Safe Harbour – Big September Interview

As George Michael once opined in a sing-song manner, you’ve really got to have faith. Bray quintet Big September know this better than most. Proponents of big-hearted indie, with tunes that aim for the terraces, their entire modus operandi seems to involve taking the negatives and spinning light from them. It’s an attitude they’ve needed. From their school days working in the famous Harbour Bar, through losing friends, battling addiction and changing name, their early career has been quite the journey.

“I always get jealous when I think of the Arctic Monkeys,” admits typically ebullient singer Scott O’Neill, “The way it happened overnight for them. I thought ‘when is that going to happen to us?’ But then you look at The National and bands like that…”
If Big September’s breakthrough has been a delayed one, it's proved to be worth the wait. Keeping the faith, they recorded and released debut album, Ballroom Addicts, under their own steam. In May, it not only earned itself a Top 10 spot on the Irish Album Chart, but debuted atop the Irish Indie Chart.
For the record, this wasn’t achieved by driving from store to store buying armfuls of copies and sticking them in their car boot. Rather than resort to skulduggery, success came from the formidable fanbase they’ve amassed at home.
“That’s what Bray is good for. Sure you only have to look at Katie Taylor and the amount of people when she came home: the whole town erupted with tens of thousands of people.”
They’re also eager to be recognised as a ‘Bray success’ rather than a Dublin one.
“Exactly,” says Scott. “’It’s – ‘get your own boxer, get your own band!’”
The coastal Wicklow town was where it all began. Along with guitarist Cillian Duane and drummer Dan Smith, the Presentation College students bonded over guitar music while working in The Harbour Bar during Transition Year.
“I still do a few shifts there now,” notes Scott. “It was the height of madness, watching all these bands coming through – and we were behind the bar. We realised that we could be on that stage.”
Choosing the name Peakin’ Trippers – “everyone thinks, ‘he must have lived in Thailand, he’s mad for the drugs’ but I just liked the name!” laughs Scott – and penning songs as they were still mastering their instruments, soon they were up and running.
A few years learning the craft and a few years of frustration followed. Everything changed after the sudden loss of a friend.
“Dylan, yeah,” Scott nods. “He was my best friend and he had a freak accident in Thailand.”
The band rechristened themselves Big September, to mark the month of his passing. Several months later, they were finding creative inspiration from a new member. Another school friend, Graham “Naylor” O’Neill, had joined on bass. It turned out he was a nifty songsmith to boot.
“He was fresh,” remembers guitarist Dave Butler. “He had new ideas and loads of new songs. He writes all the time; it’s just a constant thing.”
Bringing future single ‘Tear It All Up’ with him to their first practice session, Naylor slotted in straight away.
“It fitted my voice like a glove,” says Scott. “I don’t believe in coincidence, I believe that was the right time. It all fell into place.”
There have been other struggles for this group of friends.
“We all stick together,” says Scott. “I’d a lot of demons in the past – I’m in recovery the past three years.”
The frontman says he was initially worried his onstage confidence would abandon him once sober, but is “madder than ever” now, happily.
“I remember doing a gig in a warehouse in Bray and it was my first time performing sober. We said a little prayer and it just flew. I get so quiet before a gig – it’s me nerves – and then afterwards I’m full of beans. It’s just the way the adrenaline works. But it’s brilliant. I definitely would’ve been replaced if I was still active.”
Butler looks to his singer: “I think that might have been a turning point for the band – you getting sober. We were never gonna kick him out or anything, nothing like that. It was just… just madness.”
“I’m happy to talk about it,” says Scott, “It was dark. Of course, there was some good craic had while it lasted, and that’s why I’d never judge the lads. They’re great towards my recovery and I love when the lads drink. I have a bit of craic with them, but I know personally I can’t do it. I’ll be in the psychiatric ward after the gig. That’s the difference. As I said, I do believe there are no coincidences. And now all it’s all fallen into place.”

Ballroom Addicts is out now