SANTRY GUITARSLINGERS Nero have established quite a respectable name for themselves on the live circuit over the last few months, culminating in a recent Belfast appearance which prompted Hot Press Northern mole Deirdre Cartmill to mention the band in the same breath as Radiohead and The Pixies. Christened in honour of Robert De Niro rather than the flame-resistant Roman fiddler, the band formed in August 96, having known each other since they were 15.
It helps being from the same area because you tend to know everybody s background a bit, singer/guitarist Rob Davis explains over the glug and hubbub of the IFC bar on a Saturday afternoon. I think there s a lack of actual bands around, a lack of camaraderie. Being in a band doesn t just mean playing songs it depends on how much you respect each other, that s the main foundation.
The only bands that have ever stood the test of time are the ones that are real, drummer Jay Duffy elaborates. Four or five people together, helping each other out emotionally, everything. Hopefully that s the road we re on right now.
Nero have quite a few strikes in their favour. They re young, yet rigorously analytical. They re eager to learn, and ask all the right questions. And their material, although occasionally prey to somewhat common-or-garden guitar-band influences, is strong.
We put a lot of time into every song, affirms Jay. We work on them for days before we get them exactly the way we want.
Refreshingly, the band are quite positive about the capital s current musical climate.
I think with a lot of Dublin bands at the moment there s a real freshness about them: it s mad varied, Rob enthuses, before going on to endorse the likes of Coosh and Skindive. There was a time when every singer in Dublin was Eddie Vedder, then it was Liam Gallagher, now it s Richard Ashcroft. But then you need influences to help you find a voice, they re a stepping stone until you grow into the confident stage where you re able to write your own songs and be proud of them.
sense of community
However, Rob also goes out of his way to acknowledge the vibrancy of the Norn Iron scene:
We played in Belfast for the last two weekends, he testifies, and I don t know if it s that Dublin audiences are spoiled for choice and they get so blasi that they don t give a shit, but you d want to see the passion these people have for music. And it s the same country, just across the border. When we were playing Whelan s recently, three girls from Belfast came down to here to see us. That was the highest compliment they could pay.
The pair also cite Tunic as one Ulster band they are fans and friends of, as much for their sense of community and solidarity as the music. The lads are all in different bands and helping each other out, Rob points out. They run a club, they DJ for other people. You don t see that here at all.
The singer wisely acknowledges the futility of A&R feeding frenzies, and stresses the importance of serving an apprenticeship. I have a respect for the side of the American music industry where you can play for two years in your own city, he admits. REM were playing pizza parlours like Captain America s for two years, building up their fans. They had a record deal, but they were still allowed to play, to nurture themselves more.
And, as befits their name, Nero are a band who are not afraid to dream in widescreen.
Our favourite bands are REM and U2, and our guitarist Gavin is into Pearl Jam, Jay indicates. I think that s why we have this attitude. These are, like, the biggest bands in the world, they ve been going for 20 years. We ve read their biographies, we know how hard they work, and we just want to do it. n