NEW SINGLE : GRACE: OUT 4th OCTOBER
Self described as “moody, raw and in your face”, London four-piece Saint Clair have spent the last 12 months honing their sound over a steady stream of releases. And whilst the band may have flirted with various genres across that time, it seems now, on the cusp of an EP release, the quartet have finally settled on their sound.
1.Who Are ‘Saint Clair’
Your favorite band’s, favorite band…ish. Saint Clair are a four-piece alternative band from London. The group consists of Toby Bardsley (vocals), Adam Anderson (bass), Lawrence Bordean (guitar) and Beth Diana (drums).
2.For someone that is yet to discover you, how would you describe your music?
Moody, raw and in your face. We hold ourselves accountable and make each gig feel electric. We’ve written songs around performing them live, so each of the tracks carry their weight wherever you hear them. We’re not afraid to be vulnerable and leave a little bit of ourselves on every stage we play.
3. What inspired you as and artiest?
I don’t think we could point to any specific artist as being the ‘one’ but we love a bunch of stuff; we’ve been heavy into Fontaines D.C and Wunderhorse lately. A lot of stuff really, we just fell in love with the idea of being in a band and figured if they can do it, why can’t we? Just wanted to be one of The Strokes I suppose.
4.What is your process for preparing to perform live? Do you have any Diva demands?
We’re pretty boring when it comes to all that. No caviar and champagne, maybe the odd meal deal. We really just focus on getting our heads clear and allowing ourselves to enjoy it. We know what we have to do, just need to get the shakes out sometimes. Adam says more beer in the green rooms wouldn’t hurt.
5.Where do you feel you fit into the music landscape?
Anywhere. There are so many artists around now that it would be stupid to compare. There’s room for everyone. We just write music that we would listen to ourselves. That’s the only way to do it. We want to be the band that you listen to and need to see live.
6.What are your favourite musical genres, and are there any you dislike?
Anything with guitars. We seem to go through phases where one week we’ll be obsessed with something, then the next we’ve gone off it. We’re into a lot of alternative stuff at the moment, but we’ll always have a soft spot for indie. Bit of a mixed bag. Some Britpop, maybe some grunge. Beth is into that proper heavy stuff but we’re not sure yet.
7. Is there a story behind the new single ‘Grace’ ?
That’s tough to say. We really tried to create an aesthetic with the lyrics that match the music. Lots of imagery in there; dolls, paintings, sculptures. Keeping it vague enough that people can look into it themselves. Toby sees it as being a cautionary tale of putting people on pedestals. Lawrence thinks it’s cliche. Good hook though. There’s a lot of weight in ‘tell me something I don’t know’. Just depends if you’re looking.
8. What would you say is your greatest strength as an artist?
We’re pretty good at blending a lot of our favourite stuff and making it digestible. Keep it short and sweet. We’re not one of those bands that’ll have a 5-minute guitar solo on a record. Rather leave them wanting more.
9.What would you say is your greatest weakness as an artist?
We tend to spend a lot of time overthinking things when we write. More of a case of getting it wrong to know what’s right. Sometimes imperfections are better. We’re all based in different parts of the UK too which can be tricky sometimes. But we’re making it work. Nothing rock ’n roll about the Flixbus.
10.What can fans expect from your new single ‘Grace’?
Like we said before; moody, raw and in your face. You’ll have your finger glued to the loop button. It’s not this complete change of character, our previous music was just leading us here. It’s still Saint Clair, just matured.
11.What music artist would you say have influenced your work?
It’s nice to see guitar music having a bit of a resurgence. I’ve already mentioned Wunderhorse and Fontaines D.C as massive influences on the recent stuff. Being part of something current and of your time is a different feeling to listening to older stuff. We get a lot of inspiration from Elliot Smith too, there’s just something about how deceivingly simple his lyrics are.
12.Who would you most like to collaborate with artistically?
We’re big into a lot of the stuff Tom Dalgety has worked on. It’s definitely a bucket-list thing for us.
13. What was your worst performance?
We’ve had issues with gear in the past but we really try to embrace things going wrong. It’s uncanny for everything to be running smoothly. We’ve had strings break on stage too many times to count. Can’t beat yourself up about it. It’s the nature of playing live.
14.What was the most difficult obstacle you have ever faced and how did you overcome it?
We tend to work best under pressure and give ourselves tight deadlines. That way we can’t get distracted by the small things. It’s really just a case of keeping our heads down. We’d love to spend a few months in a studio spending someone else’s money, but until then we’ll make do. We’ve had a few issues in the past, mainly with distribution, but we feel really happy with where we are now.
15.What is your creative process when making music. Do you work with others or is there just you?
It’s been a real learning experience. We never sit down to write a song, it just doesn’t happen that way. Toby tends to come up with the goods. Little bits and pieces that Lawrence helps cobble together. Beth and Adam really bring the tracks to life. So it’s passed though each of us by the time you’re hearing it.
16.Where do you see your musical career in 10 years?
Silly to talk about that stuff. Album 4, American accents and a therapist on retainer (we all hate each other).
17.The UK seems to have gone into melt down regarding the Oasis Reunion. Are you bothered by It?
It’s cool to see a lot of younger people interested in live music again. Bit of a generational event. Not sure about the haircuts though.
