Guest Feature: SDF

SHOOT!DRIVE!FASTER! by Joel Damien Haggerty

Originating from Newcastle’s West end, SDF are a collective that weave urbane miracles of brightly beautiful mourning, electro fusion that will make your heart melt like a half a brick in a zinc bucket full of Ice Dragon. After headlining many a night, and even supporting Robots in Disguise, they’re set to blow up bigger than Betelgeuse in 2012. Deviant grabbed some of their valuable time to ask them a few questions.

How do you all cope with being the best electro band in Fenham, and, indeed, in the entire world?

Adam Parkinson – Other than ‘King Arthur’ I don’t know how to answer this. Adam White is the only remaining member in Fenham – do you have a ‘perspective’ on this, Adam?

Adam White – We deal with it by double locking the doors; carefully avoiding any minor or major recording contracts; keeping public appearances (including concerts) to an absolute minimum; always having the reliable contraceptive of ‘SDF the early years / acoustic sessions’ to hand in case of promiscuous female fans; dressing simply terribly.

Oliver Marchant – we still have to pay for our meat samosas, so our feet are still very firmly on the ground. But you are very kind.

So your sound grew from acoustic to electronic? Who are your favourite acoustic and electronic artists?

Adam White – I’m not sure we were ever an acoustic group.  The sound has always been a fusion.  I believe our very first rehearsal consisted of a drum machine, guitar, vocoder, and an Irish whistle.  We have taken departures down the acoustic path for occasional gigs, but they were very much acoustic versions of electronic songs.  Unarguably though, the sound has become more electronic.  So to answer the question – acoustically I enjoy former Fenham resident Kathryn Williams, and popular transsexual Baby Dee.  Electronically I exclusively listen to The Blue Nile (80s material only).

Nick Williams – Everything played on the Irish whistle comes out as a 145BPM 4/4 beat these days. Half the Mint EP was blown out of that pipe.

Oliver Marchant – We always dreamed of electronics, even when we didn’t really own any. We have always attempted to steer our vehicle in the direction of Future Disco, even when we didn’t know where it was, or how their pay and display car park worked. Besides, people associated with the group have always been picked up on the basis of personality, rather than any obvious musicianship. Owning a vocoder never hurt too. And it just so happens that at the service stations we recruit at we have found good people with more and more drum machines. Anyway, I like John Maus and Deadboy and Richard Hawley.

Adam Parkinson – Don’t mention Simply Red.

Oliver Marchant – Don’t worry. We won’t.

A little bird told me that SDF stands for “Sleazy Disco Folk” do you make up a new acronym every time someone asks you that question, like the wu-tang used to?

Oliver Marchant – The bird – was it a parrot?

Nick Williams – Supa Dupa Fun?

Adam white – “Sleazy Disco Folk” was originally the genre in which we intended to produce music, and for want of a better band name, decided to acronymise it.  As discussed there was formerly a more tangible folk/acoustic contingent in the group – i.e. Irish whistles, viola, ethno percussion (courtesy of Lucy, Ben, and Geoffrey); but those members are currently on hiatus (it is not possible to permanently leave SDF, not unlike Facebook in that respect).  So the definition became less relevant.  Although our more interested fans are keen to point out that ‘folk’ may also refer to the group of people.  The stock response to “what does SDF stand for?” now is “Well…it means different things to different people.”  A number of suggestions are usually also given which have been suggested to us in the past: Slither Down Fast; Smile Don’t Frown; Stupid Dumb Fuckers; Sans Domicile Fixe; Self Defence Force; etc.

Oliver Marchant – We could go on, but we would not get any more interesting.

Adam White – In the pub I did once suggest that we add an ‘X’ and become SDFX… but that did not receive good feedback.

Oliver Marchant – What happens in the pub stays in the pub, you know that..

Now Ollie has relocated to the big smoke do you have any plans for national domination?

Nick Williams – Something special happens when SDF take to the road in an ever-so-small rent-a-car. Women weep and cities fall. Should we ever raise the funds to hire a vehicle for a suitable amount of time, domination would surely follow, no? I miss Oliver.

Adam Parkinson – I had a dream about him coming back, the other night actually. It was a bit like this

Oliver Marchant – I miss being naked in Byker bars, with other gentlemen putting out cigars on my chest

Adam White – Poorly considered and underdeveloped plans yes.  We have already spread our musical seed as far as Birmingham, London, and Kent, and would like to spread it further and more regularly.  It’s just getting our arses in gear.  One of us may need to buy a van eventually, or at least something a little larger than a Fiesta. Although we have toured in a Fiesta before (comfort wise it was no Virgin Atlantic Business Class, but it wasn’t that bad) – no drum kit you see.
Oliver Marchant – We have plans, but no detailed map. We mean to put something of real substance together. Soon. We want to hire a secretary & print notepaper. We want to release a vinyl 12″ on (our) hot new self-facilitating label, Man or Beast Records, & we hope to do it this decade. We want keep enjoying each other’s company. We want to put on some more Future Bass Party Party nights in London and also in damp Pennine valleys and agricultural districts. We want to give money to animal charities.

Is Mick Hucknall too tight to mention?

Oliver Marchant –Whatever you like…

Guest feature by Joel Damian Haggerty // Photos by Emma Jane Davie