The Dandies - biggest rock from Switzerland since The Alps

@starsoakedmusic : 2011 is rock n roll heaven! Believe and pass it on. The music power stars, they will come.

 The Dandies 

(l-r) Adrian Weber (lead vocals/guitar), Dimitri Schubiger (bass), 

Fabian "Fizzie" Voirol (drums/vocals), Eric Weber (guitar/vocals)

(Photographed at London Bull & Gate by Jack Mealing).

Star Soaked refers to dripping in sweat, under the lights, having put your soul into communicating your music to an audience to the point that your twinkle reaches out and converts new disciples. 

This is just what happened recently at a Saint Jude gig when the supporting act played a set that perfectly complemented such an excellent headliiner. I left, star soaked by The Dandies.

Aware of a new buzz, I was determined to catch them live on this trip to the UK. To be honest, I’d just listened a bit on line. I surf the net a lot so only pick up on tunes that can grab attention within a minute. 'Bootstraps' did it by mixing powerchord beats with song writing sensibilities within 60 seconds and I investigated more. I like rocking rock and The Dandies "really got me".

Live, The Dandies were a fun experience, especially as there was a genuine feeling of affection for, and connection with, the audience. They are louder and more full on than the recordings, without losing the pop element of their tunes that hook the songs . It’s pretty mighty.

Sure there had been some camdenshoreditchindiecoolhairandclothes bands on the bill earlier but nowadays its the rock n roll bands that stand out and are more memorable. It’s been as if accessible music, punching the air and singing along had become dirty words in the trendy scene aspect of the music press. Perhaps that’s why garage and blues tinged rock sound so fresh right now. 

The Dandies personify that freshness.

They formed in Switzerland, with a mutual love of classic American bands from both centuries, but also a heartfelt desire to create their own history. It is this urge that I can feel coming off the stage in waves. 

I am actually down the front for an act I’ve never seen before and don’t really know their songs. Within a few bars of them starting to play their punky edged garage rock anthems. 

They have no shame in sounding like the kind of stars that should reclaim Reading Festival with huge, swaggering classic tunes that refer to the roots of one of the original rock n roll festivals when they were more about music than money infatuation.

Following the London shows, singer and guitarist with the band, Adrian Weber, kindly took time out for a quick interview with a curious Star Soaked Music who wanted to know about the Swiss rock n roll scene; 

Adrian: “I guess it’s similar to different scenes around the world – I expect it’s not as big and not as developed as, say, the London scene. You can get a local name pretty quickly and develop to a certain point. Then you gotta move on if you’re serious. Or that’s how I see it at least.”

And putting their money where their collective mouth is, The Dandies are doing just that. Moving on to the city that they made such an impression on. It’s a massive step.

SSM: Do you already have plans and accomodation?

A: "Yes we do have somewhere to live. It’s a tiny apartment and we’ll literally pretty much be sleeping on top of each other. It sounds funny but we can’t wait for all that! This really is our next big step and we’re serious about taking our career to the next levels. London is the place to do that. 

We’ve got some plans too. One of which is a video shoot which we’re really excited for, we’ve never done one before. Also, it’s London. Now that’s a town that can party. That’s in our plans too, of course." 

SSM : So The Dandies had one helluva good time when they were last getting down in London town....

A: "...We did have the time of our lives. Mainly because we were just blown away by the great reception we got. We never expected it. I mean some people who came to the first show ended up coming again to another, it was nuts. The shows were the highlights really!

Oh yeah, haha, there was an after party at our manager’s flat which we shall not speak about, but that would join the shows as one of the highlights."

SSM : sounds like you won some followers...

A: Yes, we did make new fans which was amazing. It was overwhelming for us to get that kind of response. We treat each show as if it’s the last thing we’re ever going to do and want to go out with a bang. It made us really happy and proud that people got that and liked and cheered us on. 

I could go on and on about how we felt in London. But it was amazing. We’ll never forget those shows. That’s why we’re moving over, I guess. 

SSM : Having to fit so much into a short tour, did you get to check out many other bands?

Not really… We saw the bands we played with at the various nights and I was really impressed. Each was awesome yet different at the same time. I love that sense of creativity. When you can hear the influences but it’s still unique. All the bands we saw were top draw! 

The Dandies – who I would have loved to see at their Black Rebel Motorcycle Club support - have made an amazing 2010 for themselves that included appearances at SXSW, Reeperbahn Fetival and those adoration fuelling UK tour dates. They’ve just finished some new recordings, and look to be back in Britain soon where they are on the wavelength to fit right on in.

You wanna have shagtastic fun at a rock concert? Go see The Dandies. Ones To Experience for 2011.

http://www.facebook.com/thedandies / http://www.youtube.com/thedandiesmusic

www.myspace.com/thedandies / www.twitter.com/thedandies

Thank you to the band’s manager, Antony Meola at Yergh Entertainment Group, for help.