SARGENT HOUSE

No Spill Blood headline the middle night of the NOISE Weekender on Sept 29…Stephen asked their synth meister Ruadhan O’Meara a few questions…

Where did the name No Spill Blood originate from?
It’s actually just lifted from an Oingo Boingo tune (we’re big fans). They lifted a passage from the H.G. Wells book “The Island of Dr Moreau”. It was the same passage that Devo got “Are we not men??” from.

Did the band’s sound originate from a pre-conceived idea or was it the result of jamming together?
Well the original concept was just synths and live drums, but in execution it was a different beast altogether. We just liked how it sounded when the synths and bass guitar locked up to become one pulsating mass!

Was it a conscious decision not to have a guitarist? Are you a closet guitar player by any chance?!
Guitar is actually my first instrument (isn’t it everyones??). We dabbled with it a bit, but thought it might be more interesting to leave it out altogether.

What is on rotation in the tour van/car/private jet at the moment?
Dead Rider – Raw Dents, the new Krallice album, High on Fire – De Vermis Mysterious, Sensations Fix – Portable Madness, Medusa – En Raga Suul, Castevet – Mounds of Ash, Michael Hoenig – Departure from the Northern Wasteland.

A lot of the lyrical content within Street Meat is quite dark. What inspires you to write?
Well Matt’s lyrics are based on a short story he wrote years ago, they have a dark tone that suits the music nicely.

What was it like working with Dek Hynes on the recording of the EP?
Dek is a total bro, and we’ve worked with him on various projects in the past. Bascially we recorded it in an old dilapidated office block (it had no power and everything had to be run off a petrol generator), and did overdubs in his gaff. Quite a relaxed and painless recording experience (for us anyway, we proably wrecked his head!!)

Many were introduced to NSB for the first time in the closing moments of Irish Music Documentary ‘A Joyful Slog’. Did the band benefit from the placement?
Community of Independents, who made that film, have been very good to us. They have filmed us a few times, and gave us prominent placing in the documentary. They are great at what they do, and have enthusiasm and drive in spades. Many acts, including us, have benefitted from this.

If you could murder one person on the street and get away with it, who would it be and why?
I dunno someone like John Lynn, for crimes against comedy. Awful, awful man…

How did the band end up working with Sargent House?
Lar’s other band, Adebisi Shank, are already on the label, so when Cathy who runs the label found out he was playing in a new band, she was eager to hear it. It was actually a video by Community of Independents that made it to her first….

Is there much of a contrast between working with a label like Sargent House and the DIY approach?
Not as much as you think! Yes, Sargent House is a very successful label with some big and impressive acts (Boris, Russian Circles, Fang Island, VSS etc). What I find really remarkable about it is how they operate at a very high level, but still manage to keep everything personal and grass roots. Cathy (the label boss) is involved directly with every band on the label, and manages to run a successful business, while keeping it punk rock. Even though it’s on a bigger scale, the model would be quite similar to the likes of Richter Collective or Out on a Limb.

How do you find the Irish music scene at present?
Great! Lots of great bands keep popping up and blowing us away. Lately we’re loving what Wolfbait, Fag Enablerz, Minnows, Simon Bird, Wild Rocket are doing, but there are too many good acts around to call out in one go!

Do you find Dublin to be a beneficial location as opposed to the rest of the country?
Eh, well yeah it does help that there are so many things going on, and usually Dublin can provide enough people to attend 2 or 3 shows in the one evening. Not everywhere in Ireland is like that.

What five things are essential to NSB on the road?
Brake Pads, Harp, Constant road tunes, a lighter, and coffee/red bull.

Over the summer NSB played the Electric Picnic, how did your slot go?
Great! We played the Bamboo Stage, which is more of a bandstand than a tent. It worked out really well for us, though we were a bit out of it, especially Lar who had just flown in from 20+ dates with Adebisi Shank round the U.S.. He was delirious and wonky by the end of it but he pulled it off!

Are there plans to tour the album outside Ireland?
Nothing definite as yet, but we’d love to get over to the UK, US, Europe and beyond!

If you could give one piece of advice to an upcoming Irish band, what would it be?
Don’t worry about blogs+press, just keep writing, playing and try and be as good as you can. If you keep the standard up you won’t find it hard to get good gigs and attention.

What can we expect from NSB at the first ever Noise Weekender in Cork City next weekend?
We’ve played Cork a couple of times already, we love it there. If I’m still standing afterwards I will be doing a solo performance as Magic Pockets practically straight after we play in Gulpd, so that will be interesting…

No Spill Blood play Triskel TDC on Sat Sept 29, as part of the NOISE Weekender, with Trumpets of Jericho & Nagasaki SUntans