Raucous yet sentimental, Scottish-bred London-based singer-songwriter Quinny offers a different perspective of Christmas with his new single, Christmas Gear.
Accompanied by a brilliantly directed music video starring Richard Wilson, Christmas Gear is loaded with dark humour, effortlessly catchy hooks and a poignant underlying message of loneliness during the festive period.
I had a chat to Quinny to find out more about how they put the music video together, how the music scene in London compares to Glasgow and how to get over band breakups…
Words by Annie Rew Shaw
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Annie) Hey Quinny! Can you introduce yourself to our readers
Quinny) I’m a Scottish singer/songwriter influenced by indie and pop music, but also a bit of folk and country. I’ve been playing in bands since I was around 13 and started this solo project around 2012, taking a bit of a break from 2015 - 2018 to focus on my career in youth arts.
Coming back in 2018 was the best decision I think I’ve made, and I feel like my songs, musicianship and general approach to the creative process are now stronger than ever. I’ve toured in Scotland, England and the US and I’m keen to visit more cities soon!
I just try to be myself and convey things I would say in real life in my songs. Things tend to go a bit dark, a bit funny and sometimes a bit serious. Lyrics are important to me, but I’m not very good at using flowery language, so I try to keep the words simple but unique and colloquial.
Your new single Christmas Gear simultaneously delivers excellent dark humour alongside a more profound message about loneliness. Can you give us some insight into the writing / recording process?
Well, I wrote the song in March 2018 during the Beast from the East snow storm. I was thinking about the previous Christmas Eve where I heard a guy in the toilet offer another man a line of cocaine. I jokingly thought about how sad it is that drug dealers still have to work on Christmas. When do they get a break? I decided to try and make the ‘gear’ in the song slightly more ambiguous than just drugs, because as the song took shape, I started to think more about how bored, lonely and lost the protagonist was feeling, rather than solely talking about coke.
Christmas Eve is my favourite night of the year - everyone in my hometown Paisley is out in good spirits. Me and my friends wander round some of our favourite spots catching up with folk we haven’t seen since probably the previous Christmas. I think the idea of catching up with people on Christmas Eve was definitely a huge influence on the song, as the lyrics are sort of taken from the perspective of someone listening to how great a year all their mates have had, while they’ve just been stuck in the same rut they’ve been in for years.
Recording was great - we did that at Hermitage Works Studios in Harringay. It was odd to be thinking about Christmas in August while it was sunny, but I brought some Christmas props to the studio to get us in the mood. My friends Marie Collins (The Vegan Leather), Bovine, Graham McCusker and Gary Stuart came to London to play on the songs and my pal Chris McCrory (Catholic Action) produced it over the course of 3 days. They really brought the songs to life in ways I hadn’t really considered, I’m lucky to have them on there.
I love the accompanying video. What was it like performing alongside Richard Wilson?
Richard was so great. Very friendly, easy going and eager to make an amazing video, I can’t thank him enough. My brother Martin (who also stars in the video as Jobby the Elf) went round to his house several times and worked through the song with him so he could learn the lyrics. His voice is so recognisable, it was quite surreal to hear him singing my lyrics on the day of filming.
How’s the London music scene compared to Scotland?
Very different. I was very embedded in the Glasgow music scene; I think being a much smaller city than London it just makes it easier to create a sense of community. Everything and everyone tends to be so far away in London - you need to make a real effort to go to people’s shows. That said, there are so many great small venues in London; if you can drum up an audience, it’s quite easy to put on your own show. There’s an unlimited abundance of bands too. So yeah, London has more choice, but sometimes too much choice I think. Glasgow is much more tightly knit.
If you could play any venue in the world, where would it be and why?
Truly, I’d love to headline the Roundhouse in Camden. I used to work there and I just love the space and the building. Looks and sounds amazing. Great staff and youth programme too!
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a musician?
When I was 20, my band broke up and I was very gutted. I remember having a moan to my friend CJ Monk about how I didn’t know how I was going to continue making music and he said ‘Just write 10 new songs and get your pals to play them, it’s not that complicated’, which is what I did and I’m still doing today! If you love writing and playing, you just have to keep going. There will be knock-backs and money lost, but if music is your thing, just find a way to keep doing what you love without caring about the impact it will have on the world. Any popularity is just a bonus.