An interview with Sheffield’s indie queens The Seamonsters

After almost a year since their last release, The Seamonsters are releasing their new single, Blue Movie Baby, today (18th January). The song has a distinctly retro feel, inspired by 1950's films and the romance that is portrayed within them.

After a very successful 2018, consisting of a UK tour and numerous festival appearances, we caught up with Ciara, Holly and Tassie from the band to discuss their new single and what 2019 has in-store for them.

Blue Movie Baby is your first single in over a year, how does this song differ from the rest?

Ciara: It's a lot more complex and darker than what we've done before. We've moved away from the style that we'd previously adopted into something we've not explored until now. We're stepping up our game with this single.

Holly: It's certainly more mature than the songs we've released in the past

You're not signed to any management, has this allowed you to find your own route as a band instead of being assigned to a specific sound?

Ciara: Definitely, doing stuff independently allows us to have full control over things, from artwork to how our tracks sound. It's nice to not have any outside influences telling us which direction we should be going in or pushing us to release songs we aren't entirely happy with.

The songwriting is quite different to anything on the indie scene at the moment, is it a joint effort as a six piece or do the ideas come from one individual?

Ciara: We normally write our own parts. With Blue Movie Baby, we went to Scotland for a week, there was no phone signal or wifi so that allowed us to fully concentrate on what we were writing and we all had our own takes on bits of the song.

Tassie: We just sat round in a circle and started developing it. It initially with Holly's guitar riff and we developed it from there.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your tunes?

Ciara: Blue Movie has quite a 60's vibe, taking inspiration from Marilyn Munroe and Arthur Miller, as well as their films. We also saw Radiohead a month before we wrote this so that also gave us a load of ideas and inspiration.

Tassie: Andy Warhol made a film called Blue Movie in the 1960's, and so that's an obvious influence with the title.

You recorded this song locally at Yellow Arch Studios, how has the Sheffield scene helped you develop as a band?

Ciara: We started when we were 14 playing shitty Arctic Monkeys covers, but everyone else was doing this at school so we wanted to do something different. Sheffield venues and sound technicians are always helpful and allow us to develop.

Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers has always been very supportive which has helped us in getting our name out there. Bands support other bands in Sheffield, creating a tight-knit group. It's a musical city with people who will go out and see small bands so you're always going to get support.

You're featured on the This Feeling 'Big In 2019' vinyl (previous acts to feature are Gerry Cinnamon and The Amazons). Apart from yourselves, who should we be looking out for?

Ciara: Kicklips, Red Rum Club, Sophie and the Giants and Lacuna Bloom all feature on the vinyl, they're all worth keeping an eye out for this year.

A UK tour, numerous festival appearances and airtime on Radio X and BBC Introducing, what was your proudest moment in 2018?

Ciara: When we announced our first headline tour was a highlight for me. It's always been a dream of mine to go on tour so being able to go with the band and spend so much time with them was special.

Holly: Playing the second stage at Tramlines stands out for me, although I did nearly kill myself when I jumped off the stage near the end of our set!

Tassie: For me, it's when we found out we were playing Isle of Wight, Tramlines and Ynot Festival. We were all getting ready for the Exposed Awards when we found out, so it was great to be all together when we were told. We had a lot of Prosecco after that!

Have you got any fun facts about the band?

Ciara: We once got called an "alcoholic Greggs" on national radio as we said that our rider was sausage rolls and Red Stripe. We also booked a gig in Middlesbrough thinking it was in the middle of the country, which wasn't a wise move seen as we played a gig in London the day before. We've also got a YouTube show called 'A Week with the Seamonsters' as well.

And finally, what's your meal and drink of choice from Wetherspoons?

Holly: Pepperoni pizza with a whole fucking pitcher, doesn't matter which one.

Tassie: All-day brunch with a pint of Heineken.

Ciara: BBQ chicken and bacon panini with a pint of Hop House.

Blue Movie Baby is out now and is available to stream on Spotify here.