Fangclub break down their new album, as well as talking about supporting Twin Atlantic and Pixies

Many moons ago, a Dublin band called Fangclub embarked on an ambitious journey to the secluded coastal village of Ballyheigue in Co. Kerry, with the intention of locking themselves up in a recording studio and emerging a few days later with a body of work they could be proud of. In the three years since then, Steven King (vocals/guitar), Kevin Keane (bass) and Dara Coleman (drums) have penned a deal with Universal Ireland, supported a host of major acts, and toured their way around Europe.

Barrelling towards stardom and taking no prisoners along the way, few people seemed to notice that the intrepid grunge-rockers had been sitting on an album all this time. Finally, having had their t’s and i’s firmly crossed and dotted, the lads released their debut album on Friday, August 4. But before we get into that, the trio take Hot Press back to Ballyheigue for a tale that might well have been conceived by the other Stephen King…

“That studio was definitely haunted,” Steven insists, solemnly. “Every time we’d go to sleep, doors would creak open. Windows would unlatch themselves. The whole place was eerily quiet, away from the rest of the world, and we entered this dreamscape the whole time we were there.”

For the three young Dubliners, the recording process itself became a case of all work and no play (thankfully, with no axe murders or psychotic episodes at the end).

“We went down there, naively thinking to ourselves, ‘Let’s do 25 songs!’” Steven resumes. “And the producer there, Tadhg, he was such a dude. He never says ‘no’ to anything, so when we told him we wanted to do that many, he kind of tentatively said, ‘Yeah, we can make that work...’ And we just spent the whole time pushing him to his limits.”

“We barely slept for three days,” Dara adds.

That might explain the haunted visions then…

“Yeah!” he laughs. “Plenty of inspiration anyway.”

“The house we were staying in was also attached to the recording studio,” Steven continues, “so we were getting up, having breakfast and recording in our pyjamas. Just working from morning to night, until we had 25 songs at the end of it.”

The concept of spending all their own money - “Every penny we had,” nods Dara - just to record an album for themselves, without the backing of any label, seems as strange and remote an idea as the location of their recording studio. But Fangclub reaped the rewards of their work when they signed a deal with Universal Ireland last year.

“It was a blessing in disguise, having all those songs,” says Steven. “I mean, simply because of the fact that we’d done everything backwards – recording an album’s worth of material before we did anything else – it meant that when we got approached by labels who’d heard some of our singles, like ‘Bullet Head’, and asked did we have anything more, we’d be able to whip out what we’d recorded.”

“We were carrying around all these blank CDs with our 25 songs on them,” Kevin laughs. “When we showed that to agents, they’d just gasp at us.”

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the transition from “doing things DIY” to signing with a major label was that it was it was barely a transition at all.

“We thought that Universal would bring people in to try to work on the songs or give it a new shape or something,” Kevin remarks, “but they told us they loved it the way it was. So it’s coming out the way it was recorded. The only thing that we hadn’t done, which we have done since, is the mastering.”

“That was one thing we were excited about,” Steven picks up. “We worked with John Davies, who’s also worked with Royal Blood and The xx and a whole bunch of other artists. We thought we’d heard the songs before then but when they were mastered, it brought a whole new dynamic to it. Blew things out of the water.”

While the band have been moving on an upward trajectory musically, they’ve discovered the same problems faced by many musicians who decide to quit their jobs and follow their passions full time.

“I didn’t know I could be so broke,” Kevin jokes. “I don’t think any of us did.”

“Someone handed me our per diem the other day,” Dara continues, “and I’d forgotten what colour a €20 note was.”

No regrets then?

“This is what we’ve always wanted to do,” says Steven, “and we’re all happy with the way the album’s turned out. So it’s been worth it.”

Getting to the album itself, Fangclub is loaded with 11 songs made up of brash, no-frills riffs, in-yer-face vocals and lyrics that get straight to the point. While it might not be the most groundbreaking record in terms of experimentation, Fangclub’s debut shows how comfortable and assured they are with their own style.

“We kind of just know where our place is in the system,” Steven says. “If I have an idea, I’ll say it, but we’ll know whether something is working or not. We know what process will best serve the song so that someone’s not going off on a wanky guitar solo.”

That the lads have eschewed all manner of pomp and pretence is evident in the songs themselves. ‘Role Models’ is a quickfire blast at the authority figures in our lives (teachers, parents, Kardashians – take your pick really). Musically, it’s akin to something that Nirvana might write.

“I’m a huge Kurt Cobain fan,” admits Steven. “The first time I ever listened to Nirvana, that pretty much rewired me into who I became. So everything was kind of like looking at what they’d done, who they’d become, and how Kurt would write lyrics. With him, it was always last minute – whatever was on the tip of his subconscious. So that’s how I did it. Then a few months later we’ll look back on a song and say, ‘Ahhhh, so that’s what that’s about.’”

Fangclub’s live chops have been well and truly put to the test over the course of the last few years. Having toured with Twin Atlantic in 2016 and cultivated fans with a few memorable gigs in their home city, the highlight of their live career came only last month, when they opened for the Pixies at the Trinity Summer Series.

“That was incredible,” Dara beams. “They’re like our favourite band’s favourite band. We never thought we’d get to see them live, nevermind getting to play with them.”

Fangclub also have a slew of gigs to keep them busy throughout the summer, miraculously bagging themselves a headliner spot at the Woodstock festival in Poland, where they’ll perform in front of up to 60,000 people - “I think they think we’re much bigger than we are…” Kevin laughs, nervously - as well as a support slot for Muse and Biffy Clyro in Belfast this August. But while the live circuit will keep them busy over the summer, they won’t be slouching when it comes to making new music either.

“I write so much,” says Steve, “and with everything that’s going on right now, it’s a hugely creatively time, so there’s a backlog of songs there.”

“There’s no shortage of songs,” Kevin adds. “It might be a case where we’ll chop and change the material, but we have about two albums worth of tracks there. Honestly!”

Plenty to keep them busy for the foreseeable future then…

Fangclub release their self-titled album on August 4, and play the Roisin Dubh, Galway (October 19); Cyprus Avenue, Cork (21); McHugh’s, Belfast (27); and Whelans, Dublin (29). See fangclubofficial.com for more.