As the week progresses and the sun is (hopefully) still out, let’s further brighten your day with the astrally-monikered Sons of Alpha Centauri. Bassist Nick Hannon is in our hotseat…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
From the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. If Kent is the garden of England then Sheppey is the compost heap. I love it but it’s an acquired love.
How did you meet?
Me and Marlon (guitars) went to school and Blake and Stevie B were in bands on the local scene so had been hanging out with them at shows anyway.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We formed in 2001 and started playing as a four-piece in 2004 so that’s 17 years now.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
When we formed the band we were coming at things ‘from another place’ and that’s where the ‘Alpha Centauri’ kicked in, being the next nearest star after our own sun. The ‘sons’ is a play on ‘suns’ and the band is pretty inwards looking both socially and musically, so once the suns / sons burn out then it’s done. It’s kind of a constant reminder of our own investment too.
What are your influences?
British 70s, European 80s, U.S. 90s music mostly. Not a lot from this century! For me, I really like the desert Palm Spring rock vibe. I’ve always like looking into bands from scenes with shared members and overlapping studios and producers etc. You just don’t get that so much now as journalism is like ‘This band, that band’ and then straight onto the next thing super quick. Dwelling on the places and their history can really dig up even more awesome bands and then you’ve got affiliations of bands that you can dig into man. I grew up on Seattle grunge, London techno and I really dug into those scenes and enjoyed finding out more about how they interlinked.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Like Tangerine Dream serenading a metalhead at a Faith No More concert.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Our debut and this new album are both instrumental so not really!
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Considering we’ve been around for 17 years we’ve not played loads of shows. We did a spate of shows at the Camden Underworld from 2009 – 2013 which I think was like 10 shows or something. Great place – one of the heartland venues for sure.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Karma to Burn bought us a bottle of absinthe before we played a show once. It was the bottle that has the same cover as their Almost Heathen album. We (SOAC) drank the whole bottle and in fact Stevie B (drummer) probably had half of that. You could argue that was too much absinthe.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
New album! First new album in 11 years. We’ve been together 17 years and this is our second album so yeah, it’s a big deal – it’s called Continuum and it’s the follow up to the debut. It has been produced by Aaron Harris of Palms and he is also the drummer for a band called ISIS. Check out the album for sure.
What are your plans for 2018?
Promoting Continuum, we have some interviews online, a video to the single “Io” which people should check out.
Check out this trailer for the album right here people!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Tool supporting us and The Doors headlining. I think we could manage the transition between the two.
From previous Band of the Day Muscular Child: Dave Grohl, Mick Jagger, Prince – Who would you kiss, who would you marry and who would you kill?
Well, I love Prince but seeing as we’ve already lost Prince then that’s an easy one. I’d kiss Mick as he’d be cool with that I reckon and marry Dave Grohl. Then I’d just play bass and drums all day with my new wifey.
From another BotD, Vanity: If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
Cigarettes suck!
Sons of Alpha Centauri: official | facebook | twitter | youtube | spotify
