Diamond Rings Dances for Peaches, Drops Debut Album 'Special Affectations'

Posted on Oct 26th 2010 1:00PM by Melody Lau

Chromewaves

Diamond Rings is not weird. Singer-songwriter and burgeoning dancer John O'Regan admits to his unconventional image of flashy attention-grabbing outfits, topped off by his golden coiffure of a Mohawk and colourful Bowie-esque makeup, but he does promise sincerity and earnestness in his music.

"I think that was initially a common reaction," O'Regan tells Spinner. "It's always mystified me, though, because there is precedent, and a lot of artists I look up to, whether it's David Bowie then, or Peaches now, approach their work from a very theatrical place and project a theatrical image, and they've been taken seriously."

"Now I think people have taken notice that there have been four singles and an album coming, and if you actually listen to the lyrics, they're really honest, and that does a lot to combat the misperception that it's just a joke."

O'Regan was also hand-picked by a friend to be a back-up dancer for the aforementioned theatrical icon Peaches at a hometown show in Toronto late last years.

"It was wild," O'Regan shares. "It's awesome to see someone who's been doing it for a while who can put on a really big show -- that definitely sets the bar for what I want to do in the future."

O'Regan describes his encounter with Peaches as not very personal as she was busy with the show, but still a positive experience overall. "We obviously didn't sit down and talk for an hour, but she was still super personable and genuinely happy that we put together this dance routine," he says. "We literally showed it to her half an hour before the show in the stairwell at the Phoenix, like, 'Here's what we're doing for your sold-out show, hope you like it!'"

For the time being, O'Regan is content to be a solo act, but hopes to take a cue from Peaches and have his own back-up dancers one day. "That would be the next step," he says. "I'd much rather have a back-up dancer than a bass player."

Working with a choreographer for his live performances, O'Regan says that up until this point, his dancing live has been mostly free-form, adding that "some nights it's great, and other nights...the spirit is always there, but the tightness is something I want to work on."

"I want to be able to go the club and totally bust it out and really, really turn some heads."

Diamond Rings' debut record 'Special Affections' is out October 26 via Secret City Records.