|
No choice but to take the stage 
Belfast band Oppenheimer are hoping to make people smile and dance with
their second album. Sharon ní Chonchuir talks to them about their
inspirations and how they were forced to perform live.
I snatched a few moments with Shaun, the band’s vocalist and multi-instrumentalist,
while he and Rocky were in the middle of their recent Irish tour.
He is very excited about touring.
“I love it,” he says.
“It’s great to have people come along and smile and dance
to our music.”
Such enthusiasm for performing is unexpected from somebody who thought
his band would never play in front of an audience.
Although both Shaun and Rocky had years of experience in playing and making
music, they always thought their musical collaboration would be confined
to the studio.
The pair met six years ago when Rocky — a sound engineer and record
producer — was the sound man for a band Shaun was playing with at
the time.
“We got talking and found out we were both really into keyboards
and synthesisers and so we eventually started to make music together.
“That was in Halloween 2004,” remembers Shaun.
Together, they proved to be a good combination.
Shaun is the singer and he also plays the drums.
Rocky plays guitar and keyboards.
“And basically, whenever one of us can’t do something, the
other person will try to do it.
“That’s how it’s worked until now, anyway,” explains
Shaun.
After months spent making music in the studio, it took a forceful friend
to convince them to perform before a live audience.
“We were bullied into it, really,” says Shaun.
“Our friend Tanya arranged a gig for us and then told us that we
had no choice but to be ready to perform in four months’ time.”
The bullying tactics worked and Oppenheimer’s first gig —
played on April 7, 2005 — was a success.
And from then on, the band’s playful melodic sound has won them
more and more fans.
I’m even beginning to consider myself one.
One of my favourite tracks from their debut album — also called
Oppenheimer — is Breakfast In NYC.
A multi-layered track that mixes Shaun’s high-pitched, almost reedy
voice with tinkling keyboards and synthesisers; it’s an upbeat pop
song that’s reminiscent of quirky pop bands like The Flaming Lips.
Shaun describes the sound of their debut album as “very much indie
pop” but he indicates that their second album — which is due
out in June — will move away from that ever so slightly.
“It’s more indie rock.
“There are less drum machines and more live guitars.
“But it’s still the basic Oppenheimer sound,” he adds,
reassuringly.
So, where exactly does this sound come from?
Perhaps some of it comes from the unusual nature of this musical partnership.
Shaun is the stereotypical musician.
He has played music since he was a child and been in bands since he was
in his teens.
But Rocky — while also a talented musician — brings his sound
man’s technical approach to the band.
Then, there are their diverse influences.
Rocky is a fan of American indie rock like Slater Kinney and The Bronx
while Shaun likes Brian Eno and Tom Waits and also cites the films of
David Lynch and the books of Hunter S Thompson as his main influences.
Because of their intriguing name, I’m also wondering if they have
an interest in American politics or the history of the nuclear bomb.
“That’s what everybody thinks,” sighs Shaun.
“Everybody assumes it must be to do with J. Robert Oppenheimer.
“But it isn’t.
“We literally sat down one night and made a list.
“We were trying to come up with the best band name ever.
“At the time, all band names started with ‘the’ so we
decided not to go with that and we ended up choosing a surname we both
liked — Oppenheimer.”
The name has served them well so far and it’s becoming more and
more well-known both within and outside of Belfast.
I asked Shaun why he and Rocky chose to stay in the city when many bands
on the brink of a breakthrough decide to move to London.
“We’re both from Co. Down but we’ve lived in Belfast
for years,” says Shaun.
“We never considered moving to London.
“Nowadays, you don’t need to move anywhere to make it or break
it.”
They also find Belfast an inspiring place to make music.
“The scene is so vibrant here at the moment,” says Shaun.
“There’s such a variety of genres and acts. I don’t
remember a time as good.”
Among the acts he names are Fighting With Wire, Tom McShane and We Are
Knives.
“I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten anyone,” he apologises
in advance.
Belfast may have inspired them until now but it looks as though they are
not going to be spending too much time at home in the near future. When
I speak to them, they are halfway through a tour of Ireland. After that,
they had plans to support They Might Be Giants on a US tour; to perform
at SXSW and to take part in a Time Out Showcase in New York.
They will scarcely have time to draw breath after that before they start
a week-long tour of Britain.
You’ll be able to see them in Leeds, York, Newcastle, Sheffield,
Stoke-on-Trent and Coventry during March and April.
“We may get a little bit of a rest after that,” says Shaun.
“And then the new album will come out and it’ll be time for
the summer festivals.”
Oppenheimer certainly seem to have a lot to look forward to.
Unlike many bands on the brink of releasing their second album, Shaun
claims that they are not at all nervous.
“We’ll be the proud parents, no matter what,” he says.
“Hopefully it will make people smile and dance just like the first
album did.”
Here’s hoping. |
