Here’s a cool chat we were able to do with Gavin and Taran of Bicurious about their music, and inspirations.
How are you guys doing today?
Gavin: I am doing very well. I am about to go to Wexford in about an hour.
Taran: I’m okay! Had a crazy week but wrote some cool music this morning, which always brings up my mood.
How are you looking forward to getting back on the road?
Gavin: I can’t wait! We played a festival called Stendhal Festival over the weekend and I forgot how much I rely on a crowd to have a good time playing live. I just can’t wait to play in front of a crowd whether that’s 5 people or 400 people.
Taran: I am as well. Just being in different places every day, meeting people and giving them good experiences through our shows! It’s been a while. There’s something about being on the road that makes you forget a lot of your real life problems. It’s a good feeling.
How do you guys reflect on the success of tracks like ‘Sleep’ now?
Gavin: When ‘Sleep’ got added to the playlist ‘Walk Like A Badass’ I was in hospital at the time. I was out of the loop with the band and I was going through a dark period in my life. People would come up to me and say “You’re band is doing really well” and I would respond by saying “Really?”. But it’s great to reflect on that song and the opportunities it has led us to.
Taran: I think it’s been a real godsend, as it has kickstarted a lot of things for us and grown our Spotify listenership a lot. It just means that now when we release new music, like this album, for instance, a lot of people automatically hear it straight away. It really helps get our music in people’s faces! Sometimes I wonder if we should just try and write a ‘Sleep Pt.2’, but it just doesn’t make any sense, we need to grow as a band and explore new sounds and inspirations.
To what extent does ‘Deconstructed’ represent where you guys are right now?
Gavin: I think it’s a very good representation of the album, but our sound is constantly changing, we even wrote a song with a full set of lyrics the other week.
Taran: Musically, that song is kind of an amalgamation of a few different styles we like to play around with, there’s some dancey grooves, some post-rock epicness and some noisey chaos all in one. But as Gav said, we’re always changing, especially these last few weeks. Thematically, we’re out of that dark phase, thankfully. It’s important to reflect on those times though, to see the progress we’ve made.
What’s inspiring you guys outside of music – think people, places, movies and games for example?
Gavin: I usually get inspired through other people and personal things that go on in my life, but I have found it very hard to find inspiration over the pandemic. Maybe we will get inspiration to write a song about the vaccine I got last week? Who knows!
Taran: Yeah, I usually get inspired by feeling like shit! It sucks but being sad tends to spark something in terms of creativity, I think it’s the case for a lot of people. Otherwise, I guess people do inspire me as well, but it usually has something to do with music. Dark, gritty places have something inspirational as well, as if I could imagine a music video taking place there or something.
What does success mean to you as artists right now?
Gavin: Success to me is about being happy with what you play and the people you play with, so in that sense I am successful, but in the long run I would like to make a living out of the band and not worry about any other jobs to get income.
Taran: For me I think it’s about having a good fanbase, interacting well with them and keeping them happy through the music we release. Also writing good songs, being excited about them, and being happy with the music and the dynamic of the band. All of that makes for a successful act I think. The money, as our manager Alex always says, is just a result of whatever we do, not the cause.
Thanks so much for your time!
