-Walking on Cars Interview –
” Being Creative is the Most Important Thing”
Irish natives Walking on Cars shot to fame in Ireland in 2012 with their debut single ‘Catch Me if you Can’ and have been shaking up the music scene ever since with their chart topping hits.
Following on from a summer of European festival shows and a sold out UK tour, the Irish natives make their Australian debut with shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Black of Hearts caught up with Keyboardist and Vocalist, Sorcha to talk about the bands spectacular new album ‘Colours’ and how they’re gearing up for a busy year.
How did you guys meet?
We met in Dingle the town where we grew up so we’ve known each other for a very long time. It’s a pretty small town where everyone knows everyone.
What motivated you to start playing music?
We started playing together at a time when we were all back in Dingle with a lot of time to spare, trying to figure out what to do with our lives and so initially it was just for fun. It was a natural progression to get to the point where we decided to take it seriously.
How did you come up with the band name?
It was a drunken idea after a gig one night.
How would you describe your sound to people?
It’s quite a full sound, very melodic with a mixture of rock and synth textures. We don’t try and stick to any genre in particular, it’s fun to keep it open and experiment.
Who are your biggest influences?
We have a lot of different musical influences. I’m a huge Arcade Fire fan. I come from a very musical house with a mixture of traditional Irish music and I trained in classical piano. Evan brings a rock vibe with some hip hop grooves, Paul used to play in a covers band so he has dipped in all the classics and Pa is very into singer/songwriters and any well written songs.
Name of your fav albums? Fav band?
My favourite albums are The Subarbs by Arcade Fire and Kingdoms In Colour by Maribou State. As a band though there’s definitely a few albums that have influenced us collectively especially when we first started making music together. Bon Iver’s Bon Iver, James Vincent Mc Morrow’s Early In The Morning and Ben Howard’s Every Kingdom.
Where do you gather song writing inspiration?
We have a studio space where we live, it’s quite isolated with amazing views.
Is there a main songwriter?
We all contribute to the songwriting and each song is different.
Is there a song you wished you had written?
Yellow by Coldplay
What is your song writing process?
Sometimes we Jam it out together in a room, sometimes we take more of a production approach and we also do a bit of Co-writing
We are loving your new album ‘Colours’! Esp tracks like ‘Monster’ and ‘Too Emotional’, is there a story behind these?
Monster is a song about facing something that has been negatively impacting you and Too Emotional is about when you’re so mad about someone that you get overwhelmed and can’t even talk to them.
You guys are about to do your first ever headline shows in Australia, New Zealand and Russia. Is there a venue/place your looking forward to playing the most?
We’ve heard loads about the Gactory Theatre in Sydney. Everyone keeps telling us it’s a super cool venue to play.
What has been the highlight of ‘Walking on Cars’ so far?
Selling out our Arena shows in Ireland and touring around the world is pretty amazing.
Where do you see yourselves in the next few years?
We’re going to continue making music and touring and just take it all as it comes. Being creative is the most import thing.
Last but not least, if you weren’t musicians, what do you think you would be doing today?
I’d love to have gotten into human rights, Paul would be surfing or golfing, Pa would be a soccer player and Evan would be a pilot.
WATCH: ‘Monster’ by Walking on Cars