I fucking love this band! With a ploughing, lager-brandishing energy, the greasy hands of the members of Saloon Dion pummel their guitars and clobber their drums with the same elegance as a 17 year old swiping through Tinder for the first time.
Just for clarification, that’s a compliment.
My main problem with a lot of the generic post punk bands coming out of London is the consistent lack of energy and unoriginality in their songs, many of them not really hitting the spot or just missing my ears completely. Fortunately, Saloon Dion have managed to capture this golden hour of grubby, melodic punk, lumbering themselves around with the release of their new single, “VHS”.
I’m enjoying this more so than other stuff I’ve heard recently, I think largely because it has a catchy melody, it feels like they’ve really crafted this song together - as a group - everything works really well in the mix and I’m wholly impressed by the cover art, too.
So when they got in touch, and after I listened to the track, I thought I bloody well have to sit down and have a small chat with them:
How are you fellas? What are you all up to at the moment?
We’re happy despite some tiredness, we’ve just returned from a gig in Glasgow so we’re eating cubes of Berocca.
What’s the meaning behind the song, if any? Where do the lyrics stem from?
It’s based around a character of sorts, the idea came from a character on Better Call Saul who proclaimed themselves ‘Luxurious yet Casual’
When did you start working together as a band and how did you manage throughout the lockdown + this past year in general?
We got together as a five for the first time in April, just as things started looking a tad better with the lockdown situation. The past year has been tough! I think we all just feel like making the best of every day from here on out.
Can you recommend any records? Films? Even books?
I’m just going to tell you what's playing right now, and that's Black Panta by The Upsetters. No better place to start with some roots jungle/reggae than Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
I’ve actually just finished reading ‘the Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ if you’re into crime drama. It’s the first Agatha Christie book I think! Or at least the first with Poirot.
Give us your favourite venue, and tell us why it’s claimed the top spot on your list!
My favourite venue is the Island in Bristol, it's just so dark and loud in there! They don’t do many rock shows though, we love playing down at the George Tavern in Shadwell.
Got any plans for next releases or any live shows coming up? What should I be expecting from you guys?
Oh god yeah. We’ve got plenty in store.
You’ll be hearing a couple more records before the year is out, and you can catch us for a show in Bristol, Brighton, London, Rotterdam and a few others.
Ta to the boys for getting in touch and stopping by for a chat, if you get the chance, head over and see them live, and be sure to stream the new single. You can find them on Instagram @saloon_dion!
B/W Photo by @ali_quinlandave
Color Photo by @tommyworldx