Zen at work

Kharma 45 are one of the most exciting young Northern bands around. As is often the case, the Derry outfit met through friends.

Glenn Rosborough explains: “We formed in late September 2005, Peter (Doherty, guitar –and no, he’s not related to the other P.Doherty) knew one of my mates who knew me. This guy knew that we were both doing the same thing, messing about with samples and electronics. He hooked us up together. Up until then it had been more of a hobby for us both.”
Not that this was Glenn’s first foray into the music world. “I was actually doing the wedding band circuit for about two years. If I hear ‘Sultans Of Swing’ again I’ll shoot somebody,” he laughs. “It was easy money though and you’re still playing so you can’t really give out too much.”
Kharma 45’s genesis however was a world away from the hotel dance-floor. “It was just us, a PC and a microphone,” he says. “We had about three songs sorted out in three weeks and we sent out demos to people. Someone knew Declan, who’s now our manager, and sent him one because we thought it would do no harm. The next week he rang us up and said he wanted to manage us. We had to start thinking ahead then because we were starting to get record company interest, so we needed to get ready to play live. Phil Curran (drums) went to college with me so I brought him in and Peter had played in bands with Shane McDevit the bass player so we got him involved.”
Was it easy to translate the work they’d done as a duo into a full band setting? “Surprisingly, yes. You always have it in the back of your head anyway that you know how it’s going to sound. Phil and Shane pick up the ideas pretty quickly.”
Their first ever gig was a less straightforward experience though, as Glenn remembers.
“Oh it was fairly ropey. It was in some wee bar in Belfast, the Front Page, and they had the smallest mixing desk you could imagine. It was just a shambles. Our feet were stuck to the ground but it was good fun.”
With record company interest growing, however, there was little time for such false starts.
“We really had to switch on, there was no room for fucking about, we just had to get it sorted. It was good for us though. We’re the kind of band who get bored really easily, just sitting around really annoys us. We hate the down time in the studio, we want to work all the time.”
One of the band’s goals is to fuse electro and rock influences: “The electronics are still really important to us but it’s more about having a good song and a good vibe. Sometimes the electronics become too much of a novelty in some bands, there just to be there. It’s more about getting weird sounds rather than good songs.”
In the meantime, they’ve continued to play extensively live, although their hometown has been largely neglected in favour of Belfast and beyond.
“It would be more cut-throat in Dublin or London because there are so many good bands. In Belfast you have more time to develop but too many bands get caught in the trudge of playing the same gigs over and over. No-one really makes the break and moves over to England. It’s just stupid playing the same bars to the same people.”
Playing the same gigs to the same people is not something that Kharma 45 could be accused of. Last year they made the jump to London, although their residency hasn’t lasted long – with Liverpool their latest destination.
“There’s no atmosphere in London, no vibe. The first thing people ask you is what do you do, they’re just interested in what they can get out of you. We just love Liverpool, it reminds me of home. The bands we’ve supported there are far more approachable and have got a far better ethos about them. In London they’ve got a chip on their shoulder.”
How would Glenn compare the Irish and UK scenes?
“There are a lot more defined scenes in England, if you go out you know what you’re going to get. I don’t think that’s a good thing. If you listen to the radio most bands still want to be the Libertines.This whole new rave thing is just crap, sticking a synth behind an indie band.”
Living in the UK has proved a worthwhile experience though. “There’s certain things that remind you of home and you realise what they are whenever you come back. We love coming back. You have to go away to miss home, then we’re back for about four days and want to go again.”
More at www.myspace.com/kharma45