Ballroom Addicts: Her.ie Chats To The “Really F*cking Handsome” Big September

Big September is made up by five school friends from Bray, Co. Wicklow, that have been an honest breath of fresh air to the indie rock scene since first making their mark early last year.  The five-piece includes charismatic frontman Scotty O'Neill, Dave Butler on guitar and vocals, blues boy Cillian Duane as lead guitarist, Dan Smith, a pounding drummer who will make you thankful you’re not on the other end of the sticks, and old charmer Graham ‘Naylor’ O'Neill on bass. Big September is one group that come with the classic unpredictability live and the ability to grab a crowd by the scruff of the neck. With their debut album 'Ballroom Addicts' finished and ready to be unleashed at a launch at Dublin's Academy tonight (Saturday May 17th) we caught up with the man responsible for the anthems, chief songwriter and bassist, Naylor, to talk about lyrics, egos, attitudes, AA and being “really fucking handsome”. After taking to the recording studios in February of 2013, Naylor reveals that the group had never even played the first single live before releasing it. “The first single we released ‘The Preacher’ we hadn’t even played it live and it just took off and so we decided to strike the iron while it was hot. We just kept recording. We put out another single and then booked straight in again. It was nearly a year of just three different times in the studio. “As we wrote we went and recorded, it was an on-going process and the album is a really good description of the band and how we developed over the year”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAuaL6Ot6Vo One of our favourites from Big September, 'The Preacher'. The band, who are named after a friend that past away in the September before the group formed, have been together for almost two years and Naylor assures us that there are “no egos in this band”. “The only time we ever argue is when we’re rehearsing, the rest of the time we really enjoy it, you’ve just got to put in the hard work”. Although Naylor may be listed as the genius behind the band’s lyrics he tells us that is “definitely isn’t a solo thing”. “I sit down at home in the evening and have an ol’ smoke at the kitchen table with the acoustic guitar and just write, then I bring it up to the boys in the band and they put all their little magic on it. I do write all the songs but it wouldn’t be the same without them, so I kind of feel like we all write them together”. “I like writing at the end of the day. All the lyrics are uplifting, get-yourself-out-of-a-hole type of stuff, because there’s enough shite going on these days that we don’t need to be hearing depressing stuff on the radio and we certainly don’t want to be playing them live”. “None of it is premeditated,” Naylor continues, “it is just sort of natural writing. It is just what ever comes out and they just seem to be all real happy”. “The lyrics are something we’re proud of, some people think that in some of the songs they’re throwaway lyrics. They’re not, they’re all clever thought out to get others thinking a bit”. The debut album, Ballroom Addicts, has eleven tracks in total but does Naylor think that the band's latest release, 'Righteous Way' will prove the big hitter for the band? “No, not at all. We think they’re all hits to be honest, genuinely. We just love the vibe of it [The Righteous Way] and the catchy riff. ‘The Preacher’,  ‘Tear It All Up’ and ‘Moneyman’, they’re the singles we released already and they were straight in - in your face, but this one draws you in at the start and has a really good break down in the middle with a guest vocal from Johnny Cronin. “It’s all about choosing your own path and doing things you own way, not worrying about what people think all the time. That’s ‘The Righteous Way’ of living and we thought, ‘fuck it’, that’s a great song to have out before the summer. “We’re not the most in trend band, we just our own thing and we don’t care really,"Naylor added. The lads love to live the rock n’roll lifestyle and have no qualms about it. When we asked if Big September would enjoy tipple before taking to the stage to ease nerves before a big performance? “Do we drink and perform?! Ah, would ya stop, just slightly, yea. Before, during, after, the next morning. We’re all fun drunks not those messy ones, though our lead singer he’s in AA so he can’t, but the rest of us do". The chemistry and true gang mentality of this group is seldom found but Big September is the result when it is. Agreeing to do a live session for us, even if it means doing it over Skype, it won’t be long before Naylor and the rest of the lads are gracing the Her.ie pages once again. Other things you should know about Big September... What is the group's standout moment to date? “The Late Late Show we only found out the day before and that was on the bucket list for all of us. A lot of bands that we’ve grown up with have been on it and it was just a great feeling, a great atmosphere. Colin Farrell was on it, Brian O’ Driscoll, Steve Coogan, all people we love and look up to. It was just a really great night and we all drank the bar dry in there, we certainly celebrated”. Who is the band diva? “Dan out drummer is a real diva, he takes so long to get ready, and we’re always waiting on him. Hair, makeup, everything, you want to see the size of the bag he carried with him”. If the ladies of Ireland had to know one thing about the band what would it be? “I can’t even think – sure everything knows everything about us, it’s on Facebook. We are the most fun band in the whole world and will make you laugh all day”. We can vouch for this. If the band had to take one Irish female personality to dinner, who would it be? After conferring with the lads Naylor’s first answer was ‘Enya’, which quickly changed to Miriam O’ Callaghan, before Mary Harney got a mention, and so too did Dan’s soft spot for Sinead O’ Connor. However Big September pulled the Ace from the pack when they remembered to include Her.ie. “Fuck it, we’ll take them all out, and you as well. Write that down, we want one each”. Favourite lyric you’ve ever penned? “We need to love what can never be replaced” – Beat Of The Breeze. Sum up the band in three words. “Really fucking handsome”. Following a fantastic show last before Christmas, Big September return to The Academy stage tonight for what promises to be yet another gignot to be missed. Tickets for the album launch cast €12 and will be available at the door. Before we go we'll leave you with an acoustic version of Big September's latest single, ‘The Righteous Way’.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll0aGQrFywI If you have a favourite Irish band or act that you think should be featured as #HerIrishArtistOfTheWeek email Grace at grace.oreilly@her.ie, or get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter.