Don't be fooled by the mild-mannered appearance. The members of Band of Skulls are bad, bad boys.
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The members of Southampton, England blues-pop rockers Band Of Skulls are bad, bad boys.
While they may seem mild-mannered, guitarist and singer Russell Marsden reveals a sinister side as he discusses the band's humble beginnings. Initially conceived by his and drummer Matt Hayward's parents as a means of keeping idle boys busy, their union has proven far more dangerous than those guardians could have imagined.
“Matt and I have been friends since we were kids,” Marsden reveals in a soft tone. “We were put together by our parents, who were friends. They steered us towards making music as a means of staying out of trouble but we found more trouble than any of us bargained for.”
From filling Hayward's homestead with every sort of stranger imaginable during auditions to conning bassist and vocalist Emma Richardson into their ranks to the inevitable trouble wrangled up by a globe-traipsing rock band, Marsden chuckles to think that such an innocent hobby has resulted in a great deal of tomfoolery.
“Matt's dad had a studio and there was all of this equipment around,” he says. “It gave us the perfect venue to learn, but we couldn't find the right fit for the bassist. Every day, we'd be packing his father's home with all of these strangers just trying to find someone we wanted to work with. And there were some unusual ones. One day my friend from art college — Emma — came down. We had a gig in two weeks, so we basically tricked her into joining. Looking back, it was a rather haphazard way of operating, but it was working.”
Working, indeed. The band's debut effort, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey, is hitting Canadian stores only now, but a wave of preliminary critical praise is undeniable. This attention has led to an immediate North American tour in support of the blues- and classic-rock-influenced affair (and to promote its addition to The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack, slated for a November release). However, as artists are wont to do, despite Baby Darling Doll Face Honey's freshness, Marsden has already left it behind; he’s looking to the next recording as a proper representation of where the trio is now.
“I believe that we've developed a lot since we recorded the debut, really,” he says. “Back then, we hadn't the knowledge or skill to pull off a lot of what we really wanted to identify with and express ourselves as. We had to wait until we were ready. I think we are now and we can finally show that side of us: what we missed and what we want to do. You have to challenge yourself as a musician and what we're coming up with now does that. It's good to make an effort and embrace those challenging aspects or new influences. If making music is too easy, there's a problem.”
What exactly are those fresh bits of inspiration? Will they indelibly alter the Band Of Skulls sound? Marsden is elusive, noting that despite the broad spectrum of styles influencing the trio, it will always retain that soulful, laid-back vibe that pervades the band’s debut.
“It's difficult to say what we'll be up to but I know it will be an evolution on Baby Darling Doll Face Honey,” he says. “We go through these fits of devouring lots of influences and then other periods of listening to nothing and just working on our music. But when it comes down to it, we're inspired by — and hope to create — anything with emotional truth. It can range from Led Zeppelin to Radiohead. All it needs is a great atmosphere that speaks to people. I think that's what we're doing and that's why I'm already excited to get on to a new album. We've got the introduction out of way. Now we can get to the real meat.”
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