Sadbot is an indie-synthpop musician from Sheffield. Last month, the artist released dark-wave, sad synth tune ‘Creature of Habit’: think 80s classic War Games meets Black Mirror. We grabbed him for a chat to hear about some formative music experiences…
The first record I bought…
It’s pretty hard for me to remember, but it was either Revolver by The Beatles or The Race for Space by Public Service Broadcasting. One a seminal pop album, the other an indulgent space prog album – this combination set the precedent for my taste in music pretty well, I’d say.
The first gig I played…
In secondary school, I started playing with the lovely boys Harry Lyon and Charlie Yapp in my band RedFaces. Our first proper gig was at West St Live, curated by the incredible Mat Hume: a great show and a core memory. We weren’t technically allowed to be in there given our age, but I can assure you Mat didn’t know that…
The first song I performed…
I tell a lie: technically, the first “gig” I played was a primary school talent competition when I was around 8 years old. Despite me being able to play piano, the teachers fancied themselves as Simon Cowell wannabes and assembled a boyband that relegated me to miming backing vocals. We played ‘Goodbye Mr. A’, and it was dreadful. I was so embarrassed I didn’t play on stage for another 6 years.
A song I wish I’d wrote…
This is difficult, because I’m really bad for comparing myself to all the music I love. Whenever I listen to ‘Eventually’ by Tame Impala I marvel at how perfect a heartbreak song it is, and definitely wish I wrote that. Sometimes, I have such a respect for a great, simple pop song – I wish I’d written “Baby One More Time” by Britney sometimes.
I first fell in love with music when…
My parents took me to the Bakewell Music Festival in around 2012. There was a band that would later become one of my favourites called Goldheart Assembly. I’d loved music before, but seeing them play live… I don’t know – something just clicked: I stopped being so obsessed with Lego, and more obsessed with the idea of writing music.
A song I can’t get out of my head at the minute…
‘Starburned and Unkissed” by Caroline Polachek. It’s such a beautiful song, and also has such a beautiful role in the film I Saw The TV Glow – a wonderful, gut-wrenching, queer, analog horror film. There’s a great scene where the main character is walking down a 90s high school hallway in a long uncut shot to this song and it’s just amazing. Caroline’s vocals are both angelic and utterly devastating.
A record which reminds me of a specific time and place…
‘Brown Study’ by Vansire. When I first got to chatting to my girlfriend (then, “just mates”) who I’d met on tour, she sent me a lot of music she loved and it slowly started to metamorphose my tastes. She lived faraway, and this song laments about a long-distance relationship. Whenever I listen to it, I’m reminded of these long distance chats we’d have whilst I was in a tour van miles away, and the times when we weren’t talking but she was still all I’d think about.
Music allows me to…
Illustrate the poetry I delusionaly manipulate my life into. I don’t really believe in fate or anything, but I do think that we rationalise huge things that happen in our lives into these sort of “rhymes” and “chapters” – making a narrative out of the chaos. Music allows me to indulge in the faux poetry of my life, and pretend that it’s all a big story…
