Young Fathers
Interview Josh Jones
Photography Dan Wilton
Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, three-piece Young Fathers fall out of their car in a ball of laughter and jokes as their manager drops them off at the photographers studio for a ’SUP interview and shoot. Being that they’ve been on the road for two days and have only eaten a sandwich in that time, ’SUP wonders a bit what they’d be like if they were 100 per cent nourished and well-rested. Ally (three sugars in his white coffee), Graham (two sugars and milk in his tea) and KS (just a biscuit, please) are all 20 years old, primed and ready to explode onto the music world this year.
We first came across Young Fathers upon hearing a demo of a tune from Simian Mobile Disco’s forthcoming album. The track, titled “Turn Up The Dial” is a futuristic hip-hop track in the best possible sense and could easily be mistaken for a new Outkast tune. The song is so bass-heavy, danceable and catchy we didn’t know what to do with ourselves. This masterpiece made us seek out more tracks such as “Straight Back On It” and “Bring it Home”, examples of Young Fathers’ playful blend of hip-hop rhymes, R&B melodies, big bassy beats and funky electro. Are these dudes really just some crazy kids from Scotland’s underground hip-hop scene?
Gaining a reputation for their fun, energy-filled and good vibe shows, the trio have been touring most of the UK’s venues before hitting the European festival circuit this summer (where we have a sneaking suspicion they are going to blow some minds). Hopefully somewhere in their busy summer schedule, they will release their debut album.
’SUP sat down on some comfy sofas in the studio and, in between bouts of jokes, laughter and impromptu dancing from KS, we managed to get this out of them. We are pretty damn sure we’ve stumbled on a hidden gem. Check them out and go see them now.
How you guys doing? What have you been up to?
Graham: Really good. We’ve been gigging all over the place. We just finished doing a short tour with Esser.
Ally: We did Leeds, York, Middlesbrough and Glasgow.
Graham: Kinda like the top half of the UK. It was good. Now we’re working away on our stuff.
Have you guys gotten bored of being called ‘the best rap group from Scotland’ yet?
Graham: Nah, it’s great. We love it. We got called it a while ago and then other people latched on to it and it’s spawned from there.
Ally: It’s cool. It’s really not a bad thing.
Does it annoy you though, when people then describe Scottish hip-hop as the same as Australian jazz and other unlikely music?
Graham: Well, no. I don’t really mind. It’s understandable as long as you listen to the music. It could be good if people hear it and then want to listen to more hip-hop from Scotland.
Ally: The thing is the hip-hop scene in Glasgow and Edinburgh is really underground. People think there’s nothing there, but there is.
Graham: A lot of people don’t think there’s any scene, but we came up through it. It is very underground though, so it’s understandable that they don’t know about it. Us coming from Edinburgh know that there have been loads of rap groups before us. It’s no big deal.
Is there a definitive Scottish hip-hop sound?
Graham: No. I think it’s a big melting pot of influences. I don’t think there are many people from up there who sound like us, or there are many bands that we’re like. Everybody’s kind of different. There’s a lot of underground stuff, so there’s more of a scene like that.
KS: At the same time, we’re not just a hip-hop group. Our musicality is so diverse that it feels weird even describing us as that. Even though that’s where our background is, music is so wide now and you’re influenced by so many other things around.
Ally: But we rap.
Graham: Yeah, but we’re not the kind of guys to stick to just hip-hop.
KS: We’re a pop band.
Ally: Hip-hop pop.
You guys met at an under 18-years-old hip-hop night. What are they like?
Graham: It was called Lickshot at the Bongo Club in Edinburgh. They get really rowdy. The sound system they had in there was amazing. It was the kind of noise that made you shit yourself. It was unbelievable. It was run by a Scottish group called the Yard Emcees who put it on for all the young people. It used to have MC and breakdancing competitions, and every week there would be a massive crush to get in.
KS: It was so cool, because at the time it was the only place you could go in the city if you were into hip-hop and you were under 18 years of age.
Graham: There weren’t even any house or dance nights for underage people. That was the only thing. So we came up performing at these shows.
What do you make of the comparisons you guys are getting to people like Spank Rock and Plastic Little and even Outkast?
Ally: That’s just great. I mean, there’s three great artists right there. It’s cool. It’s funny because when we made the album, we didn’t listen to any of that music. We just went in and did it. It was only after it that people started making comparisons. We can understand where it came from.
Graham: I don’t think that we sound the same, but it’s nice to be compared to them. They’re great artists.
I was reading a post on Sub City Radio’s website and someone said about your single “Straight Back On It”, that you had LL Cool J’s egotistical lyricism, but you get away with it.
(Everybody falls around laughing)
Ally: LL COOL J!
Graham: Yeah “Straight Back On It” is a total ego track. It’s a club track but it’s taking the piss out of people who are dancing to it in the club.
KS: It’s looking at things from a different perspective than the typical going out to the club and getting girls.
We’ve spoken about your hip-hop pop style, and the chorus of song “Superpop” is, well exactly that: super pop. But songs like “Straight Back On It” have got this Earth, Wind & Fire undertone in them. What influences your sound?
