Avant-garde and experimental Dublin band Akrobat have released their new single, Basquiat's Widow. We asked front man Shane Regan the BIG questions . . .
Akrobat are Regan (lead vocals, songwriter), Paddy Lyons (lead guitar), Pauline Quinn (vocals), Eoin McCarthy (keys/synths), Ales Bajgart (bass) and Sebastian Elbacho (drums) and Basquiat's Widow is the lead single from the band's debut album Jammed Space Movement, which is set for digital release on 5 November.
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Speaking about the new track, the band say, "Basquiat's Widow is based on the tumultuous and passionate relationship between American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and his lover and muse, Suzanne Mallouk.
"On a broader and more contemporary note, it’s a reflection on segregation, racism towards people of colour and prejudice towards the LGBTQ+ community."
Akrobat play the BelloBar, Dublin on 5 November.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I enjoy collaborations - different voices, different skills, or different ideas. In all walks of life, and definitely in music. It’s really challenging working with different personalities, but I love a challenge!
I have pretty diverse interests. Aside from music, I love the outdoors and have mountain biked since I was a teenager, I am a bit of a geek for finding solutions for the big environmental problems and culture in general fascinates me. Listen hard and you will find these things influence my lyrics.
I am not very good at linguistics, but I am trying and failing to learn Greek. Did I say I like a challenge? My current favourite phrase is "spasta ola"!
How would you describe your music?
Akrobat are not your typical band. We move between overlapping genres and sounds, from leftfield to mainstream, and I guess you could consider us quite avant-garde and experimental! We love to blend elements of indie, garage, electronica, new wave punk, funk and jazz, and our sound is quite contemporary and multi-layered. But I would like to think we are harmonious - and on our upcoming album, Jammed Space Movement, each track is interwoven and of a piece with distinctive vocals and guitar lines, with plenty of room left to let the songs open out and breathe!
Who are your musical inspirations?
Our key influences would be bands and artists like Television, PJ Harvey, The Velvet Underground, Radiohead, Pavement, Sonic Youth, and LCD Soundsystem, and in general I really enjoy artists that have witty, dreamlike lyrics, art-pop sensibilities, accompanied by clever musicianship and experimental sounds. Equally, we love the thriving alt-music scene out there at the moment, with great bands like the Squid, Silverbacks, Kevin Morby, Wet Leg, Sinead O’Brien and Gilla Band thriving. It’s a very cool movement in alt-music right now.
What was the first gig you ever went to and the first record you ever bought/downloaded?
Funnily enough, one of the first big gigs myself and Paddy (our lead guitar player) went to was the Radiohead Kid A tour when it rocked up in Punchestown. I still remember the band blasting out The National Anthem as the gig opener. Magic. And similarly, one of the first records we both bought as young nippers was Beck’s Odelay. A bona fide classic that pioneered seemingly disparate genres into some classic songs. This really influenced us as we developed into musicians in the years since.
What’s your favourite song right now?
This one is a couple of years old, but I love Sludge by Squid, and according to Spotify my most played song! It’s groovy, a bit weird, with some cool electronics and funky guitar work. A great tune.
Favourite lyric of all time?
I’ll pitch the greatest lyric writer of them all. One of my favourite Dylan songs is probably his darkest, Desolation Row, where he narrates a story about a racial hanging, nuclear war and our tendency to do inhumane things. There is a standout lyric in this midst that I love and always sing to myself, particularly at night! "Now the moon is almost hidden. The stars are beginning to hide. The fortune-telling lady. Has even taken all her things inside". Now that is what I call setting the scene. The Shakespeare of our time.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Really difficult to choose just one song, but a tune I could listen to forever, and never ever get bored, is Spanish Key by Miles Davis. It’s a really wonderful and enjoyable tune by a now legendary band at the top of their game. To be played by day or late at night, maybe with wine.
Where can people find your music/more information?
People can check out our website, our bandcamp and follow us on instagram.
