Suds on Bleeker

Official statement from the band

So news broke this week that one of my favourite bands,  Straylight Run, has decided to go on an ’indefinite hiatus’. Now a lot of you may not know much about this band (apart from the fact that singer/guitarist/pianist John Nolan was in Taking Back Sunday), take my word for it: the world has lost one of its most truly talented bands.

I first heard them around 7 years ago; getting wind of some demo recordings on a MySpace page, and I was really impressed by what I heard. Since then, I’ve grown to love SR in so many different ways and for so many different reasons. Having only had the chance to see them live twice, I took the opportunity to meet the band on both occasions, discovering that they were not just a talented bunch of musicians, but a band that cared about its fans and worked hard to keep playing shows and make music.  It’s because of that fact that their hiatus stings so much. They simply cannot financially afford to be a band anymore. They didn’t have a diva moment, they didn’t grow a part; they are simply low on cash. The same reason has taken quality bands in the past (Brit-rockers Reuben, pop-punkers Allister etc.) and it will continue to do so.

Now, I might just be a little bitter, but I blame the fickle nature of the casual music fan. You know the kind, the ones that buy albums just to listen to the singles over and over, the ones that talk loudly over quite bands at shows, the ones who have 40 songs on their mp3 players because that’s all they’ll ever need. Yes, I know I sound like a real music snob, but I’d like to think that after 12 years of loving the kind of music I do and supporting my local scene, and the past decade of playing in bands in front of less than 20 people at a time, I’ve earned the right to an opinion. And my opinion is simply that there is no hope for the little bands in this world. Now, you may disagree with me here, you may reel off a list of underground bands that remained healthy and active for long periods of time, but I speak of more recent times. I’m talking post-2000. It remains to be seen whether or not any of the underground bands that have formed over the last decade will ever succeed in having long careers whilst maintaining a sense of non-commercial credibility. If come 2020 there is a bunch of bands still going that contradict what I’m writing, I’ll happily admit I was wrong, because if I am proven wrong I will be absolutely ecstatic. But in all honesty, the loss of a band that I think was one of the very best has really forced me to cast my mind back to those underdog bands I’ve loved and lost over the years. Just recently, the fantastic The Jonbenét split, and  I was beside myself with fury. Why you ask? Well because Gallows are making middle-of-the-road, over-produced punk rock (with a massively delusional sense of self-importance, I might add) whilst The Jonbenét have been churning out genuinely bruising punk rock, dripping with defiance and independence, but can’t even manage to scrape together the money for a cheap recording.

You can call me bitter. You can call me elitist. But great underground bands fold every day because of the fickle business that is music. Guys being underpaid for the work they put in, told their pure creation is not good enough to share with others. It’s almost enough to make you lose faith. But I’ll end on a positive note, as, for now, there are so many great bands still plugging away around the gig circuit, playing for tiny audiences and working day-jobs to fund their passion. Even those bands that have broken up now have left behind great legacies. So to Straylight Run, to American Football, to Johnny Truant, to Reuben, to countless others…thanks for the tunes.

So take yourself down to your local venues, visit the websites of some independent labels. Hell, go buy some Straylight Run records and give those guys the funds to get back on the road and do what they live for. Whatever you do, just remember: it all starts with your local scene, with all the little bands. They’re the ones who will grow to be the greats. Be a part of it.