Shambolics - Changing Lives Through Rock & Roll
Scotland based Rock and Roll band, Shambolics, will have you falling in love with their classic rock vibe. Inspired by The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, The Smiths, and more, their music is all kinds of dreamy mixed with a clever play between mellow acoustic tones and heavy rock sounds characteristic of a rock band. The band loves touring and playing live gigs, which includes a yearly performance to raise funds for the Kirkcaldy Foodbank. With their latest single ‘Living in Shadows’ out now, Jejune had the pleasure to interview band member Darren Forbes. Please read on to learn more about this great band.
Where are you based?
We are based half and half between Glasgow and Fife, Scotland.
Can you tell us the origin story of the brand?
We are a bunch of lads from Fife who all came together through different pathways in life, but all have the same interests in music.
What is your songwriting/ music production process?
Usually Lewis and I will write our songs on the acoustic guitar and try get some melody/structure together. Next we will work on getting the lyrics and any other wee bits together. Finally, we take it to the band, and they sprinkle their magic on it, and it comes to life.
How would you describe your music? Which other music legend would you compare your music to?
Dreamy rock and roll. I don’t know if we can compare ourselves to anyone, but our biggest influences are The Beatles, Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, Stone Roses, The Smiths, etc.
Your new single ‘Living in Shadows’ tells a much needed story of mental health struggles. Can you tell us what inspired the song?
We just wanted to write a song with a bit of optimism that would hopefully give people a bit hope to push on during times of struggle. We've seen people struggle with mental health problems first hand; so, that is what inspired us to do a song like this.
The support that exudes from this song is beautiful. What advice would you have for someone struggling with mental health?
My advice would be that darkness is only temporary. As we mentioned in our lyrics, 'tomorrow is a new day dawning, cmon pick yourself up off the ground’.
‘Living in Shadows’ has a different vibe to your other singles on your new EP. Is that intentional? Is there a method to this?
It is kinda intentional, yeah. We didn’t want to make it a full band heavy song. We wanted the instruments to compliment the lyrics; so, having it stripped back a bit with a string section, etc. in it it just worked very well for the song.
Speaking of a very different song, you also recently released ‘What’s Going On In Your Head’. Can you tell us a little bit about this song?
It was just a short creeping sorta tune about an individual who always has bad habits, but never seems to escape his bad habits. It's gonna be a great live track.
The band is going on tour again soon! That’s exciting! How do you feel? What do you love/ struggle with while on tour?
We are absolutely buzzing to be back on tour again. It's always great to go around the UK , showcase our new songs, and have people sing them back to you.
Are there any particular places you have toured that you absolutely loved? Would you perform there again?
Glasgow is always the best. The north of England is always good for us — Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds etc. We love to go to those cities.
Can you tell us more about the shows you have played to raise money for the Kirkcaldy Foodbank? Why was this important to you?
Every year we play a charity gig for Kirkcaldy Foodbank. It's always good to go back and do something for our hometown community.
What pushed the band to use music as a medium for humanitarian work? Will you be playing any more shows to raise money for causes?
The foodbank was in a struggle of closing down a few years back, and we just figured out it's so easy for us to make money for them. We can just do a gig and donate all the proceeds. The gigs always sell out so it ends up being a great night for us, we always raise around 1k, and donate that for the foodbank. So, it always feels like our good deed is done for the year.
It has been a rough few years, how have you been staying positive during these times?
It was really tough to get motivated throughout covid. But now that gigs are back on and we’re back on the road, it is all positive again. I think us writing new music and getting to play it live keeps us motivated.
What is your motto in life?
Here for a mad wan no a sad wan.
To learn more about Shmbolics, please follow them on the platforms below:
Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | YouTube
Images copyright Shambolics Official.
