Whilst Dashh– have been on our radar for a while and with some high profile gigs on the horizon, we were really grateful when they reached out to have a chat with us.
For the uninitiated how would you describe Dashh-?
folk often compliment us for dressing wacky, looking fierce and having the courage to perform the way we do
-dashh- is a female fronted creative band that sounds, looks and feels dramatic, atmospheric, haunting and theatrical. We love to write and let our imaginations run wild – normally on a full moon
For fans of Stevie Nicks, and god knows who else tbh.
-dashh- is a band that gets people interested. We hopefully offer something different, and folk often compliment us for dressing wacky, looking fierce and having the courage to perform the way we do.
We are three powerful women with some thunder pipes, and an incredibly talented band, Chris Shaun and Keiran who provide us with crazy guitar riffs a bass bonanza and drum trills that are very pleasing to the ear.
We all love the drama of a performance and the ‘getting lost in the music’ feeling that we get when we perform. We have a completely different style of singing but somehow it works!
Our originals are powerful, melodic and true. We feel this attracts our audience as it allows them to come on the journey with us.
In addition to our original songs, we have a very eclectic cover set that we perform from Fleetwood mac, Stevie Nicks, Bishop Briggs, Tina Turner to Dolly Parton and Eminem to name a few. We offer a wide range of songs and genres but love to stay true with our -dashh- sound and put our spin on it.
-dashh-, Dashh-, Dashh, dashh, we don’t tend to mind so long as it has a double h we are happy
I have seen several versions of the band’s name (possibly in this article too), where did the name and the spelling come from?
-dashh-, Dashh-, Dashh, dashh, we don’t tend to mind so long as it has a double h we are happy
-dashh- to us is a reminder to live your best dash – the line between when you are born and when you die.
We formed in lockdown, where singing was very important to us. Our best -dashh- is about performing how we want and not having to conform to what others would have us be.
The double ‘H’ is another tale which we would be happy to share over a glass of wine one day ha ha!
You seem to be popping up everywhere at the moment, how has 2023 treated you so far?
2023 has been incredible! We have established a regular gig at Blackfriars which is always a great laugh and fab atmosphere.
In April we were honoured to have been asked to be the warm up for Toploader alongside The Side at Strathpeffer Pavilion which was just phenomenal!! The sound, the lights, the crowd, it just blew us away – such an incredible night and such amazing feedback
May was our second year at Beauly Buzz, this is a newbie to the local festival scene and we just love the vibe – so friendly and laid back. We will be back there in September and again next May for Beauly Buzz 24.
We are super excited to headline Highland Pride and we are currently working on a high energy set list for that and of course Belladrum – who doesn’t love Bella!
We will be also performing at Black Isle show and already working on the line dancing moves to accompany our -dashh- infused country hoedown! We have a few more exciting announcements in the pipeline ….. So watch this space.
For your live gigs you have been know to throw some curve-balls to your mash ups, what do you think is your most ambitious mash-up so far, and do you have any more in the pipeline?
Our most ambitious mash up to date has to be the one we are currently working on…. A 90s themed extravaganza featuring all your favourite dance classics. Is it in keeping with our ‘genre’ – no, but is it craic? Hell yeah.
We are more than delighted to find out Barbie Girl Is about to go galactic again due to the upcoming movie, so stay tuned for our version
Our future ambition would be to collab with a couple of local bands on some wild mashup clash of genres, so if this peaks your interests hit us up
You have been given a four-song set to impress, what are the three original and one cover that you would play and talk us through your choices?
#1 Black Circle
Our OG, and will always have a special place in our hearts. Often described as a ‘journey’, it lives up to its description with a slow start, building to an alternative, circular, ending. It’s so moody it sets the stage for what is about to come next.
#2 Siren
Our original tongue in cheek song about a mermaid who does not need saving. Siren is a faster tempo, with a summer vibe and we are continually told how catchy it is. It is quite a contrast to Black Circle and always gets people dancing despite us having not recorded it (yet).
#3 The Dashh Up
Born of the jam, the -dashh- up is our version of the four chord song. Random as you like entries from Black Sabbath, Lady Marmalade and Dolly Parton all built around Eminem’s Lose Yourself. Guaranteed to get everyone of every age on their feet, and we take a special kind of delight in seeing the surprise in our audiences faces.
#4 Kingdom Fire
So by now everyone is on their feet and up dancing, enter: Kingdom Fire. Our newest original and an absolute banger if we do say so ourselves. The spooky intro ends ubruptly and straight into a rocky and attitude soaked verse that grabs attention. The soaring chorus provides a sing along opportunity and the end descends into guitar solo and drum madness.
–dashh- n the Drum went down very well, are there any thoughts about revisiting hosting your own festival?
Absolutely loved it – dashh- n the drum was 100% a right time, right place concept. A second is not on the radar for the moment (though we have been asked a lot over the past few months) at the moment we are focusing on songwriting and developing our performances. Never say never though.
Given your involvement in the local scene, what are the acts in the area that you look forward to most seeing?
We have big support for the Black Isle Peas, they formed around the same time as us and have had the honour and privilege to have played alongside them often. They bring great music and really happy vibes, they are always one of our faves.
We do and will always continue to support everyone in this local industry, the talent effort and diversity that Inverness and the surrounding areas has to offer is amazing and very inspiring!
We are looking forward to seeing again this year; Bad Actress, Ebo / The Vandal, Maraan & the Wildcats, Siobhan Neylon, Dylan Tierney, Venus Guytrap. We are still yet to see The Idiotix but that’s next up on our list!
You have three singles released so far, what are your plans for further recordings?
We have been working hard behind the scenes writing and producing new music and we will be heading to the recording studio very soon to get these songs recorded and released into the world.
Our most recent newly written song ‘Kingdom Fire’ is a complete banger and contains influences from all of our genres within the band.
Chris, Shaun and Keiran quickly heard and played the vision for this song, coming together to conjure the magic and giving the stepping stone to create this new single.
Our lyrics happen very organically normally with just one word then the magic will happen. Our songs are stories, life experiences, mental health, survival and love!
Courtesy of AI, our last random question; If you had to create a brand new instrument using unconventional objects, what would you choose and how would you play it in your music?
Hahaha this is such a cool question, so if anyone has seen us live we do actually introduce Hayley as our in-house keyboard player – using her voice!! Which is pretty awesome …
We see ourselves as having haunting cinematic sounds, and do not have a keys/synth player (any volunteers to help Hayley out?!) so, hmmm, maybe the invention of magical crystal champagne glasses rubbing your finger around the rim of the glass? It would create a sound that feels atmospheric, dramatic and almost a little spooky !! Just like us
P.s of course glasses need to be full of a champagne potion for this magical sound to work
Where to catch Dash–?
Highland Pride 22 July
Belladrum 29 July
Black Isle Show 3 Aug
Black Friars first Saturday of the month
and of course one Facebook and Instagram
Many thanks again to Hayley, Emma & Mary Dawn of Dashh–
