St. Deluxe Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 3rd 2010 7:30AM by Peter M. Gordon
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In 2006 a group of four Glasgow musicians -- Jamie Cameron, Martin Kirwan, Brian McEwan and Stuart Kidd, all former members of local group BMX Bandits -- formed St. Deluxe to pursue their common musical vision. St. Deluxe released their self-titled album in the UK, Germany and Japan, and will perform at SXSW for the first time this March. Spinner caught up with lead singer, Jamie Cameron, while he was motoring around Dublin.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We grew up in Glasgow and were very influenced by the other bands on the scene. We like to play with fuzz in the guitars. We like to add pop elements to our own songs, and play covers of pop hits in our own way. So, to reduce it to three words, we play Glasgowegian fuzz-pop.

How did your band form?

Me and Martin were born in the same hospital on the same day. Our parents knew each other so we ended up being best friends from when we were very young. We grew up playing music in Glasgow, and knew all of the other musicians. In Glasgow, all the musicians know each other. We help each other out, share equipment if needed and do gigs together. That's how we met Stuart and Brian. All of us played at one time or another in a band called BMX Bandits. We found out that the four of us had a lot in common and about four years ago we talked about it and thought we should form our own band. That's how it came about. St. Deluxe is now our main focus.

What are your musical influences?

My Dad was a sound engineer and recorded a lot of bands while I was growing up, including famous ones like the Jesus and Mary Chain. Martin and I were always hanging around the studio listening to everyone. We grew up playing music, but our biggest influences are Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. Martin also likes Mudhoney. [Also] the Ramones. I just watched and loved the documentary about them, 'End of the Century.'

How did you come up with your band name?

We knew we had a name and picked "saint" after a song we liked that had "St. James" in the title. I'm not sure where Deluxe came from. We had about twenty bands that we wanted to sound like and all of them were good, so we wanted to sound "deluxe." I don't know who suggested it, but once we heard the name we knew that was it.

What's your biggest vice?

Buying analog gear. Everyone in the band is really into that type of equipment. When we record we use an analog deck and as much analog equipment as we can. It just has a good sound to it. After SXSW, we're going back home to record our next album on this gear.

What's in your festival survival kit?

We've been to festivals here in Scotland and Ireland, and we're used to rain, so we're just bringing a change of clothes. We're hoping to play at the festival and hook up with some people in the music business we've always wanted to meet.

Who was your first celeb crush?

That's a tough one. It was probably Goldie Hawn. I remember watching her with my mom when I was a kid and thinking that she was amazing. When I got older, it was Kim [Gordon] from Sonic Youth.

Beatles or Stones?

I think the band will be split on this. I go Beatles, but I think Martin would go Stones. Stuart is a big fan of Ringo Starr's drumming, so I think he and Brian would pick Beatles. We recorded a cover version of the Beatles song 'It's All Too Much,' which we very much like. We recorded it almost all live with only one or two tracks.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced on tour?

One time we were in Manchester driving back from London, and stopped off to play a show. The promoter was drunk and already had two or three other bands playing. After the show, he tried to pay us eight pounds and we ended up stuck in Manchester without enough money to get home.

Peter M. Gordon is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.