Characterised by genteel white terraces, Brighton's West Hill is a neighbourhood where fitting the wrong sort of windowframe can land you in big trouble with the council. The noticeboard outside its community hall boasts an impressive programme of jumble sales, pilates classes and amateur dramatics rehearsals. But what it doesn't tell you is the venue is also a crucible for some of the most city's most exciting, radical DIY music. Tonight, it plays host to indie pop quartet Daskinsey 4 who have just finished soundchecking ahead of a gig in support of their new album, So Appropriate. Frequently labeled as queercore - an offshoot of punk marked by songs about gender and sexual identity - guitarist, Maeve offers a different take on the genre: “It has more to do with the make up of a band than a specific sonic style,” she explains with a gregarious Merseyside charm.
Formed in 2013 by Maeve and singer Lise, their name was lifted from a point on a scale coined by controversial biologist Alfred Kinsey. But this caused problems early on: “Someone tweeted us saying: ‘I hope you don’t support the child abuse that went on in his studies’ recalls Meave. “Obviously not,” says her brother and drummer Matt with a dispassionate seriousness and shock at the mere suggestion.
But what would professor Kinsey make of the band's music?
“I’d hope he’d hate it,” says Maeve. “I’d hope he’d say 'what’s this din' and turn it off,” adds Matt.
When heard all the way through So Appropriate creates its own scale ranging from soulful, uplifting to defiant and anthemic. This can be attributed to Lise's songwriting which draws heavily on cult 90's indie pop bands like The Yummy Fur, The Blue Minkies and Helen Love: “I was thinking back to a time when I was 15 and had shitty relationships and those bands got me through them,” says Lise. Bassist Nick sheds a little more light on the band's overall sound: “I think its is just a mixture of our influences. Lise is really into queer indie and we come from a different background so it was just a meshing of these,” he says.
Following on from their 2013 cassette on Brighton's LBGTQI friendly Tuff Enuff records, So Appropriate is released by Tadpole. A local label specialisising in apocalyptic sounding hardcore and metal bands. So how did this come about?
“When three of us were in a band called Burning Times, Darren who runs Tadpole Records put out our first 7” singles. When we were doing this record we asked if he wanted to be involved. I hang out in the punk scene a lot and we still bridge that gap. So it was nice to bring the two labels, a mostly queer label [Tuff Enuff] and a more punk label [Tadpole] together. They’re both totally DIY and run out of front rooms,” says Nick. This do it yourself culture in Brighton is more than just a means to put out records:
“When you play non-DIY spaces, you feel as if you have to fight to win people over," says Lise.
“Brighton is full of musicians from BIMM and a lot of gigs don't interest me. A difference between these spaces and others is that people support you and want to see you do anything,” adds Maeve.
All four members first began dabbling in music seperately as teenagers in their respective home towns of Hampshire, Birkenhead and Haywards Heath. But the punk connection is most acutely shared by Maeve and Matt whose musical journey began by learning from older pupils at school: “Back at the end of the '90s our mum and dad told us: ‘you’re not having a drum kit unless you prove it'. So we used to hit every surface all the time to ground them down to dust until we got hold of this kit, recalls Maeve. “The kit we eventually got was off our next door neighbour and was a 1960s bass drum and hi-hat stand,” adds Matt. “The cymbal was hanging off a washing line on a mic stand,” says Maeve, laughing.
“Punk musicians are incredible musicians. I’ve been blown away so many times. It sounds really lame but the internet wasn't really around for us then. So for me personally, I just didn’t know you could get lessons. I didn’t 'practice' because I just didn’t know how to. I’m nearly 33 and I only started ‘practicing’ when I was 28. But I started drumming when I was 15,” says Matt.
At this point Maeve looks to Nick. Her face lights up, brimming with excitement as she asks him whether she can recount the story of how he learnt to play bass. Looking down Nick sheepishly agrees: “Me and Nick used to go out and I found this bass guitar in his cupboard one day and said ‘oh my God, this is is amazing, do you play bass?’ and he was like ‘yeah, I can play Loco by Coal Chamber. I was going on tour for the weekend
and left him with a bag of crisps and a Bikini Kill album. When I came back on Monday he learnt the whole thing by ear and said: ‘I can play the bass now,’" says Maeve exuding a vicarious sense of achievement of a proud teacher. With each member having almost 15 years' experience, what advice would Daskinsey 4 give to anyone starting out in a band? “I think its dead important to record as much as you can just to get it done bceasue songs are boss," says Maeve “Even for just a self reflective perspective. Your band doesn’t sound like the way you perceive it when you’re playing so just to hear it back is exciting,” adds Matt.
Yet there is a more serious side to the band who have supported causes such as Reclaim the Night – a walk to highlight violence against women - and Queers Against the Cuts.
One event they are particularly excited to be part of is this weekend's Brighton Trans Pride. An occaision the group believe, is firmly anchored in the spirit of Brighton's first Pride events of the 1970s.
The band believe that in some ways, society has changed for the better, but claim intiatives to improve equality need ongoing support.
A recent survey revealed that 48% trans people under 26 said they had attempted suicide whilst 59% had considered taking their own lives. The comparable figure for all people under 24 is 6%:
“You can’t just play a benefit gig and say ‘that’s it,’” says Matt.
Related links: Daskinsey 4 on Facebook
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