by Michelle Heffernan
Photos by Thomas Grace Photography TGP
They’re grungy. They’re gritty. They’re laid back rock and sexy swag. Waterford’s own Collides are making a name for themselves across the country with their fresh sound of rock/punk and garage. Fresh out of a week gigging in Dublin, the band had a chat with Waterford in Your Pocket about music in Waterford, making original sounds, and whether musicians really do get more action…
First things first. You’re from Waterford. Is Waterford the epicentre of original music talent?:)
Well, obviously, duh. Hahah. Na, there are some great original bands and musicians around right now in Waterford. It really is bursting out with talented people. Everyone seems to be pulling in the same direction as well and I really think it’s just a matter of time before someone breaks out and people outside will see how good the scene here in Waterford is.
Forgive me for saying this , but how did you get together-how did your paths Collide?…:P
Myself(Seán) and Mark are from Waterford and Philly and Andrew hail from Slieverue in Kilkenny. IT’s OK though, we don’t judge Andrew and Philly too much. It’s not their fault. Hahaha. I started the band in 2014. We were a 3 piece starting off, with myself on vocals and guitar, Seán Murphy on bass and vocals and Tom Griffiths on drums. Tom left in 2016 and Andrew joined. In 2017, Seán left and was replaced by Philly. After a few practices, we decided we needed to beef the sound up a bit with a second guitar, so we asked Mark to come have a Jam with us. We all clicked pretty much straight away and actually, the very first song we made as a band, ‘We’re So Cruel’ made it on to our EP which is pretty cool I think.
Why the name Collides? Whose idea was that?
It’s so hard to get a decent band name I think these days that has not already been taken. We had a few ideas but nothing really stuck or it was already taken. I came up with Collides. I dunno, just thought it sounded cool. Plus, then in a really kind of corny way, it means, because there are so many different styles within the band, they all, er, collide and make up this noise….I know, I know. Hahaha. But it’s not just the different musical influences we all have, we have different styles in the way we play and I think we compliment each other and that works in our favour.
How would you describe your sound? Who influences your sound?
I suppose you could describe our sound as straight up rock n roll. Obviously there are bits of grunge/punk/garage..some psychedelic undertones. I would even say with the newer songs we are working on, they are a little, for the want of a better word, poppier. We have many influences, like QOTSA, Foo Fighters, Nirvana etc, but we are also heavily influenced by guys like Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith, The Cure, Arctic Monkeys, Joy Division, Mastodon, The Doors…the list goes on and on. Our aim is to learn and try add our own twist and get our own thing down.
Collides “What’s On Your Mind” features on their debut EP “Fools Feel Fine”
Your EP Fools Feel Fine is fresh out of the studio! When did you guys record that, how many tracks are on it, where can we get it?
We went to Red Lake studios in February this year. We picked 3 of the 4 songs we originally recorded as a 3 piece, ‘All The Time’, ‘Dream In Dream’ and ‘Land Ho’ and added the two new songs, ‘What’s On Your Mind’ and ‘We’re So Cruel’. It was a long time on the making, so we are delighted we could do this release. Felt good when we had the art work and EP launch and everything else that went with it done.You can find the EP on Bandcamp, Spotify, itunes, deezer etc., all the platforms. Also, you can get a copy in Golden discs here in Waterford. We also have collides tees on bandcamp for sale( see the author below in one!)
Any more gigs lined up?
Yeah, we are sooo busy to end the year out which we are really looking forward to. Playing in Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork and Dublin. Our next gig is in Waterford the on 16th(Rogue Gallery), 17th(Golden Discs), they are both acoustic ones. Thomastown, Kilkenny the 17th(Eddie Murphys). Up to Dublin the 21st and 22nd(Fibbers).We have 2 confirmed for December, in Waterford, 1st(Metalman) and Cork 20th(Fred Zeppelins). We have a couple more TBC. So, busy busy busy!
You’re 4 fine looking young fellas-so…do musicians get more action?
Why thank you very much. It’s effortless really. Hahaha. Yeah we get a lot of action with Thumbelina and her four friends. All Day, Errry day. Hahaha.
You can find Collides on Facebook, Twitter, Instragram and Youtube, as well as Spotify and Bandcamp. You can also buy their EP in Golden Discs, Waterford, and see them play at the Rogue Gallery on November 16th and at Golden Discs Store November 17th!
