Q+A with Mad Daddy
The Made in Mann series is about showcasing the best of local original music as well as making it accessible to a wider audience. The forth band to headline the series is Mad Daddy who are a four piece band of misfits who have been polluting the airwaves of the Isle of Man and beyond since 2015. Members include Dolyn Clucas-Morris on Vocals and Harmonica, Liam Callow on Guitar, Elvis Palooka on Bass and Matt Twist on Drums. We spoke to Mad Daddy ahead of their gig on the 17th December.
Q. How would you describe your sound?
Our sound is high octane Rock n Roll Punk Blues.
Q. Who are your biggest influences?
Influences are wide ranging, from early blues from the 40s and 50s like John Lee Hooker, Little Walter, Slim Harpo and Howlin Wolf, to early era Rock n Roll like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, and punk music like Iggy and The Stooges, The Ramones and the Cramps.
Q. Why is it important that larger venues such as VillaGaiety look to support local original music on the island?
It's important venues like the Villa support local original music because there is an extremely high standard of musicians over here, but few too many venues to play. In recent times venues like Compton Vaults, Quids Inn, The Rovers and Cooil Bar are helping sway that imbalance, but there still needs to be more.
Most musicians who write their own material put an incredible amount of time, effort and resources into refining their craft, but sadly will find very little appreciation playing at their local boozer, set up in a corner under a dart board with all the lights still on.
There is a lot of factors that go into a good gig; the act of course, but the space, the lights, the sound, they all play a massive part in the experience. I am hoping that the Made in Mann series will demonstrate that if you give Manx musicians a level playing field you'll find they are just as good as any 'big name' act or tribute act that comes over here, and thus also deserve the same support. I encourage the Villa Marina to continue to offer these opportunities to local original musicians once the lockdown restrictions have lifted, if they are genuine about their claims of supporting local talent.
Q. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a band this year during a global pandemic and how have you adjusted your plans in light of this?
Prior to the Global pandemic, we had played multiple gigs in the UK, in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and York. Our aim for 2020 was to continue to do that, with an exciting new lineup, new material and not only more gigs scheduled to return to these great music cities, but also to play new places like London too, so things were looking pretty good. Vice Versa, a lot of great bands we were meeting along the way, we had planned to bring over here to play, to hopefully create a bridge between the two DIY scenes which would benefit everyone involved.
Naturally, all this was then postponed until normal service can resume, but it wasn't all bad. It forced us to get creative so we made two music videos to help promote our last release EP #3, which got multiple positive reviews from internationally recognised websites like Louderthanwar and Thepunksite, plus radio airplay in places like New York City, Manchester and Brighton. We've also been featured on a vinyl compilation in support of a venue called Freak Show out of Essen, Germany due to the struggle of many venues due to the pandemic. So hopefully we'll get to play out there when this is over!
Q. Tell us a little about your support acts? What can we expect?
The support band on the night is Battle of The Bands 2019 winners; Man in the Woods. Expect heavy riffage that will make your blood explode. So don't miss them!
Q. What’s next for you?
We're starting off next year with the self-release of our debut album. The plan is to get it pressed on vinyl, ideally out around Spring, with some new promo music videos too. From there, I'm hopeful that the end will be in sight of the crippling restrictions on live music around the world, and we can get back to kicking some ass!
Give it To Me video:
