Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: In terms of playing, it probably stunted it – I did have dalliances with keyboards as a child but didn’t grow up with a family where playing music was a thing, and the more classically and theoretical teaching and schools when I was younger didn’t really engage me at all – something older Alan would definitely be having words with younger Alan about as obviously you can apply learning about musical theory to any style you want to in the future!
In terms of influences though, both my parents had excellent and varied taste in music which I’ve inherited – staples were artists like David Bowie, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and so many more, admittedly none of whom we sound like, haha.
Q: Can you describe the musical style of Darwin’s Rejects in three words?
A: Folk punk mishmash!
Q: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what role do they play in shaping your musical journey?
A: We are quite a small band in terms of stature, and are at the stage where at lot of our supporters are already our friends – so connecting on a personal level is easy. We are pretty active on social media and like to spend time at venues or festivals before or after we play. Ultimately in the scenes we are most active we are fans who happen to be lucky enough to spend a bit of time on the stage periodically, and I wouldn’t like to think that that would change should we manage to move up a few levels in the pecking order!
Q: You have just released your new album, ‘Unnatural Selection’. Is there a story behind it?
A: The overarching themes are a heady mix of sentiment, politics, friendship and history. With a bit of Norse mythology and good times thrown into the mix – which I think reflects our collective approach to song-writing, every member of the band has contributed to this process which has resulted in something quite diverse in story – but also somehow hangs together well as a collection of music to be played as an album (admittedly lots of people operate using playlists these days, but I would recommend giving our album a spin in order at least once!
Q: What is your favorite track from the album and why?
A: This is actually a really tough question, I’d be tempted to but all self-indulgent and pick one I’d writen, but when I think about which ones I enjoy playing the most then it would be a tie between Gone, which is pretty fast and furious, and Borderline – they are both great fun to play on stage.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative process of producing the album, “Unnatural Selection”?
A: The songs have been written over the last couple of years and many of them refined both in rehearsals and gigs, once we had a bank of fourteen or so ideas we started thinking about recording. We did that both at Ellie’s studio and the amazing Riff Factory in Stoke on Trent. They were mixed and mastered by a genius called Tom Carter who had his own suggestions too which was really helpful. After a few rounds of mixes we signed off on the album. The track order wasn’t as difficult to determine as I thought it would be – I suggested it and everyone agreed! In terms of artwork, myself and my partner Ella created that in house, and we handled all the production of CDs and releasing to streaming platforms ourselves – as well as a launch night at Rough Trade in Nottingham on 26th. Which amazingly sold out with months to spare!
Q: What has been the most memorable concert or performance for you so far?
A: Oh that’s really tough! Two immediately stand out – the first being at Ey Up Mi Duck Festival in 2024 – that was the first time we played a set comprising entirely of original songs, it’s a tricky transition for a band who started out doing covers to baring their own creative output to a crowd without falling back on ‘one that everyone will know’ – we pulled a huge crowd, and people were singing along. That blows mind mind! The second would be playing Dogfest last year, again we focused on our own material but it was particularly special as the band organising the festival, Ferocious Dog, are pretty much the root node as to how the six of us came to know one another.
Q: Reflecting on your body of work, each song holding its unique significance, could you share a particular track that stands out to you personally? What makes that specific tune special, and why does it hold a place of pride in your musical journey?
A: On a personal note it blows my mind things I’ve written have been recorded by such talented people and made it onto a release – and I do feel really proud of them. If I had to pick the one that stands out most then it would be Traitors on this album, it’s a really bouncy song which I think stands up really well, and is probably the one that had fewest changes to the chord pattern I originally wrote for it (not including a key change via capo, haha!). Thematically it pulls on the TV show Traitors (which I LOVE) a lot, but also reflects on more close to home events specifically for members of the band, but probably for e everyone out there. I like the gentle approach in documenting or calling out something without being too overt.
Q: Exploring the diverse creative processes within the music industry is always fascinating. Could you provide insight into Darwin’s Rejects’ unique approach to crafting music? From the initial spark of an idea to the finished song, how do you navigate the creative journey and bring its musical concepts to life?
A: We work as a bit of a collective – we’ll all have ideas individually and flesh them out and bring them to the group. For example, I might have some lyrics and an idea of chords – in some cases Warren might adjust those chords a bit as he’s a musical wizard (or Ellie in the case of one of mine, as she’s also a musical wizard!), Russ will undoubtedly do some lyrical restructuring to make the songs flow better. Russ might do the same, bringing lyrics to the group, Warren or Ellie might have a fully formed idea. We then play with it as a group – Jamie and Ellie will work up soloing, Jim the drum patterns and me the bass. Then we just keep practising and refining and making suggestions for improvements. For the ones I’ve not written I try to sneak a long word in here and there as we make lyrical adjustments – see if you can spot them, haha!
Q: As we wrap up our conversation, looking ahead, what aspirations or dreams do you have for Darwin’s Rejects, and what message would you like to share with your fans as they continue to accompany you on this musical journey?
A: I think we are all pretty grounded – we joke that the band is an ‘expensive hobby’ rather than a viable career. We all have day jobs that basically enable the band to function! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t idly fantasise about catching a break and being able to make a proper living from music, of course it would be amazing – but with my realistic head on, it’s just such a privilege to be asked to perform on a stage, and to connect with people through music – in the unlikely event of the album really taking off and us becoming hugely popular I would hate to lose that feeling and genuine connection we have with so many of the amazing people who support us and come to watch us. Our message is always to watch this space – we’ve been battling a reputation as a festival covers band (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with festival covers bands I hasten to add!) as we’ve shifted more and more into our own material – we’ve got plenty of new ideas bubbling away so this album isn’t the end!
