Emerging Dublin band Blue Slate have released their new single, Prospect. We asked lead guitarist Pierce Devine the BIG questions . . .
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Tell us three things about yourself . . .
My name is Pierce, I am the lead guitarist in Blue Slate and I am from Kildare.
How would you describe your music?
We would consider ourselves to fit into the alternative rock bracket quite well, but we have quite a range of genres that we draw from, such as the likes of post-punk, punk, shoegaze and rock and roll. We all grew up listening to such different music, whilst also having a common ground through certain bands. So, in terms of genre, I think all these influences bleed through quite heavily into our songwriting. Which I find to be quite refreshing, as when we are writing a lot of the time, the song takes a turn in a direction it was not originally intended to take but comes together as a song that has quite a unique personality, which is always the goal in terms of our music.
Who are your musical inspirations?
As a band, we have a range of influences both musically and lyrically, but in particular we are all very inspired by the work of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Manic Street Preachers, The Velvet Underground and DIIV, to name a few. In terms of gaining the inspiration to do this and finding the love for doing this, those bands are the ones who did it for us without question, each of them are geniuses in their own regard.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My first show was actually when I was six years old in 2008. My dad brought me and my brother to see The Kings of Leon at Oxegen Festival in Punchestown Racecourse. I don't remember much from that time but I know I was there.
What was the first record you ever bought?
The first record I ever bought myself was Goo by Sonic Youth. I didn't mention them earlier but for me they are a huge influence. I love the simplicity of it all, the use of clean tones to fuzz, from melodics to chaos. I think it's a flawless album. My top picks are probably Mildred Pierce and Tunic (Song for Karen). I recommend it to anyone .
What's your favourite song right now?
There is a lot of great new music out there at the minute, particularly coming out of Ireland which is inspiring to see. My favourite song at the minute is Nausea by Gurriers. I saw them at their Grand Social headline in Dublin in October and Nausea was the opener and the encore and it floored me both times.
Favourite lyric of all time?
My favourite lyric of all time comes from Ritchie Edwards of Manic Street Preachers, Archives of Pain: "There is never redemption, any fool can regret yesterday." I think the whole song carries such a strong message but that line in particular just resonates with me. No room for metaphors or interpretations, just a clear message. I suppose I find myself agreeing with it, and that line in particular catches my ear every time.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Archives of Pain by The Manic Street Preachers. It's such a powerful song from such a powerful album. The message is clear and the music syncs to it perfectly. To me it is everything a song should be.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Our music is out on all streaming platforms. Our Instagram account is blueslate.band. We post everything you need to know onto our Instagram so I suppose that would be a good place to have a look.
Alan Corr
