Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with First Day Of Spring
Rising from the Thames Estuary and out into the world of gloomy shoegaze, Southend-On-Sea’s First Day Of Spring boil emotional and physical landscapes into their work. From the struggles of being a working creative to the origin of an 1830s granite obelisk, inspiration knows no bounds for the band.
Perhaps that’s the joy of existing outside of the echo chamber, which is the London music scene. Just a few miles east, in the surroundings of a seaside town with plenty of space to think, First Day Of Spring feel free from all the trappings of a bustling hotspot. With a sound more imaginative than the tired post-punk drone that has had the city gripped for some time now, their latest EP, Be My Hospital, moves from shimmering dreamy sounds into darker punk elements in a way that defies easy categorisation.
A real standout comes in the form of ‘On Monday’, frontman Samuel D Jones’ contemplation on the plight of creative work. He said the track grapples with “feeling profoundly disillusioned in your creative practice when figuring out whether or not the work is the most enjoyable part of it or that real success is to never have to work a day in your life”.
Beyond the lyricism and the meandering sound of the band’s two EPs, it’s time to peel back the mystique surrounding the band and get to know them on a deeper level with talk of good pubs, dead dinner guests and funeral hymns.
Quick-fire Question with First Day Of Spring:
Describe your music in three words…
“Ceilings, vitriol and thighs.”
Why First Day Of Spring? Why not summer or winter?
“Music’s obviously a very visceral thing and can often conjure up a lot of imagery when you hear certain arrangements. My bandmate, when we first started the group, said that one of our first songs sounded ‘crisp like the first day of spring’ and the song was called that. I thought it was sort of haunting sounding, so we ended up calling the band that.”
If you could steal credit for writing any song in the world, what track would it be?
“Lee Hazlewood – ‘Hands’.”
And if you could wipe one song off the face of the earth, what’s being deleted?
“Anything by Queen.”
What’s the best thing about Southend-on-Sea?
“The rich history of the Thames Estuary, of course. Don’t believe anything you hear about Southend. It’s all fantasy.”
What are the essentials for creating the perfect songwriting atmosphere?
“Being able to find somewhere discrete like a park or something to record a voice note on my phone without looking like a psycho to the public. That’s where it usually starts if that’s what you mean. The ideal place for me would be in my front room. Alone. Quiet and peaceful.”
Which of your songs was the hardest to make and why?
“‘Moon Boy’ had a lot going on. Loads of experimentation with equipment I’ve never used that my engineer had in abundance in the studio.”
Here’s the classic dinner party question: five guests, dead or alive, who’re you inviting?
“Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, Lee Hazlewood, Serge Gainsbourg, Leonard Cohen in Paris at L’Ambroisie.”
And what are you serving at the dinner party?
“Oysters, escargot, bouillabaisse, bottles of Louis Latour finished with quad single moult bourbon as smokey as possible.”
What songs and artists were on the inspiration playlist for your latest EP?
“I was listening to a lot of Karen Dalton, Bush Tetras, Hebronix, Hasel Atkins, Datblygu, Lewis Baloue, Pastor T Barrett, Julian Cope, Gravenhurst, Cleaners From Venus, Lead Belly, Vashni Bunyan and Thee Headcoats. All of which sounds absolutely nothing like the songs I wrote.”
What song do you want played at your funeral?
“Leonard Cohen – ‘Memories’.”
What’s the best pub in the world?
“So many to choose from. I would say The Railway Hotel – Southend-on-Sea. Covid, unfortunately, took it from us.”
And what constitutes a great pub?
“The Railway Hotel was a hub of all creatives in the area. It was a community. People of all ages and conditions coming to know each other. It was more than a pub.”
What’s been your favourite album of 2024 so far?
“From a new band, probably Tapir – The Pilgrim, Their God and The King of My Decrepit Mountain.”
Are the Beatles overrated?
“Of course they are. That’s the whole point.”
