It’s an hour before O’Death tear a blistering live set out of Whelan’s impressive new soundsystem and three of the guys from the band are holding court on everything from murderous cats, beards, blogging, grunge and Yeats. It would seem banter comes as naturally to these lads as one of their dirty jugband banjo riffs. Guitarist and ukele thumper Gabe is doing a comic piece of interpretive physical theatre that casts the influential music website pitchforkmedia as a giant robo-monster (replete with terrifying robotic voice) zapping bands with its judgemental death-rays. “BZZZZZ BRRURRRR. You get an 8.2! You get a 6.5. RARRRRR, YOU GET ZERO. Pitchfork has spoken!” But first, the music.

O’Death are a New York based band that trade in a wild ‘n’ rootsy American style of music that sounds like Tom Waits and a bunch of pissed-up skeletons at an Appalachian barn dance. When asked to describe their music, fiddle player Bob tells me: “Dirt. Our common influence is dirty sounding music, we want to sound dirty. I think you can hear that we are influenced by that kind of stuff, punk rock whether it’s the misfits or something, or old tradtional American music, like old roots, gospel or the blues. Old dirty recordings, old dirty performances of that.” Lead singer Greg agrees, “we like dirt.” They also told me later that they like the Alice in Chains record Dirt. Thankfully, in spite of this dirt-talk they all looked rather clean (if bearded) and there was even a mild smell of deodorant in the room.

Greg tells me “Death is inevitable. Death is gonna happen. We’ve always sort of embraced death in our music. Y’know dark matter as it were.” Gabe adds “right, like the New Orleans funeral march or the Irish wake. Its sort of like, yeah when granpa died we all partied down. That sort of thing.” You can see what they are talking about in the barmy but brill video for their single ‘down to rest’ which is literally crawling with stop motion ghoulies and skeletons. According to Greg, “Oh Death is an old poem by Yeats I think. [Its] also an old folk song, something that’s been around for a long time.” Bob adds “its also a little Biblical, its in the Bible I think. Its everywhere”
Continuing to talk about their sound the guys tell me about how vital the live aspect of their art is to them. “It’s the most raw and immediate thing” says Greg. Bob elaborates “when you record a group you tend to lose certain energy. Listening to the record, you can’t pick up or see what people are doing. Its gets lost. You get so used to recording effects, thinking that stuff is overdubbed.” Greg then explains the live feel of their records “We try to stay as close and true to our live performance on our records for the most part, and there might be just the odd bit, the odd few minutes where it just doesn’t carry over or we want to add a little something else. This is important because our live show is just really where people are affected by it, and we have the most fun there.” Later on at the gig proper, this makes sense. At the end of the set, the band are giving it socks in the midst of the audience and everyone is swept right up in the experience. Greg’s voice is a versatile thing, manufacturing guttural and raspy vocal lowdown tumbles one minute, high and yelpy somersaults the next. It’s a Tom Waits versus David Byrne vibe. Bob tells me about Greg’s singing, “you’ll hear a lot of traditional sort of vocal stylings in Greg’s voice. And he uses his real voice, other than his vocal inflections there are no other effects.”

In keeping with the zeitgeist, and considering that Analogue magazine has a large online component, I ask the band about blogs. “It gives a lot of exposure to new bands. It hypes up new bands”. Gabe explains. Though, Greg sees a bit of a downside to this “they might not be ready for it. Bands get hyped now before they even bring out their first recording. With all that pressure, there is a danger it might not be good for them. They might just peter out under the pressure.” He mentions fledgling US band Black Kids, who are swamped in hype despite having barely played a gig outside of Florida and only releasing a few demos. However, the guys generally agree that blogs have been good to O’Death. “I’ve read blogs where some dude has posted a much more accurate description of what we’re about than one of these internet journalists.” It was this comment that prompted Gabe’s impromptu pitchfork spoof.

Before winding up I ask the band two last things. First off, with me being a proponent of the virtues of facial hair (on men) I couldn’t help noticing that O’Death do a good line in beards. Do they have any beard care tips for Analogue readers with beards of their own? Greg (whose hardcore beard looks like impenetrable curls of black barbed wire) tells me he shampoos his. So does Gabe. I’m flabbergasted. I never thought of a beard as something that might need shampooing, and being told this by a band who are describing themselves as dirty? Yikes. But Greg has a good excuse, his wrought iron follicles need softening. “My beard shaves razors,” he tells me. Finally, I ask what to expect from tonight’s show. Gabe says “Its gonna be about ten minutes long. We’re all gonna be naked and I’m gonna sing lying down.” Greg chips in “Yeah and I bring face paint and paint everybody in the audience’s faces.” Well, there was no face-paint, but three of the band did take their their tops off, and everyone who was there with me agreed that it was a proper hoe-down. Just before I switch off the recorder and wish them luck, Greg sums the O’Death experience up nicely: “actually how about a bunch of hairy sweaty guys who really care about the music they play.”

Darragh McCausland is saving up all of his pocket money to send off to Guided by Voices so they reunite.
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