We really appreciate those small, underground acts and it doesn’t get smaller than when it’s only a single person! Dan of/who is sad films got our “band” questions rather than our solo ones, but ran with it anyway – trooper! Here’s what Dan is up to…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Hello Moshville! Thanks for having me. My name is Dan, I am from Salford, and I am sad films. It’s a solo project so it’s just me but I do have a wonderful set of co-conspirators I call on to play live with me.
How did you meet?
Well, I guess you could say I met myself on a maternity ward in 1986 when I was slapped into existence by a NHS nurse but in terms of my band, me and Tom (Favell, guitarist) were in a band about 10 years ago and now we play on each other’s solo music. I also have a great drummer Ali who I met through friends when I was trying to find someone to play live drums for me. Those two have been my longest serving band members in the short time I have been active as sad films, but I am very lucky to have a fair few other musicians who help with bass and other guitars on live dates.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We have only been playing live for about 18 months really. The idea of sad films came about in the first lockdown, I had a lot more time on my hands so basically started learning a lot of home production stuff and did a collection of self-produced cover songs to hone those skills. I did one song a week just to have something to focus on. Then once I got confident, I started making a load of demos and here we are. It was very important to me as a solo artist to build up a good catalogue of music first before trying to put a band together so that we could actually play a solid half hour and I didn’t waste time anyone’s time in rehearsals trying to write things or finish songs off. It’s taken a while to push the rock a bit but it’s starting to roll down the hill now.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
I have never been asked this actually! Which is either because the name’s good or people see it and do that Alan Partridge type shrug of not being arsed about something! When I wanted to pursue a solo project after being in bands for a while, I decided quite early on that I wanted to have a collective name for it to relieve some of the pressure I had invited on myself by becoming a sole enterprise. I am also a massive film fan, so it was a way to acknowledge my love of cinema and, phonetically it just kind of sounds nice to say, I guess.
What are your influences?
I have always been drawn to visually striking artists that bring a cohesive vision to their output. With the people I like it was more than music to them and you could tell. With artists like David Bowie, David Byrne, Prince, Debbie Harry, you could tell it was more than just music to them. That cohesive vision around clothes, music, visuals and staging really is something that resonates with me more. I guess it’s the escapism of it. I have spent all my life in jeans and t-shirts; why would I get on stage and wear that when I can have some fun with it and lean on my love of other artistic mediums? Musically I love a lot of electronic music, so I like playing with those influences and merging them with organic instruments. Bands like The National and Bon Iver are always reference points for me for that.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
As someone from Salford who lives in Manchester, I have lived and breathed those cities day in day out for nearly 40 years. They’re in my bones. So, I guess something that is different about me to a degree is that there’s a consciously rebellious reaction to my environment when it comes to making my own music. Therefore, I definitely do not write ‘Manchester’ music and I wouldn’t even try to. I find the term quite off putting if I am being honest. Its creatively stifling in my opinion. I love their music but there’s only ever going to be one Smiths and one Oasis isn’t there? The city was made famous for pushing on and forging its own path, not copying. I am making music that I want to make and that involves looking to inspiration further afield than my own doorstep. Now, I am not unique in doing this, but I am unique in that it’s my voice and my way of doing it I suppose. Make no mistake I am very proud of where I am from, but I am more than where I am from if that makes sense. To ignore my passion for 1970s American songwriters or electronic music from Berlin for example would be an act of self-sabotage. So, I guess I am trying to do something different when it comes to consciously rebelling against the typical sound that people who are not from here may expect of me.
