Motors of Invention - Walking On Cars Interview

“For me, it’s all about the big shows. I like doing an intimate gig, but give me these big festivals any day of the week.”

Ahead of a debut Electric Picnic performance, you could scarcely find a more encouraging statement. Patrick Sheehy might be part of one of Ireland’s most hotly-tipped acts, but the Walking On Cars frontman confesses he has yet to grace the hallowed Stradbally turf.
“I’ve never been, so I don’t know exactly what to expect! The rest of the guys have been there as punters before. We’re planning on getting weekend passes and staying on.”
They’re certainly excited by the prospect of taking to the stage and savouring the atmosphere of the summer’s hottest ticket.
“It’s about the energy of the crowd – and, I suppose, the energy we put out as well. We’re looking forward to it.”
While this might be their first Picnic, the five-piece are no strangers to high-profile gigs. Hot Press last caught the Kerry crew on the Indiependence main stage, which felt like a seismic moment in the band’s rise. Indeed, Sheehy already recognises it as being more than a little special.
“We’ve played there the last three years, and this topped everything. We performed at a little stage the first year for about 20 people. Last year we did the Bierhalle stage, and there were more. This time the main tent was completely full. It was just mental.”
At Indiependence the throng sang every word back at the band; never mind the fact that their hit Hand in Hand EP was scarcely out a wet week. They looked like a group on the brink of huge success.
“Well, that’s probably any band’s plan. Our songs seem to have an anthemic touch. It’s not something we consciously try to do. It’s very organic; I can’t explain it.”
Anthemic is certainly the word; just about everything the band produces seems to be in a sweeping, stadium-friendly vein.
“I suppose the good thing about us is that we have five very creative people in the band, and we all listen to different kinds of music. If we all listened to heavy metal, we’d be writing metal; if we all listened to pop, we’d be writing pop. We have a classical pianist, a metal guitarist, a funky bassist, a rock drummer…” He hesitates before adding, “I don’t know what I am! Such a variety of influences goes into every tune. It makes it that bit different.”
While one wouldn’t dare use the dreaded words 'overnight success' to describe the fortunes of a band together for four years, it has certainly been a meteoric rise. Anyone of the opinion that record deals mean nothing in the social media age should check in with WOC; since penning a deal with Virgin Music, all has changed.
“It just snowballed. We were up and down the country playing three or four gigs a week in every place around Ireland. We weren’t looking for a label. However, we were obviously open to offers! Then we got the call and we couldn’t believe it. Things can happen so fast in this business; one song can take you to a completely new level. It’s just been a crazy six months.”
Included in the craziness were seven summer weeks locked away in the studio. The band decamped to London to record both the Hand in Hand EP and the 11 tracks which will, by next year, make up their debut album.
“It was a long process – but in a nice relaxed environment. There wasn’t pressure to have this many songs done in this many days. We could just get on with it, and if we needed more time we could take it. We’re delighted with how it went.”
While the songs were written long before the band started laying down tracks, it didn’t mean everything was set in stone.
“We gave all our material to the manager and the label, as you do. We got an email back about a song called ‘Speeding Cars’ which we didn’t think was going to be recorded. They said, ‘That’s one of the best tracks you’ve got’. I thought they were away in the head. Then we actually did it, and it sounded like an absolute anthem. So yeah, what do I know?!”
Also on hand to chip in their two cents were MyRiot (Tim Bran and Roy Kerr), the production duo most notably responsible for London Grammar’s monster album If You Wait. Sheehy is effusive in his praise for the men he calls “wizards”, even if there was trepidation at the beginning.
“It’s difficult when you bring a song to a producer and they have these little ideas for it. Your songs are like your babies: if anyone’s trying to mess with them you freak out a little. To be honest, we kinda did freak out at the start. Then we said, ‘You know, let’s just see how it goes’. Nine times out of ten it ended up being so much better, because they’re absolute geniuses at what they do.”
The full-length debut is pencilled in for a March release, with a couple of singles between now and then. The band will be digging out their passports soon for maiden voyages to Germany and the US. Before that, though, the Picnic looms.
Sheehy puts it best: “It’s exciting times in the Walking on Cars camp.”