Deadset - Interview

  by John Clarkson

published: 3 / 7 / 2023

Deadset is a young band from Hull, which has just released its haunting debut single, 'The Art of Pointscoring'. The group, which consists of vocalist Sam Mellors, guitarist James Massey, bassist Adam Arnold and drummer Rio Campbell, formed last year. An instantly classic mass of distorted guitars and strong melody. 'The Art of Pointscoring' tells of the pettiness ans spite that develops btween two former friends. We put a few questions to Sam Mellors. PB: Your previous band Girl Afraid ended abruptly. Who were they? SAM MELLORS: Girl Afraid were a six piece heavy indie band myself and James first starting playing music together in, after being friends previously. PB: Deadset are from Hull which is a little off the beaten track musically. What kind of town is that to make music in? How much does living in Hull reflect on your music? SM: Yeah, it is out the way which I guess is a blessing and a curse at the same time. But the music scene at the minute is thriving in the city and, with it being quite a small city as well, a lot of the musicians on the scene know each other and help each other when it’s needed, which is cool. PB: “You’ve got it in for me/I’ve got it in for you/You say that you hate me/Yeah, well, I hate you too/Do we even know what we are thinking about?” and “Let me sleep on it/ I’ll get back to you”. Is the essential message of 'The Art of Pointscoring' that if we started listening and paying more close attention to each other we might find more in common than we thought? SM: That’s an interesting way of looking at it. That wasn’t necessarily what was going through my head when writing it but I guess, yeah, that is a good message so we’ll have it! PB: Was there a particular incident that inspired 'The Art of Pointscoring'? SM: Yeah, I think the inspiration came from myself and some of my friends being in, and seeing, these seemingly fine relationships turn sour and bitter very quickly. I think it’s one of those things you don’t see when you’re on the inside of that, It’s only when you reflect that you realise how bad it was and how much it changed you. PB: My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain seem to be influences. Which bands can be found in Deadset’s music collections? SM: I think we all have our very own individual tastes, really, which is interesting when we come together to write because no one stands on anyone else’s toes and we just let each member’s influence come in, I think collectively, there’s a lot of Fontaines DC records and a lot of new wave stuff that we all dig at the minute. PB: The video for 'The Art of Pointscoring' seems to pay homage to Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, showing all four members of the band reacting to be left on their own in front of the camera. Was the aim of that to introduce the different personalities of the group in a humorous but inexpensive way? SM: Ah, again it’s not something we set out to try and replicate but maybe subconsciously there was something in that, y’know? The idea came from our bassist Adam who wanted to do something Wes Anderson-esque and, yeah, you’re right, it was really to introduce each member and to show a little bit of us to people. PB: Are there more songs or an album on the way? SM: Absolutely, there more songs are coming. We’re back in the studio soon so keep an eye out! PB: You’re playing dates in York and Hull in October. What can audiences expect from Deadset live? SM: Yeah, we’ve got a few dates booked and we’re hoping to get a few more added to that, so we’ll see. I’d say our shows are high energy and an all-out chaotic blur, and the lads in the audience should be careful because their girlfriends may well fall in love with us. PB: Thank you.

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