Dublin might not be the most desirable city for “bad to the bone hard edged psychedelia”, but it is home to House of Dolls, the most recent band to emerge from the Irish capital.
By: Helen Kennedy
Lead singer and bass player Stephen ‘Staf’ White has held an interest in music for as long as he can remember. The drones of Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan echoed throughout his family home as a child, and having grown up in the 90s, bands such as Supergrass, Suede and Oasis sealed his fate as a musician. Throughout his twenties, Staf played in numerous bands. “I just love playing and enjoyed the challenge of being in bands that played in different styles of music”.
Still buzzing from a jam-packed basement gig in White Trash, Berlin, the front man explains how he was stunned at the crowd’s reaction to their new songs. “They seemed to respond particularly well to the heaviest stuff”, which is reminiscent of early Stooges and The Jesus and Mary Chain. “The city is so liberated and there’s so much history there. I’m really interested in how your surroundings can influence your song writing and the feel of the recordings.” This unique sound will be evident on their new single, which is due for release before the end of November under First Born Dead Recordings.
They experimented with their sound and used Dublin to test the water in the early stages, supporting bands such as White Lies and Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, and now the band wish to embark on a tour of their own. HOD’s appeal is their determination to remain true to their underground roots. The Northern Line lights of Camden Town are sure to meet their expectations when Dublin bands swap the niche of their hometown for London this winter.
The band hold great admiration for Death in Vegas and Black Acid member, Richard Fearless. Staf has met Fearless on multiple occasions and would love to work with him, as he has mixed everything from electro to punk, and dub to psychedelia. “He’s really drawn to the dark side and I love that”.
House of Dolls is formed from the fragments of other bands that somehow lacked the energy that these four lads now embody on stage together. Stuey, the guitarist, and Staf have jammed together since their teens “so when Aleko, my old band, ended he was in the studio that week.” Conor, the man behind the synths, guitars and percussion, has always had a pipeline idea to form a band with Staf and so it only seemed natural for them to finally unite. They enlisted the help of their friend Jimmy to provide the primitive beats they required to complete their sound. “Getting Jimmy in on the drums brought out another side to us also. I think it’s important to be constantly evolving and trying new things”.
Being an up and coming band does have its downsides, however. Spiraling debts and loan repayments have forced them all to lead double lives. Working in mail rooms by day, the four band mates unleash their alter-egos on stage in sweaty basements of inner city pubs at night, clad in the traditional leather rock clobber of their predecessors. This group is a testament to the underground generation, and these Dolls will certainly not trade rocking out for selling out anytime soon.
