The Idiotix are a rock band (or not quite, see below), borne out of social media. They were praised by Thousand Mile Stare, who they shared billing with on The Idiotix’s debut; ” they did a terrific job for their first gig together as a band; opening the night in front of a sold-out crowd is no easy task and they smashed it”. We were really pleased when lead singer Daz agreed to answer a few questions for us.
Who are you?
We are a five-piece group based in the Highlands & Moray. It would be easy to call ourselves a “rock band,” but there’s more to us than that (as you may see in the future…). Although similar in many ways, we’re five very different guys with very different backgrounds. We all work, and music gives us the respite we all need from the daily grind! A social media post brought us together initially, and after a little bit of shuffling and bonding, we now feel like a cohesive band who all understand each other.
What do you do?
As we mentioned above, if we’re slapping labels on things, you could probably get away with calling us a “rock band.” We all have different styles and flavors of music. Our drummer is a multi-instrumentalist, our vocalist is a piper… There are loads of layers to us as individuals, which we’ll hopefully be able to translate to the stage as time goes on. At the moment, we have a few originals, with many more being worked on as we speak. With time, we’ll be able to focus all of our energy on our own stuff!
For fans of…?
We’re a very mixed bag! We draw inspiration from a huge range of artists and bands. Think ’90s rock and metal, pop punk, glam rock… If we’re throwing names around, think Maneskin, Blink 182, Tool, Slipknot, Alice in Chains… Our singer is a bit of a fusion between Justin Hawkins and Damiano David, if that paints a better picture! But don’t come expecting a tribute act; these are just some of our sources of inspiration!
Your first gig was in April how did it go and what did you learn from it?
We were chuffed to be asked to open for Greater Than Fear, alongside Atomic Mother and Thousand Mile Stare. The gig was sold-out (which was awesome), and when we left the stage, the compliments just kept on coming! It gave us the confidence and validation we needed as a band to really knuckle down and realize that we could go pretty darn far if we put our all into this!
You are no stranger to the stage, what are the main differences and similarities to your Venus Guytrap performances?
Haha… Venus has been on the go for 14 years now. I’ve enjoyed performing all over the country at a huge range of events and festivals, which has equipped me with the confidence I believe a lead singer needs. When I’m performing as Venus, the genre is typically pop-rock, and I’m one of VERY few in the North of Scotland who sing live. With The Idiotix, the sound is definitely less pop and more rock! I’m sure Venus will appear with the band at some point; we’ll just have to wait and see!
Of your current material which song represents you best and why?
It would definitely be one of our originals, “Over & Over.” It’s the first song we all collectively wrote together. The song is about that moment when you realize you’re obsessed with somebody you can never have, but it has an undertone of “I’m a bit daft”… A message we can all relate to!
You have identified an ambition to record an album, how far along are you on that journey?
We’re making great progress and have already begun discussing our debut music video (stay tuned). As soon as we feel our originals are ready to hit the recording studio, we’ll be all over it! At the time of answering this question, we have three completed originals. We have around seven others we’re working on at the moment, but someone always throws a new riff out while we’re jamming, and songs start forming themselves! Watch this space!
Anything to add?
Support local bands and let’s put the Highlands on the musical map! :)
Where can we catch you next?
We have a few upcoming appearances, but the venues haven’t announced them yet. You can follow our social media (Facebook and Instagram) for information about where to come see us!
