A Chat with The Super Moons (05.10.21)
Influenced by the likes of The Who, The Strypes, Small Faces, Bob Mary and Jake Bugg, The Super Moons are completely unique with tinges of indie, power-pop and garage rock. Comprised of a multi-cultural five-some with members from Scotland, Australia and Poland, The Super Moons use their diverse backgrounds to create intriguing sounds. We speak with Geoff Hamilton about their debut album Real Life Heroes, discovering new music and future plans.
OSR: How did The Super Moons come about and what drew you all to music?
Hamilton: Three of the five of us actually live in the same street. We’d get together with guitars and a few beers and hang out. After a while, we started writing songs of our own and so decided to see where we could go with it. Jason (bass) was a friend and eventually, we found Kris in our search for a drummer. All of us have a background in music, either in bands or individually.
OSR: You recently released your debut album Real Life Heroes, what can you tell us about it?
Hamilton: The album is made up of 11 original songs. These were written and developed over the last couple of years. Unconsciously, our songs tend to be about the everyday rather than anything grand. For example, ‘The Man Who Saved the World’ is about a Russian man called Stanislav Petrov who, literally, prevented the world from blowing itself up in the 80s. A fascinating, but little-known, story. There’s a song called ‘Frontline’ which has a theme of both praising key workers and criticising the government. The title came from that really, observations about people in real life who do heroic things – often with very little fanfare.
OSR: What was the recording and production process like?
Hamilton: Recording was a bit stop-start due to the pandemic. The studio would be closed for periods or the rules would prevent us from rehearsing. That made it difficult and also meant that it took longer than planned.
The actual recording process is always good though. We recorded at Substation Studios in Fife with Michael Brennan (Faith No More, Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream, etc.) who is very imaginative and good at pushing us. Hence why we have brass, keyboards and all manner of percussion instruments. He also doesn’t get annoyed when you say no to something but will tell us if he thinks we’re wrong. We often are!
OSR: Describe Real Life Heroes in one sentence.
Hamilton: A musical journey of original indie-rock with meaningful lyrics that you should listen to.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music in general?
Hamilton: The main thing is for people to enjoy it. There is always new music for people to enjoy if you’re prepared to go looking for it. A lot of people don’t have the drive or the interest and end up just hearing what mainstream media give you. Anytime someone tells you that your album, or even an individual song, means something to them is a real buzz for us. It’s also great when people connect with your lyrics.
OSR: If you could spend the day with anyone, who would it be and why?
Hamilton: Hmmm. This could change from one day to the next. Hanging out with Paul Weller would be a real thrill but it would also be good to drive Boris Johnson’s car off the edge of a cliff. ?
OSR: What’s something you wished you’d figured out sooner?
Hamilton: It’s a bit of a cliche but if you have an ambition, however unlikely it may seem, then go for it. Life passes you by pretty quickly.
OSR: What are your favourite and least favourite tracks from Real Life Heroes?
Hamilton: The five of us would probably all have different answers for this but mine would be ‘Carry Your Soul’. It’s a seven-minute epic. Least favourite would be…c’mon, there isn’t one. Every track is worth something.
OSR: What do you believe is the best way to discover music in the Internet Era?
Hamilton: Still trying to figure that out from an artist’s point of view, to be honest. We live in a world where we’re all spoon-fed what “influencers” want us to hear rather than discovering things for ourselves.
OSR: What does the future hold for The Super Moons?
Hamilton: World domination surely?
Thanks to Geoff Hamilton for speaking with us. For more from The Super Moons check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
