Take Portishead s vocals, Lisa Germano-esque string arrangements, 4AD moods, ambiguity in the lyrics: add a shining streak of originality, mix well, listen and wait ten minutes. By then you should have realised that Skindive the elusively titled group of musicians gathered in Dublin around main man Gerry Owens are creating a beautiful, whirling new sound with potential literally oozing from its seams.
At the moment, laughs Gerry, a goodhumoured redhead with sunburst tattoos on his arms, and I know it sounds like bullshit, a lot of bands say this, but it s actually true but I ve never been involved in anything before where they actually come to us without us going to them.
Gerry s slightly dazzled by the storm of interest Skindive are whipping up in the international music industry. We can t get tapes to them fast enough. We ve done four gigs, and at each there was at least one major label.
Capably looked after by Skinsight Management, the company set up by Gerry s old friend Dermot Geoghegan, Skindive can concentrate on their music, safe in the knowledge that in the eyes of record labels, their artistic talents and commercial appeal are getting boosted to the max. I ask Gerry who he thinks Skindive might end up signed to, but for now he s playing his cards close to his chest.
A prolific, devoted and hard working song writer, Gerry s got loads of material for an album. The three excellent songs on Skindive s current demo are sweet tender disturbing rhythmic unusual ambient and sensuously heavy on the bass. Skindive obviously know what they re doing in the studio as well as on stage; have they been doing a lot more recording recently?
That s what we re at this week, replies Gerry, genuine modesty and excitement in his smile. It s mayhem at the moment, because we re in the studio this week, and not only that, but Danielle arrived Thursday week last, and we re learning the old set again ourselves, because it s four months since we played last and we ve got five new songs.
Gerry s referring to Danielle Harrison, Skindive s honey-voiced new vocalist, who has just moved from LA to sing with the band. She heard Skindive s tape through a mutual friend, and rushed over from the States to audition.
insanely heavy
Everything clicked at once, Gerry explains. Danielle auditioned for us the same night that we were auditioning for a label, which we did within ten minutes of her arriving. Gerry goes on to describe how his band works. It s a bit of an odd situation. Skindive is kinda two things. Skindive is me, and it s also the four of us, with Danielle, drummer Ger Farrell and bassist Alan Lee.
We work very, very well together. I do everything here (he gestures at the musical technology and instruments around his flat), right up to the finished product, bring in the tape next day at rehearsals and within minutes the band are doing everything brilliantly. There s a huge level of commitment; everybody s heart is in it. Not only do they reproduce instantly, to perfection, what was on the tape, but once we re all playing together there is a great chemistry. It really is such fun.
Gerry spent several years in London, working in a band called Arcane Asylum, who were influenced by groups like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. That kind of music totally changed me; I thought, this is great!
Up to then he d been writing laid back, melodic stuff, but in London his music became ultra heavy, insanely heavy. We could only play with thrash metal bands.
It was going very well, but I decided that it was a one-way tunnel, the music couldn t go anywhere, it just got heavier and heavier. I decided I d had enough of that. So last year I came back to Ireland.
Our first gig was the Guinness In The City last year, and that was great. The band was together two weeks at that stage it s always by the skin of our teeth with this group! We got on the In The City CD, and I think that s how we got circulated.
Gerry has no regrets about leaving London and his previous brand of insanely demented music behind him. But I think if you listen to Skindive now, he concedes, you can actually hear both the original, hardcore stuff and the softer melodic stuff. To be honest, melody is my thing, it has been since day one.
But I also love adrenalin-based music. I use a lot of sub-bass live, and stuff like that. I m very much into when the audience are there, watching the band, they re actually physically in touch with the music, and you do actually feel it, it hits you. The connection between the band and the audience is enhanced so much, and we re very specific about where we play. It literally could take days working on one sound to make sure it s right, to bring across the music the way it should be brought across. There s a lot of stuff in there, and to get it back again you need a really good PA. That s a great pity, because it s hard to find places to play live.
There s a certain, deeply satisfying quality in Skindive s music which I ask Gerry to try and pin down. I think it s just something that touches the soul. Just as there are some paintings that make that connection, and some buildings, some songs are musically crafted to do that. n