KS: There are so many influences. If I start listing them then I’m going to be here for ages.
Graham: We all listened to soul and reggae growing up, and then of course being from our generation there was all the hip-hop. We were listening to whatever was in the charts.
Ally: Let’s not forget we all went through that stage of listening to those albums called Bonkers [truly terrible happy hardcore]. Even though none of us liked it, everybody else was listening to it so we bought copies.
KS: What was that track called? “Put A Donk On It”?
Ally: Oooh maaan.
Have you guys managed to quit your jobs yet and do the music full time?
Ally: Well, I’m kinda working. I work in a bar in Edinburgh, so I’m working here and there. But we want music to be our main focus. We’re so nearly there, you know what I mean? You’re kinda half-assed at your job, but you need that bit of money.
Graham: I’m gonna get sacked pretty soon. I work in a library – I hope they don’t read this. I keep taking days off all the time. They’re gonna start noticing soon I think.
KS: I’m still at university, but I’m in my third year. So I’m just thinking of finishing off this year and then focusing completely on the music. I’m doing public relations and media.
Handy. You can do all the band’s PR and stuff.
KS: Yeah! It’s funny with uni, because I’m never normally there and I haven’t really studied that much, but I still seem to manage to pass. It’s a weird institution. I mean, aren’t you meant to be actually good at what you’re studying? I think music needs to be the main priority and what I want to focus on and continue doing. We want to constantly be at the studio.
Ally: You still need money though, so you do all the gigs and interviews that come along so you can get to the next level of music. We want to get to the next level so much.
Graham: Having a job kind of gives you ambition because you want to get out of it. When you are making music it makes you realize how much you want to do it full time.
Talking of stepping up to another level, you’ve just spent the morning with Adidas getting kitted out by them. That must have been nice.
Graham: They took us to JD Sports and they showed us the whole Adidas section and told us to take some stuff.
KS: But ‘Don’t choose any of our competitors’ stuff.’
Graham: It was cool. It was nice to look at the price tag, and then get it for free.
Ally (laughing): Yeah at the till it was like ‘This one’s free, and this is free, and this one is free.’
You guys are obviously having a real laugh. I listened to a Radio 1 interview you did and you were joking and taking the piss out of the questions all the way through. Who’s the funniest?
Graham: I dunno, we all have our moments I think.
KS: I would say—
[Ally’s phone rings and he answers]
Ally: Phone me back. I’m doing an interview.
[The band can’t stop laughing.]
Graham: There you go. Ally’s the funniest.
KS: You set that up!
You have real fun on stage as well. You have little choreographed moves. Who comes up with that?
Ally: It’s all random. If say KS does something at a gig and it’s a bit rad, then we’ll keep it. We come up with stuff in rehearsals as well when we’re having a laugh and we’ll keep the moves in mind.
Graham: We don’t get all serious and think up all these moves to do on stage.
KS (laughing): It’s like, ‘One, two, three, turn. YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG!’
Graham: You can tell if you ever see us on stage that it’s nothing serious. We’re not like Michael Jackson. Sometimes you’ll just see KS doing something and think it’s pretty cool and join in.
KS: And in doing the moves it gets the audience involved as well. It gets them dancing and doing the moves back at you.
Have you had any of that famous London indifference at your shows?
Graham: On our first gig everyone was going nuts and we were thinking that playing in London was really cool, but there have been some gigs where they just stand there, texting on their phones and BlackBerries. The weird thing is that after those ones, people will come up and tell you that the show was really good.
KS: We dance on stage because we’re having such a good time and you think they should be, too, because they’re enjoying themselves, but they’re just standing there and I think they’re digesting and analyzing everything that’s going on.
Graham: You can kind of understand that. When I watch a band, I watch every move they make. But once we played a gig and no one was even looking at us and we’re all dancing around. It was weird. It was like a wedding or a DJ or something. Nobody was looking at us. But it was a good feeling seeing everybody dancing to our music like that.
Have you got plans to get a full band behind you when you play live?
Ally: We had one before. We had a full 10-piece band, but it was too much of a hassle. Maybe for big festivals or something like that we were thinking of getting a DJ or two drummers or something like that, like Dananananaykroyd have. I don’t think we’d have a full band though. It’s not needed.
Graham: Or like this guy Ryan we know of who played the Indian tabla drum. That would be cool. Something that gives us a little bit extra.
KS: As Ally was saying, if it’s required. But we’re not going to be standing there doing the same thing. We’re always striving hard to push ourselves to the next level and see what works in terms of music. Whatever works we’ll do, and whatever feels right to us, we’ll do.
Ally: We won’t do it for the sake of it. We won’t just get a band to play a festival because everyone else there has got one.
What’s next for you guys?
Ally: In terms of festivals this summer, we’ve got Sonar festival in Spain and Hinterland and then Lovebox festival in London and Wakestock in Wales.
Graham: As well as those things, hopefully got the album coming out later in the year and then just go from there. Try and keep recording and so we’ll have another ready really soon. And try and leave the library too.