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Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Great question! I love characters, thematic threads and narrative structures. It’s how I like to start when it comes to writing my songs. Those tools are what keep me interested as a songwriter and I guess it comes from watching films non-stop as a kid. It’s how I start to find my way into a song. Once I have a few building blocks of lyrics based on a character or story, I find that easier to explore as I know I have something to focus on. My recent single, ‘Dog Day’ for example was inspired by the film Dog Day Afternoon. The idea of someone declaring their love for their partner by robbing a bank really inspired me and was a lot of fun to write. I am currently writing a song about an old pro-wrestler who is looking back on his life as he sits in a school gymnasium signing autographs. At the end of the day, all my songs explore very human things like love, loneliness etc. There’s a song on the new EP about what it’s like to be Bill Murray doing an advert in Japan. Now that’s just a song about being lonely in another country, the difference is that I have just found a way to communicate that universal feeling that keeps me interested, and hopefully the audience too.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
I am very lucky that I get to play with my mates. I have a 5-piece band including myself, so the live show is very organic in that sense. All electric guitars, bass and drums so the songs have a bit more of an edge to them compared to some of the studio versions. I would love a keys player so hopefully be able to get someone in to play those eventually. In terms of number of shows, we haven’t played loads, but we have played a lot in our past lives in other bands, so it feels very natural and is a lot of fun. I am looking to play a lot more now the new EP is finished.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
As a fan, I have been to hundreds and hundreds of gigs and one of the maddest things I saw was at Primavera festival in 2022. I popped by one of the stages to see Jay Electronica and he got about two songs in and started to invite people on stage. He just kept pulling people up and it ended up with about 100 people on stage and it was chaos. He then started throwing walkie talkies and his own microphone in the crowd and then crowd surfing. Naturally he got rushed by security and the show was cut short after about 15 mins. The best bit was the Spanish sound engineer who squared up to him and had to be pulled away from him. That guy did not give one fuck about who this rapper was. It was great to see him stand his ground because Jay was threatening to beat him up on the mic. Pretty rock and roll from the crew if you ask me.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
I actually don’t play anything on stage myself, I just sing and wave my arms about. But, at home I record with a pretty modest set up. I am a Logic Pro guy so have a desktop Mac and mostly use stock plugins for my demos. I have an AKAI MPK mini keyboard which is probably the best value piece of equipment I have ever had. I also have a Komplete Kontrol S49 for more intricate keyboards/midi requirements. The rest of my stuff is all played straight into the DAW via live instruments. I have trimmed my guitar collection recently, so I just have my trusty Fender Telecaster and Jazz bass to record with. It’s all I need really. On stage, because I only sing, I have a Shure Beta 57a. I love that microphone. It’s really well built, and I love how it looks. In terms of specific gear for live performance, me and my guitarist are big fans of the Ibanez Tubescreamer and we only use Fender amps. We just love the sound of them together. Obviously, there’s more to the live show and we don’t use anything rubbish but I am not a massive gear head to be honest. I got to play with some fantastic gear at Bam Bam Studios in Norfolk where I recorded the EP though. I got to sing the word ‘penis’ into a £4000 Nuemann condenser mic for example. That was a bit surreal but very fun.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
I have my debut EP, Exchange Pleasantries, which is out on July 18th but is preceded by a single, “Past Tense” which is out on 5th June (pre-order Exchange Pleasantries on Bandcamp to receive the single “Past Tense” before anyone else). Thematically I was reading a lot of stuff about memory and time. Don’t hold me to it but I think it could be the first song about time travel you can dance to…
As for the EP itself, the title comes from old formal ways of saying hello. It’s a big thing to do your first full-length EP so I kind of wanted to say here I am, and this is my music. Plus, the title has the letters E and P in which appealed to some of my neater tendencies. Some of the songs were a couple years old so it felt good putting them to bed so to speak and it’s now freed up a lot of space in my mind for new ideas. Along with the confidence gained from making it, I am excited about what’s next but for now, this EP is definitely a good example of what sad films is right now. The last song on the record, Tokyo, is musically something I feel represents all my influences so far and what gets me excited as a writer. It was the last song I finished for the EP, so it feels like the best advert for where I am as a musician right now. I am very proud of it.
To celebrate the EP launch, I will also be playing a special headline show with my band on July 20th at The Castle Hotel in Manchester. I adore that venue and I cannot wait to play there again. I played there years ago with another band, but I feel really energised to get in there as sad films and kick the dunny door in (as my Australian friends would say). Tickets are available here.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
More writing for sure but definitely more gigs as a priority. Once we get match fit for the EP launch show in July, I want us to carry that momentum into the rest of the year. Ideally, we’d do some more local shows but I really want to do London too as they have some great smaller venues, and then do a bigger hometown gig towards the end of the year to see it out with a bang.
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!
It’s a tough choice between R.E.M. and Arctic Monkeys. Obviously R.E.M. are no longer together but I would love to open for either of them. Alex Turner is one of, if not the best British songwriter of the last 30 years and Michael Stipe is one of the best frontmen of all time, no question.
In terms of being supported by a band or artist, I am big fan of a local band called The Deep Blue. They’re incredible and make some of the best sounding pop music around. They have this cool Laurel Canyon vibe going on with their harmonies and their drummer Sophie is brilliant when she lets loose and rocks out a bit. Overall, a great band who should be much bigger but they’re on their way for sure!
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