Short Circuit Device
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Short Circuit Device

London, England, United Kingdom

London, England, United Kingdom
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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Short Circuit Device"

TAKE a glance at their MySpace page, and you would be forgiven for harbouring doubts about a band that have dubbed their sound a mix of “concrete, Korean pop and melodramatic popular song”.

But a quick listen to indie-rockers Short Circuit Device will show the talented four-piece band are very serious when it comes to music – and certainly know how put a tune together.

The Advertiser’s weekly music section Sound Check sent audiophile Nick Byrne to investigate further. He met the band’s guitarist Dan Hernandez and bassist Alex McDowell, ahead of a pair of London gigs.

Describe your sound in five words

Dan: “Fast, light-hearted, catchy indie-rock.”

How did you guys get together?

Dan: “Me and Alex were in a band together before but it wasn’t until I met Martin at uni that we started writing songs. When Alex got involved, all we needed was a drummer. We found Rich through a friend, played our song and he played a crazy beat, ‘a triple back beat’ or something, but it left us impressed.”

Where might we have seen you around Croydon?

Alex: “We used to gig around Croydon with our old band the Kulaks, but it hasn’t happened so much with Short Circuit. We want to come back to the same venues, we have played some amazing gigs at the Black Sheep and the old Cartoon Club.”

What are you guys up to at the moment?

Dan: “We are working towards an EP that should be out in January. Since Martin and I are studying music tech, we're going to sabotage Martin’s degree and use it as an assessment. We’re also financing it as getting work on iTunes and Spotify is quite cheap. The songs that are going to be on it are actually going to be part of Martin’s final university project so it helps him get some work done and helps us get some free demos.”

What has been your best gig in Croydon so far?

Dan: “During a battle of the bands’ contest, I decided to try and outdo everyone and perform a Jimi Hendrix-style backwards roll but I ended up rolling straight off the stage! I would have preferred to set my guitar alight like Hendrix, but health and safety would have gone crazy.”

What do you like about music in Croydon?

Alex: “I like the fact that Croydon has such an easily recognisable music scene. You always find places all over England that don’t have anything, but there is always something good going on in the area.”

Is there anyone that particularly influences you?

Alex: “Either Queens of the Stone Age or Muse. It’s their uniqueness that really inspires me. I have also got into dubstep like Mt Eden recently and I’ve been trying to push that onto the others, which they’ve taken to really well actually.

What song would you play if the world was going to end in five minutes?

Alex: “Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd, because I think it would fit the mood perfectly. Although the impending apocalypse would have to hold off for two minutes!”

Dan: “I’d be a bit more mellow and go for Tomorrow Never Knows by the Beatles, and I feel it would just put you in a zen-like state, meaning you’d sit back and accept your fate.” - The Croydon Advertiser


Discography

Currently in the mixing stage of our first EP and will be available within the next month.

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Bio

Starting in a damp basement in Paddington, Short Circuit Device started life with just two members. The songs quickly progressed into something more and it was clear more members were needed to complete the sound that Martin and Dan sought after.
Alex McDowell was enlisted on bass and with this only a drummer was needed. However, this proved to be the trickiest part.
Through a chance meeting Shortcircuit Device hooked up with Richie Herbert and asked him to a rehearsal. After a quick demonstration of a new song, Richie banged out a beat that none of the band thought was possible and with smiles all round, each person knew the line-up was complete!