There’s no denying that a lot has changed on the musical playground since the 70s. Guitars have been replaced by electronic beats, poetic lyrics by degrading slurs, and making music as an expressing art form is now instead making music to sell to the masses. No wonder it can sometimes feel like an uphill struggle trying to make music that still has meaning and heart, created purely for the joy of expression. That’s how Brighton-based Demob Happy felt on the back of their second release Holy Doom, knowing they were up against “an ocean of vapid moronic bull shit pop that sells fuck tons.” Knowing that the option to give in, put a house beat on it and collect a cheque on the way out is within arm’s reach. Knowing that although guitars aren’t dead, the industry makes a lot more money out of pop artists.
But the men also know that for some people guitars will always have a certain allure, and that if they believe in what they’re doing, people will respond to it. The prove of people responding is right in front of them, with our chat being just an hour before a sold out Brighton date, and a sold out show at London’s Borderline just the day before. Frontman Matthew Marcantonio said: “It’s just expression, isn’t it. It’s a pure way of expressing yourself. If you believe in what you’re doing, it’s alright to step out on a limb and be like ‘we fucking believe in this, this is better than all that shit’. And people will get on board with that, because they naturally can tell.”
And getting on board is exactly what people did. Just days after the indie rockers released Holy Doom last March, the album charted in the top 10 in the official charts indie breakers chart. Drummer Thomas Armstrong commented: “Lots of people have responded to it in a really positive way, there’s a feeling with this album that we’re starting to have a wider reach with it than ever before even though the process of making it was really different for us.”
The difference Tom is referring to is being down a member since their 2015 release Dream Soda, having management problems and generally having a tough year between the last release and starting to write Holy Doom. But that didn’t keep them down for long. Feeling more liberated than ever, the trio turned the experience into something cathartic. Matt said: “We just wanted to expel a lot of those emotions and straight away we were in. We wrote most of the songs on the album in a two week period where we went to a little cottage in Wales and tried to do two or three songs a day. Straight away we were back on our feet, ready to go again.”
Don’t make the mistake in thinking that because of its inspiration the album is all gloom though. Closing track Fresh Outta Luck is a great example, though it envisions a modern message about what a lot of young people are experiencing, the track is laced with chipper instrumentals that stick in your head. Tom confirms that, saying: “It embodies the vision of the album, doesn’t it? It’s this bittersweet song which has little tinges of hope to it, but it’s a bit of an anthem for the disenchanted.”
The tinges of hope are something that the band look out for in everything they do. After talking about the decline in guitar music, the band brings up inspiring younger bands. Tom said: “You hope that more people appreciate what you do so you can keep playing it for longer, but it’s undeniable that a lot of the music that we love from the 60s and 70s was the pop music then and guitar music isn’t the music at the centre of the playground now. But it’s the little things like meeting a young band in Norwich the other day, and them being like ‘we are just so inspired by you that we got a band together’. It’s when people say that grunge is dead and shit, it really isn’t because people are still picking up guitars and think it’s cool and fun.”
Matt goes in on that, saying: “There’s a lot of industry reasons why guitar music looks to be in the decline. As intuitive as people are, a lot of them will buy what they’re being sold. There’s not a lot of discerning between stuff happening anymore.”
It’s very clear that these men are sure there is still real, guitar-based music out there, but that it’s just hidden behind the mainstream. Tom said: “There’s just less and less risks being taken, and less and less money being put behind art. Labels are waiting for a third or fourth album before they get in touch.” Matt backed that up, saying: “They’re businesses, they won’t take risks on developing someone a bit. They’re going to take someone on who they know is less of a risk. That’s how it happens with a lot of bands, they do ten years or so building up their own thing and then when they’re ready to become massive, major labels are like ‘now we can make a quick book’. It’s all about that quick book.”
As Brighton is known for its many indie and psychedelic bands, we asked if they experience the same decline of guitar-based music in the mainstream since moving to Brighton. Matt answered, saying: “There’s definitely a range of music here, but I think everywhere there is people doing this and people who love it. The two sold out shows, playing our own little brand of loud guitar music to 300 odd people. It just shows there is people out there.”
The band have referred to themselves as a legacy band on several occasions, saying they hope that by doing their own thing they will end up rising to the top in the long run. When asked about the current hype that’s starting around the band and the new album, the band all speak up, jokingly yelling “We’re not happy, I’ll tell you that!” With guitarist Adam Godfrey speaking up for the first time during the interview (ironically enough he was busy restringing his guitar for the show later that evening), saying “Piss off until album six” while staring at me blankly before bursting out laughing as well.
When all the jokes are over the band did have a serious comment to make as well, Tom said: “I think it’s part of the growth, everything you do in the life of the band you hope will be taking a step forward. It’s cool to pour everything into something and see that people are appreciating that. I think what we’re talking about when we talk about being a legacy band is the idea that we think we’ve got a lot to give, and we might need some time to give it.”
Matt closes that off, saying: “The cream always rises to the top, and we’ve always had the thought that we’re not going to bend to trends. We will just do what we want to do and if we keep doing things that we love, people will get on board. Expect nothing and expect everything at some time, you know.”
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