Stormy Weather

Photo by Jonnie Craig

Do you remember those kids at primary school who used to be scared of clouds? You’d be mucking about in the playground and then all of a sudden somebody would start wailing and pointing at the sky because a cloud looked like a giant spider or something. The teacher would rush over to see what was wrong and then they’d be comforting the poor child and telling them, “It’s only a cloud, it’s not a monster”. Then everybody would look up at the sky, desperately trying to find which part of the cloud formation could possibly look scary, hoping that once they saw it, they wouldn’t start feeling scared as well. It was a fun game. What’s the point of this story? Well, Sian Alice Group’s music reminds me of scary-looking clouds. The big, huge ones that have an outline of fluffy white but are mostly made of a disconcerting grey that promises thunder and rain to come. It’s beautiful, lush, dreamy and ethereal but there’s a dark, rainy spookiness at its core that sets it apart from so many experimental groups out there who seem to have little better to do than flib and flob about with dreary jazz scales and deep sleep-inducing “drones”. Could this have anything to do with the fact that Sian Alice Group is Jesus & Mary Chain founder member Douglas Hart’s first band since JAMC? Or that Jason Spaceman is their mentor and number one fan? Those guys know a thing or two about darkness, right? Recently, I spoke to Ben Crook and Ruper Clervaux who, along with Sian herself, are the two main people behind SAG’s sound. I wanted to find out how they made their music, but first I wanted to clear up a rumour I’d heard about them and why it wouldn’t go away. Vice: So is it true that you guys were behind the invention of the popular drink known as Turboshandy? Ben Crook: Yeah. I was at a Slayer show at Wembley with Andrew Hartwell (Aurora Borealis label boss) and you had to queue for ages to get these crap plastic bottles of Carlsberg and Smirnoff Ice so we just bought a load and put them all in the same glasses. The two mixed together tasted dry and almost sophisticated. From that day forward, the drink’s become an institution in itself. There’s also the Powershandy, which is lager with Red Bull in it. Finally, the truth. So when you first played me “Night Song” I remember saying something really erudite about it but I can’t remember what it was. What was it? Rupert Clervaux: It was something to do with how the songs are quite avant-garde in terms of the music but they have quite a classic vocal. There is no reason why you can’t be experimental and still make something that has a beautiful pop sensibility. How did you get Douglas involved? Ben: We knew Douglas through Jason (Spaceman). He’s the cleverest man alive and we needed someone to play bass. Plus, he’s got two great ears. He was the Jesus and Mary Chain’s original bassist. He’s not Flea. ANDY CAPPER
Sian Alice Group’s debut seven-inch “Night Song” is out now through The Social Registry.