NME :- INTRODUCING // OH CAPTAIN|MY CAPTAIN




As the first month of 2015 is almost over, we continue to take a look at the latest British bands that should be looked out for and this week we’re highlighting a young trio from Brighton that goes by the name of “Oh Captain|My Captain”.
Consisting of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kayleigh Skye, lead guitarist Kyle Irvine and bassist Matthew Fay this indie-rock trio have been playing together for the past two years, local small venues around their hometown of Brighton mostly with the occasional venture into unknown territories, but they’ve been creating a small buzz recently and have signed with a local management company which helps relieve the challenges of booking shows from the band that have done everything DIY style since deciding to form the band during their time in sixth form education. Of course breaking into the industry these days isn’t always easy, this trio are ones to watch out for, care to find out a little more about “Oh Captain | My Captain”, then please read on;

First of all, the name ... Dead Poet’s Society?

Kyle: “Well yeah, I mean that’s where I knew the name from. I’d just like to point out that the name .. It isn’t my fault, alright?.”
Kayleigh: “We needed a name ... Now we don’t need a name.”
Matthew: “I suppose it could have been worse, I mean we could have ended up being called “Good Morning, Vietnam” or “Jumanji”
Kayleigh: “F*ck! We should have been called “Jumanji” that would be quality. Anyway, yeah it’s a poem written about Abe Lincoln and maybe more well known as a reference from the Robin Williams film. There’s no logic to the name, we needed a name, I was watching that movie one day and thought that might sound good for a band name and here we are, no turning back now.”

What brought you guys together to form the band?

Matthew: “We’ve known each other since we were kids, I think we first became friends when we were like 6 years old, we all lived two minutes away from each other and went to the same school and so we just ended up with each other, I guess.”

Kayleigh: “Yeah, I don’t have brothers or sisters, so I’d say these two filled that void.”

Kyle: “We had similar interests from an early age though, sports and active sort of things. Always grazing our knees and injuring ourselves and stuff. Climbing trees and skating and that sort of thing. Then of course music as we got older, first just discovering obscure stuff that people at school weren’t listening to or even knew of and we bonded over that a lot more as we grew older.”

Kayleigh: “Definitely, and as teenagers we started playing instruments and we were all sh*t but at least we had that in common and we decided, hey, let’s be sh*t together. And boom, we stopped learning stuff at school and decided to just obsess over music and playing together however terrible we were.”

So how would you describe yourself?

Kyle: “I’d say we’re just us. Guitars and keyboards and songs about our life, basically. Like a sort of modern britpop maybe? I mean, we’re not trying to be the same as anybody. So I suppose I wouldn’t describe us, just listen and if you like it then you like it, if you don’t then you don’t. I think sometimes people focus too much on what genre or style a musician or band falls under and that sort of dictates whether they feel like they can like the music, which is stupid. If you like it, then you like it, if you don’t then you don’t.”

So what are your plans for 2015?

Matthew: “Hopefully more gigs than last year. When you’re trying to establish yourself then it’s best to just go and play everywhere that will take you and hope that people enjoy you enough to come again next time.”

Kayleigh: “I’d like to get time in a studio, we got a chance to record a couple of demo’s, not the greatest quality of production but that was something new for us and something that I had fun doing.”

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Title: “Kids”
Recorded: London (December 2014)
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: Independent
Written by: K.Skye, K.Irvine, M.Fay

“What time you coming out, mate?
We’re going down to the park
Drinking stella on the swings until the light turns to dark
You know I’ll be your alibi, tell your mum you’re knocking round at mine
Just come out tonight
You know we’ll have a good time

It wouldn’t be the same without you there
And I know you’ll have a laugh
Fuck it, if we get bored give us a signal and we’ll head back
See, I know we’re young and we don’t know shit
But fucking hell mate
I know what this is

And we’re just kids
Falling in love
We’re just kids
Falling in love
We’re just kids
Falling in love
Maybe this is enough

Mum and Dad say enjoy it while you can
Because these are the times that we’ll never get back
Say the things that you’re too afraid to say
And you’ll not regret a thing
And for the first time in my fucking life
I guess I started listening

Maybe we’re just kids
Falling in love
We’re just kids
Falling in love
We’re just kids
Falling in love
Maybe this is enough"