Dublin-based indie band The Black Captain have released their new single, One Last Summer. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
The three-piece band featuring Paul Rock, Alan Lynch and Dermot Hagan was tipped by 2XM as best of Irish for their debut single Calling to You in 2013 and released their self-titled debut EP in 2015. After a long hiatus. the band reformed in 2019 and began working on their debut album in Crookedwood Studios, Slane with producer Dave Arkins.
Tell us three things about yourself?
We are a three-piece band from Balrothery in North Dublin, all self-taught musicians and have been in various versions of the same band for as long as we can remember. We have recently just finished recording our debut 10-track album with producer David Arkins at Crookedwood studios in Slane and we are really proud of how it's turned out.
How would you describe your music?
Great!! Ha ha, seriously, it’s really a merge of three different personal styles to create a single cross-genre relatable sound, it’s a longing for simpler times and it’s been described as alternative Americana with a sprinkle of 90’s guitar pop on the top. Personally, it’s a form of therapy, in a world where so many of us are struggling to make sense of our lives, music helps us find peace within the chaos.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Our mutual inspirations are Smashing pumpkins, R.E.M., Weezer, Radiohead, Bowie, Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac, our drummer, Alan, is a big Foo Fighters/Taylor Hawkins fan, so it was a big shock when he passed recently, a lot of our song writing inspiration comes from all the experiences we have been through in our lives, losing people we loved, celebrating things that we have, hoping for change, sometimes these are locked away for years and only see the light of day when the guitar draws them out.
What was the first gig you ever went to and the first record you ever bought/downloaded?
Our first gigs were probably some local youth clubs when loads of local bands were floating around, everyone in our area played an instrument of some sort, which sowed a lot of our roots and desire to play. Officially, it was No Doubt in the point, Alan is convinced he got a wave from Gwen Stefani as she watched the support band, we are not so sure ha ha, also, around that time we would have seen a lot of the 90’s bands, The Verve, Ocean Colour Scene, Stereophonics, Ash, Garbage, Cast etc. My first purchase was Babylon Zoo’s Spaceman, Alan’s was Boombastic by Shaggy and Dermot’s Automatic For The People by R.E.M. Downloading was a marathon in the late 90s and the first song we attempted was Smells Like Teen Spirit which took about four days over dial-up ha ha … so worth it though!
What’s your favourite song right now?
Gin-Soaked Boy by the Divine Comedy and anything by Sam Fender, who is one seriously authentic songwriter.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Great question, for us music is in our souls, and so many lyrics have helped us through dark and joyous times. 'Breathe out, so I can breathe you in’ - Everlong by Foo Fighters. ‘Someone will always be, more than I’ll ever be so then I’ll be myself’ - Cast Live The Dream and ‘The answer my friend is blowing in the wind’ - Bob Dylan.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oooh that’s a tough one, I think you would need a song that would get you through everything, so for us it’s between Paranoid Android and Bohemian Rhapsody, let’s go with the latter…
Where can people find your music/more information?
All the social links are below, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. Thanks for having us.
