Darlington outfit The Skapones are preparing to head out to America so Lee Allcock caught up with frontman Paul Williams to speak about how they’re preparing, their transition from a covers band to a mainly original band and more.
You were rather well known as a Ska covers band, so why did you decide to create your own original tracks? That must have been rather daunting…
Daunting didn’t really come into it as it was more a journey of discovery. We still include a few covers because we love them but I prefer doing our own stuff, to be honest. There’s no point in sweating and slaving over your own work and then never playing it.
What can people expect at a Skapones gig? Especially now you’re playing your own original material too…
A fun, energetic night out. We like to get amongst the audience where we can: a stage invasion is always welcome (if done properly). A big brass section means a lot of power and our drummer, Chris, keeps the rhythms tight. The whole thing thrown together is delightful to work with and has immense power.
You’re heading out to America shortly. You must be excited?
Definitely. We’re really appreciated by people in a lot of areas of the USA and there have been promoters who are as good as they say they are by fulfilling talks we’ve had and putting the shows together. We are playing Harrisburg, Philadelphia (2 shows), Baltimore, Chicago (2 shows), Los Angeles and New York – it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. We’ve sold a lot of merchandise and the album has sold well in America. We believe in the old punk ethos of DIY: we run our own management and run our own record label so we have full control; so it’s a nice sort of victory to be accepted in the States.
If you could go to dinner with any musician in the world, dead or alive, who would that be and why?
Blimey, that’s a tough one. Elvis, maybe? Lennon? Someone who has had a huge impact on world music.
And finally, what else do you have in store for 2019 that your North East fans can get excited about?
We’re supporting 2Tone giants The Specials on their 40th Anniversary Tour on 2 northern dates including Middlesbrough Town Hall on the 5th May and Spa Theatre on the beach front in Scarborough on the 6th. These guys are why we got into music: they’re our heroes, our inspiration and it doesn’t get any better than this. We will also be releasing more original material: we have almost 2 albums’ worth of new stuff with one being a concept-style album with lots of guest musicians taking part, and another with a working title of ‘Northern Gods’.
To find out more about Darlington’s The Skapones, please head to theskapones.co.uk.
