Image : Nicholas O’Donnell [Used with permission]
Indie-rock /pop artist Somebody’s Child on the soundtrack to his life
What was the first album/single that you ever bought?
Eminem Curtain call is the first album I remember owning myself.
What is your earliest musical memory?
I used to live in France, and I did lessons with a great tutor on a rented old brown upright. That’s my earliest memory of playing.
Is there a particular song/band/singer that made you want to be a musician?
My biggest influence was probably through friends who played, rather than famous people.
What song instantly reminds you of a particular person?
Songs are quite linked to memory, so certain songs remind me of certain times, but I can’t say I have any songs linked to people specifically. However, The Stone Roses remind me of a friend who came to see them in Manchester with me a few years ago. We got the Lemon tattooed on ourselves just before the trip, so it’s hard to forget that one!
Is there a song whose lyrics resonate with you and why so?
Right now the National are inspiring me lyrically. The balance they have of ‘on-the-nose’ vs ‘tongue-in-cheek’ really resonates with me. While some sound satirical, it’s hard not to look deeper than what you initially hear. It keeps me coming back for more.
The band/musician that you grew up listening to?
The Arctic Monkeys were a big influence in my later teenage years. Before that I didn’t have much listening habits to be honest. I listened to whatever was on, be it the radio, or whatever my parents would play. If I was driving with my mum it would be classical, and my dad Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen.
It was only when I was 15 or 16, and I gave up grades on the piano that I stared writing my own songs and expanding my musical palet.
What song do you wish that you had written and why?
Tough question, but for now A Certain Romance – Arctic Monkeys. Lyrics are so poignant and direct, and the story is told so situationally, something I’ve always wanted to be able to do.
What song transports you back in time and why?
Electronic music was a big influence on me from 18-22 or so, so there are loads of songs in that genre that take me back to those formative years. Darkside – Paper Trails being one of them, along with all Mount Kimbie stuff.
Which song makes you happy when you hear it?
Waterfall – Stone Roses at the moment.
Which song makes you sad when you hear it?
The Strokes, Last Nite – It was such a big song for me once, now it makes me feel old.
What was the first gig you went to?
The Pogues with my father, 12 or 13 years ago in Dublin.
What was the first song that you ever performed?
Probably a really bad original when I was 17…
Somebody’s Child’ s EP and the single “We could start a war” (remix by Le Boom) are both out now
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