Tuesday 27 September 2011

K&A with Sur Nilsson

I know what you're thinking, and yes, you're right.  Sur Nilsson is not the most Scottish-sounding of bands.  There's a good reason for that mind you... they're not!  But see that guy on the far left?  He is. If you remember back in March, I introduced you to Danny McGuire a.k.a. Two Zebras.  Well, that's him.  He's relocated to Holland and quickly found his feet in a cracking new band which he's quite rightly excited about.  And he's not the only one!  Here's Danny to tell you more...

Kowalskiy:  Who are Sur Nilsson?
Danny:  Sur Nilsson is a four piece indie rock band from Utrecht in Holland.

Kowalskiy:  Many may know you from your Two Zebras moniker. So how'd this new band come about?
Danny:  I'd spent the first half of 2010 in Toronto and the second back home in Glasgow. After a couple months I got pretty bored so I fucked off to Amsterdam with plans to focus on music. About three weeks into my move I met Neil, our singer and guitar player. After a bad breakup, he'd spent a few months driving around the US in an old chevy car and penned some songs on his travels. He wanted to put a band together to play them and enlisted two of his good friends Jan and Matthijs to work on the project. I thought it all sounded very rad and very Kerouac so we had one rehearsal and it felt really special and ever since then, all of our lives have become dedicated to this band.

Kowalskiy:  You're a Scotsman in a band in Holland... with a French/Swedish sounding name? Correct me if I'm wrong! So, what's the story behind the name?
Danny:  I'm definitely the wrong boy to ask about this because I can never remember the exact story. I know it's something to do with a Dutch Kids TV show, a big cat, and the fact that our singer is called Neil. Take from that what you will!

Kowalskiy:  How does the band's 'sound' compare with what we've come to expect from Two Zebras?
Danny:  It's definitely a lot bigger and more energetic. The boys are really exciting musicians and they surprise me every week in rehearsals with some of the cool stuff they come out with. You gotta listen!

Kowalskiy:  You recently let slip a few free tracks on your Bandcamp, Oh No (It's Done) and Lights. Can we expect any more anytime soon? What's the plans for a formal release?
Danny:  Yeah definitely, our debut EP is out at the end of October. We're doing an invitation only show in a couple weeks then a big party at Db’s in Utrecht on the 27th October to celebrate the launch. Our website is up next week at www.surnilsson.com and we’re on twitter @surnilsson for all other news!


Kowalskiy:  Any plans for a wee jaunt over for a Scottish gig or two in the future?
Danny:  Yeah absolutely!! As well as Holland we’re hoping to hit Germany and Belgium this year and we're definitely going to tour in the UK early 2012, can't wait to bring it home.

Kowalskiy:  What would be your ideal gig?
Danny:  Hmmm a good question. Im gonna say right now, any club, any place, packed sweaty venue, plenty of babes and good geezers in the audience, and lots of partying afterwards. If I had to choose other bands on the bill I’d go for Broken Social Scene, An Horse, and Jay Z just to bring some extra swag.

Kowalskiy:  Always interested to know... what Scottish bands (if any) are currently kicking up something of a storm over in Utrecht?
Danny:  I can safely say that there are no Scottish bands in Utrecht!

Kowalskiy:  Hmmm, I was meaning, are there any Scottish bands, from Scotland, popular over in Holland!  Ah well, Sur Nilsson aside, are you able to dispel the myth that Dutch music is all trance and techno?
Danny:  Hardcore forever – how can you diss those banging beats? Nah seriously, bands like The Medics, John Coffey, and Houses are all pretty decent evidence that there's a really healthy indie scene here in Holland.

Kowalskiy:  Lastly, what does all this mean for Two Zebras??
Danny:  There'll be another record sometime - I have no idea what it will sound like but I know it'll be loud. For now, I'm really just focused on Sur Nilsson and excited to see where it takes us!


As am I! You can get your hands on a few free EP preview tracks over here. They should whet the appetite nicely until the EP is out at the end of next month.

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