Since splitting from The Everly Pregnant Brothers, Shaun Doane has been keeping himself busy.
From stand-up to DJing and even producing more music with his other band, Tiny Barbara Surf Club, it’s been hard to keep him away from the stage.
But a year and a half since he last played his tunes from The Brothers, Shaun is bringing his old noise to Crookes Social Club – this time with an electric backing.
In preparation for next week’s Big Shaun Experience, Zain Durrani spoke to Shaun Doane to see how he was feeling.
Hey Shaun – hope you’re okay! Really excited for your upcoming show. How long has it been since you were last on stage?
Musically? That would’ve been last summer – Tiny Barbara Surf Club at Wentworth Festival. So I haven’t done a band gig since then.
And obviously, the last gig I did with The Brothers was Christmas 2023.
It’s been half a year! How are you feeling? Are you excited to get back on stage again?
Yeah! I mean, I’ve done bits in between – stand-up comedy, some DJing, which I did anyway.
But I just… I missed singing the songs. It had been over a year.
I didn’t leave The Brothers because I didn’t like the stuff – there were lots of other reasons for leaving, but I’m not yet ready to give the full skinny on that.
Needless to say, I left The Brothers, and for a long time, I just wanted to do anything but that music – that material. But the longer time went on, the more I missed it. It’s good, funny material!
I missed performing it in front of a crowd, so I approached the lads in Tiny Barbara Surf Club and asked, Do you guys fancy bringing those songs back, but in a non-ukulele style? Rocking them up a bit? And they said, Yeah, let’s give it a try.
So, we started practising. Just did a couple at first to see if it’d work – and it did. So I decided to book a gig. The quicker we got on with it, the quicker we could gauge if people wanted to see it – if there was a demand.
We didn’t want to go all out and book a massive venue, but at the same time, we didn’t want to just book a tiny little room. So we found something in between – Crookes Social Club. It’s a big room, but it’s not like City Hall or an O2 venue.
We booked it back in December – so it’s only been two months. You know – it’s just going to be a big laugh. It’s going to be fun!
We’ve sold a nice amount of tickets, and there are still some left if people want them. But yeah, it’s going to be fun – a good gig.
I missed performing it in front of a crowd, so I approached the lads in Tiny Barbara Surf Club and asked, Do you guys fancy bringing those songs back, but in a non-ukulele style? Rocking them up a bit? And they said, Yeah, let’s give it a try.
So, of course, Tiny Barbara Surf Club will be adding an electric rock feel to the music, most of which was originally played on ukulele. Do you think that’s really changed how it sounds?
Yeah! The songs were always recognisable, but playing them as we used to – with ukuleles – that’s a very specific style. The way we had to change things to make them work with ukuleles (because of the different tuning and all that), we’re not doing that anymore.
Now, the songs sound a little more like the originals. But we’ve also played around with styles. Some of them are going to be instantly recognisable just because you’ve heard the song before.
When I found out we were talking to you, I did a deep dive into all your old stuff. Is there anything you’re particularly excited to play again? Any favourites?
Yeah – some of the stuff we hadn’t played for a long time with The Brothers. So, Losing My Best Pigeon, Wordsworth Avenue – those ones.
But honestly, all of them. It’s going to be fun to do them in a different style and see how people react.
But yeah, definitely Losing My Best Pigeon – we haven’t played that in ages, and I think this version is quite good.
I know we touched on this earlier, but do you see this show as a jumping-off point for more future gigs?
Yeah – that’s the idea. We wanted to see:
A) if anyone still wanted to see me perform these songs, and
B) if we could actually pull it off and put a set together in time – which we have.
We talked about this while practising, and because we’re all really enjoying it, we’re not going to stop doing Tiny Barbara Surf Club, which is all original songs. But the thing with being an original band nowadays is that there are so many original bands out there. It’s hard to get gigs, and even harder to get people to turn up.
I think because this music has a tried and tested formula, we can get people to come along.
We are thinking about eventually adding new material. This first gig will all be old stuff, but if it goes well, we might start writing some new parody material and see how it goes.
Is there anything else you’re particularly excited about for the show?
We’ve got a fantastic up-and-coming stand-up comedian opening for us – Stevie Cairns. She’s from Doncaster, she’s blind, and she is incredibly funny. I think people are going to love what she does.
It’s going to be a nice evening. It’s not a full-on rock and roll show where everyone’s standing up and moshing – it’s going to be seated. People can come out, have a few drinks, have a laugh, and just relax. It’ll be nostalgic for fans who’ve seen us before, but also a great introduction for people who never saw The Brothers.
Any final thoughts?
Really big thank you to everybody who has sent messages and supported me ever since I left The Brothers. As always, I appreciate the people who have looked after me when I’ve not been myself – when I’ve been struggling a little. I feel very lucky to have so many good fans and friends.
Catch The Big Shaun Experience at Crookes Social Club on Friday 21 Feb. Timings and ticket info available here.
