Name: Orby Chase
Formed: January 2016
Hometown: Belfast
Genre: Alt Rock
Line-up: Josh Dodge, Matt McQuillan, Jamie Wright & Phil Buchanan
◀ Q & A ▶
▶ When did you start playing music and how would you describe your sound?
Our first collaboration as our current line up occured early January of this year. Josh and Phil had made contact towards the end of 2015 and had been fleshing out a few ideas for a month or two when Jamie joined and eventually invited Matt on bass to complete the line up. We have been working hard, writing and rehearsing as much as we possibly can. because we only formed 5 months ago this has been an intensive course for us with recording an EP and basically organising everything and anything along the way ourselves. We like to keep ourselves busy!
We try to stay away from pigeonholing ourselves as with each new song we hear different nuances from existing inspirations and have plenty of ideas for direction down the line. As it stands we like to leave it at “Alt Rock” but if you twisted our arms we would probably list the likes of Pixies, Elliot Smith, Manchester Orchestra, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Strokes as an eclectic mix of influences.
▶ What releases have you put out so far?
As it stands you can find 3 tracks of the 4 track EP due for release on our Bandcamp. Our first official release was our single ‘Derby Girl’ which is available on all major streaming/download platforms, but the real fruits of our labour can be found in our EP “Wolf By The Ears” which for release 10th June (supported by our Launch Gig taking place in QUBSU Sub Bar).
▶ Is there a particular live show that stands out amongst all the rest?
In truth our EP launch marks our official live debut so we’re really excited to get on stage and show everyone what we’ve been working so hard on. We have done one or two acoustic sets testing the waters, including Belfast’s Vape cafe which was an experience in itself.
▶ Can you talk about a Highlight and a low point of the journey so far?
The past couple of weeks have been really rewarding where we’ve had some really humbling feedback from the guys in ATL, Lisburn FM, Blast 106 etc, it’s really put the wind in our sails so to speak and geared us up to put in the most electrifying performance we’re capable of for our EP launch.
Our only difficulty to date was the writing process for “Derby Girl”. it took around a month of frustration with changes in arrangement, chord progressions, backing vocals, the whole lot. When it finally clicked it was during an acoustic practice and it was a huge weight off of our shoulders. We knew the song had real potential but we just couldnt get it to sit right. Sometimes stripping everything back to the bare minimum and letting each separate element breath in its own space can be the most useful approach.
▶ If you weren’t a musician(s) how would you spend your spare time?
Having fun, drinking rum and treating ourselves to a burrito for a job well done!
▶ If you were to go on a world tour and you could pick any 3 acts come along, who would they be?
Wolf Alice, Tame Impala & The Pixies.
▶ What would be the 3 strangest things on your rider if you were able to make any demand?
Our good friend Uel’s big V8 Engine, a wheelbarrow full of falafel and at least 5 pugs (preferably wearing comical hats).
▶ Is there a particular aim or goal which you hope to achieve through music?
We aren’t here to take part, we’re here to take over…
▶ Who has been your biggest inspiration as musicians?
Between us we’ve played with a multitude of different groups spanning through most genres that spring to mind. After a while I guess it just makes sense to step back and play what comes naturally. throughout the writing process for the past 5 months we’ve fallen into a pretty organic procedure using each other as a platform for bouncing ideas and developing whatever sticks. It normally starts as a skeletal structure or a leading line/riff which gradually grows flesh and features to the point where it becomes a piece in its own right. With this in mind I guess we’re going to have to embrace the cliche and say that if it wasn’t for the 4 members that Orby Chase consists of, we would likely be a very different band, so in essence we’ve inspired each other (moan).
▶ Are there any other Northern Irish musicians we should check out?
We did our best to be really discerning with the support we selected for our EP Launch. We played with Dandelion Tea in the aforementioned Vape Cafe gig and were hugely impressed, even despite the fact they were down a member. Vocally and musically they are a cut above the rest, with characteristics of indie folk and some more interesting elements that stand out. Their first single ‘The Crystal Dawn’ is worth a listen. We’ve also got support from All of your Ruins and Adam Liddell, the former being a superb local Hard rock band who are currently working on their EP, the latter of which is an up and coming acoustic singer/songwriter. Again, worth a listen. Our Friend MØDE did a sterling job remixing our single and will also be doing a DJ set at the launch, his Soundcloud is worth checking out.
▶ What is next for you?
As the saying goes the proof is in the pudding. We’ve currently got more than enough material for an album but with the rate at which we see ourselves as a group maturing and talking about new ideas and developing existing ones it would be a shame to rush in to the studio again without letting those grow to fruition. in the next 6 months we want to explore these avenues and see where we end up before we go back to the studio in late 2016. of course we want to get as much performing under our belt as possible so with any luck we will keep ourselves as busy as we have been!
◀ LISTEN ▶
Facebook ▶ /Orby Chase
Twitter ▶ /@Orby Chase
