Scottish alt hip-hop group Stanley Odd returned to Solas this summer for their first outdoor festival in over three years. We got hold of frontman Dave for a wee chat.
Hi Dave. Awesome set! First off, can you tell us a bit about Stanley Odd – who you are and what your crack is?
Yeah, totally. We’ve been around for a while now – about 12 years, and have put some albums out. We got an album out last year but didn’t get a chance to play it because of COVID. Solas is actually our first festival of the summer, and our first time back on a festival stage in a few years.
So obviously you guys take quite a political route with your songs. What pushed you to choose this route over a considerably more conventional style?
Hip hop culture reflects on the environment around it. Hip hop challenges you to engage and ask questions about stuff, and I think if that’s what you’ve been immersing yourself in, then when you start making music, those sort of things infuse it. It lends itself to challenging questions and defiance, but also Scottish culture lends itself to not taking yourself too seriously and putting a ticket on yourself. So it’s just trying to find a space in between.
You guys have been playing Solas for a few years now. What is it that brings you back?
We love Solas. We’ve played it at three different sites over the years. The crowd’s always really good to us. It’s one of the broadest demographics of any festival we’ve ever been to. Folk from all walks of life. That’s always a nice challenge as a band, finding ways to make sure folks engage with what you do and try and convert people along the way, so that you come to Solas and see familiar faces again.
Finally, can you tell us a bit about what’s next in store for Stanley Odd?
We’ve got a busy summer of festivals; we’ll be at Doune (Doune The Rabbit Hole), Kelburn, The Big Burns Supper, Lindisarne, stuff like that. At the moment it’s just about playing live, jumping about, telling our stories. Then after that, we’re trying to find the space and time to start making something new.
During her time with Perth Life Sophie oversaw and delivered a huge amount of work. From being the Deputy Editor of the physical What's On Magazines, to working with bands, creatives and wellness organisations across Perth and Scotland. Sophie was able to capture, record and share some of Perth's most memorable moments.
