Diagrams are currently winning. They’re winning in our office, in music and in life. Their debut album Black Light was worth waiting for after they’d tantalised us with a sublime EP. So, we had questions – questions about their influences, loves and connections with Status Quo. Sam Genders stepped up and provided the answers.
Bowlegs: Which album has been a major influence in your life, and why?
Sam: I’d have to say Revolver by the Beatles. It’s got Tomorrow Never Knows on there, which still sounds totally fresh. And then classic songwriting, such as For No One. I’m very inspired by that mix of pop and experimental sensibilities. It was one of the first albums I remember being around the house when I was little.
Bowlegs: What was the last album you bought?
Sam: Who Kill by tUnE-yArDs.
Bowlegs: Which bands have you been listening to this week?
Sam: Dan Mangan, Woodpigeon, Battles, The Byrds, Soft Hearted Scientists, Talk Talk.
Bowlegs: Name an up-and-coming band Bowlegs should look out for?
Sam: Don’t Move.
Bowlegs: What was the last gig you went to?
Sam: Uncaged Monkeys with Robin Ince.
Bowlegs: Who is the best band you have ever shared a bill with?
Sam: Final Fantasy, with accompanying paper cut projections in Barcelona.
Bowlegs: What was the first gig you ever went to, and who did you go with?
Sam: Status Quo with my friends from my first childhood band and their parents. It was brilliant!
Bowlegs: What made you realise that being a musician was the career of
choice?
Sam: That viewpoint changes depending on circumstances, but it seems like a good option right now. I tend to do it when I can afford to.
Bowlegs: What is your favourite music documentary?
Sam: Spinal Tap.
Bowlegs: What was the last film you saw, and was it any good?
Sam: Super 8. Good nostalgic fun for fans of E.T. and The Goonies.
Bowlegs: Name three great books Bowlegs must read?
Sam: Wildwood by Roger Deakin; Bad Science by Ben Goldacre; and Excession by Iain M Banks.
Bowlegs: What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Sam: A strange collection of atoms that is somehow conscious of itself having an interesting time.
Bowlegs: Name a song that takes you back to a certain time in your life?
Sam: You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon … coming up through the floorboards in a little cottage in Derbyshire when I was a child in the 80s.
Bowlegs: What is your favourite album cover of all time?
Sam: The Beatles’ Revolver – art by Klaus Voorman, who went on to pay bass for John Lennon.
Bowlegs: What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
Sam: Falling over in snow.
Bowlegs: Do you think music videos are important and do you like making them?
Sam: I don’t know about important, but they can be fun to make and there are some great ones around.
Bowlegs: Are albums still important or is it more about individual tracks?
Sam: I think in general people are getting more into individual tracks, but I love the format of an album and the idea that a set of songs belong together and represent a phase in an artist’s creativity.
Bowlegs: What do you have planned for the next six months?
Sam: Gigs and songwriting.
Bowlegs: What is on your iPod?
Sam: I only just got one and right now just four rough recordings of song ideas recorded on my phone.
Pre-order Black Light here: Full Time Hobby
There’s an album launch at The Lexington,London on the 18th January
Diagrams are touring Europe in March, here are the dates:
MARCH
6th Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
7th Brussels, BE – AB
8th Paris, FR – La Fleche D’Or – PIAS night
9th Heidleberg, DE – Karlstorbahnhof
10th Berlin, DE – Magnet
11th Hamburg, DE – Kampnagel
14th Bristol, UK – The Cooler
15th Manchester, UK – Ruby Lounge
16th Liverpool, UK – Static Gallery
17th Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
18th Glasgow, UK – King Tuts
