Esper Scout

Leeds based 'Esper Scout' first caught our attention when they played the 'Glaston-Bury Festival' in Bury over the summer. The all girl 4 piece have a couple of releases under their belt already and in December will release their latest single and video 'Gaps in the Border Fence'  

Esper Scout's Sarah Statham tells us more about the band and the forthcoming release.

 

Hey, how are you?

Good thanks! Busy sorting various things for the Gaps in the Border Fence / In Foreign release later in the year, we finished filming the video yesterday which is a big weight off! An ambitious project and one which took longer than expected but we’re really happy with how it all went. Everyone received stings and bites from the forest as marks of achievement!

Where are the band from?

We’re based in Leeds but Kirsty, Rebecca and I were born, raised and met in Manchester. Lou is a Leeds gal.

How long have Esper Scout been together?

The three of us moved up between 2007 and 2008 and met Lou quite soon after so just over four years in some guise or another. We’ve been Esper Scout for what must be coming up to three years.


Wallet of Brass Coins by Esper Scout

Where does the name come from?

‘Esper’ is a word first used in a science fiction short story called ‘Oddy & Id’ by Alfred Bester and it’s derived from the idea of ‘extra sensory perception’. I can’t remember how but ‘Scout’ emerged when Kirsty and Lou were watching a documentary about bears. Me and Reb were out watching the ATP film at TJ Woodhouse in Leeds and we got a number of texts with bear related suggestions. Unfortunately I’m not able to recall any of them but I’m sure they were crackers!

Have any of you been in other bands before Esper Scout?

Actually mine and Kirsty’s first band is how we met Reb. It was a tongue-in-cheek, youthful punk thing. We broke the ice with Incubus’ Alive at Red Rocks DVD and had a song called Pork Sword. We’ve matured slightly since then, creatively at least. This excludes doodles and puns of course.

You've had a couple of singles release, how well have they been received?

The reviews we had were positive but we’re definitely honest about them as teething experiences mainly. We’re stronger players now and Kids & Pets was my first experience singing on a recording and I learnt plenty, especially with regards to how much pressure I seemed to be putting on myself. Thankfully we were recording with a friend so the process was more relaxed than if it had have been someone else. In Foreign, the second track on our next release, was born out of how I was feeling that winter. I think we’re all agreed that we’re only just starting to find ourselves musically but the first two e.ps have led us to some really good gigs, radio play and other exposure so they’ve served us well. We love the remixes that have emerged from a couple of their songs too and we’ve just recorded a revised version of Shed Some Light which will be out next year. We’re sort of in-between drummers at the moment so I recorded drums on that. I hadn’t recorded drums - or played very much at all - for several years so it was good exercise to be back in the saddle. Excuse the metaphor.




If someone has not heard the band how would you describe your sound?

Loud/quiet/rock is a response which we’ve used before but I’m aware that’s perhaps frustratingly vague and not too helpful. To add to that then, we like to combine melody, harmony, guitar and bass textures and pedal effects with strong, dynamic drums and rhythms.

Who would you say are the main influences on the band?

There aren’t many artists who we can agree on but Melissa Auf der Maur is one of the few. We’ve been told that the songs have QOTSA, Oceansize and Jack Off Jill tendencies. I don’t think we deserve such comparisons just yet but it’s very complimentary - and they weren’t all drunk. It was both confusing and worrying when a guy likened us to U2 and Metallica one time though, at two in the afternoon.

Do you have any live dates planned?

We’re playing a MS fundraiser in Empire in Leeds on the 17^th November and supporting our friends Chemistry Lane at Telfords in Chester on the 22^nd of November. We’re busy booking some more for the end of the year and hopefully a release gig for Gaps in the Border Fence / In Foreign.

Where can people find your people find your music?

It’s all exclusively on Bandcamp at the moment, including a two track remix e.p at www.esperscout.bandcamp.com.

What's next for Esper Scout?

We’ve been pretty wrapped up in Gaps and In Foreign to think too far ahead. After we release that it’ll be the re-recorded Shed Some Light single which is on the cards for early 2013.


You can find Esper Scout online: Bandcamp Facebook Twitter

The band launch their new single on 12.12.12