuss the group's beginnings, their inspirations and their goals for 2018.

 

Tell us, who’s in the band?

"So there's Marc O'Cearnaigh (Vocals/Guitar) Robert McDonnell (Guitar/Vocals), myself, JJ Lee (Bass) and Christopher O'Sullivan on Drums."

Where are you all from?

"It's a bit of a mish-mash of counties in the band, I'm from Kerry, Mark and Rob are from Clare and Chris is from Waterford. We're a Cork band however, we all live here and study here so that's that really."

Where did you all meet?

"Well, I don't know the full story because I only joined up with the lads last March, but Mark and Rob met around college and got along well with the each other. After winning the UCC Battle of the Bands, the lads recruited Chris to the group and following the win at Inter-varsities (Inter-University band competition) I was enlisted."

Who are your inspirations?

"Inspirations are a tricky one, we've all got our own personal tendencies but I think we all realistically agree on the likes of The Velvet Underground, Pixies, The Smiths, that sort of genre. It'd be impossible to go through it all though."

When did you start the band?

"In 2015, Robert (McDonnell - guitar) and Marc (Ó Cearnaigh – Vox) met in UCC. They both went to secondary school in Ennis Co.Clare but had never met each before. Robert had put together a band and asked Marc to come to one of their practices. The line-up was constantly evolving and they played whatever gigs they could get (including an East-Clare Debs). Eventually they put The Fox and the Deer on on Soundcloud and it did quite well and they decided to take things more seriously and it evolved from there."

What are your plans for 2018?

"For 2018, the plan is to get our second EP out there and embark on a mini-tour to support it. Last year we had great success traveling around the country playing our stuff so hopefully, we can follow in a similar suit this year. Probably play a few festivals as well, just a matter of staying active in the scene really."

You can listen to Dry Roasted Peanuts' latest release below.