Renegade Beat in Plymouth (interview)

03rd July 2008

Ska band Renegade Beat may have won The Herald’s Battle of the Bands contest earlier this year, but they’re not planning on world domination just yet.

After working hard to hone their set in the run-up to the event, the horn-fuelled five-piece have been enjoying some chill-out time out to go and check out some festivals for themselves.

But they will be back for two gigs in the city on Friday, July 4 - the first supporting Mad Dog McRea at the Hub in Bath Street, the scene of their victory back in May, before hot-footing it over to the Voodoo Lounge, where they’ll perform as part of the regular Friday night Smooch Sessions.

It’s a whole three years since Plymouth bass player Sam Drew found lead singer Dan Beckett, who hails from Crawley, and started concocting ska-tinged tunes with a heap of other influences thrown in.

Wind forward 18 months or so and, after the departure of their original drummer and sax player, they recruited the current line-up of Cornish drummer John Lister, plus trumpeter Graham Morton, who came to Plymouth Uni from Gloucester, and trumpeter Tom Greig from Jersey.

"We're all into different styles of music which is why we incorporate so much into the sound," explains Graham.

"the reason we go with ska is because it’s so upbeat and everybody seems to enjoy it.”

CLARE ROBINSON
PICTURES: LUCY BLAKE

Read the rest of this interview in Friday's edition of the Plymouth Herald.

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