Music interview '“ Scars on 45: '˜There is nowhere like Yorkshire'

Scars on 45 at Delius Arts Centre, Bradford. Picture: Mark BickerdikeScars on 45 at Delius Arts Centre, Bradford. Picture: Mark Bickerdike
Scars on 45 at Delius Arts Centre, Bradford. Picture: Mark Bickerdike
Danny Bemrose, lead singer with Bradford band Scars on 45, sounds a relieved man.

It’s one of those things where it’s just nice to get an album out because we’ve not had one out for about four years,” he says, reflecting on the fact that the group have finally just put out their third longplayer, Satellite Town, after a not inconsiderable wait.

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Scars on 45 have actually spent much of the time since 2014 touring in the United States, where they’ve built up a sizeable audience thanks to a number of their songs being featured in TV shows.

“You always say I’m sure we’ll find plenty of time to write on the road but it just never happens,” Bemrose says. “It’s been a lot of time spent away from home but when we finish a tour we go to Minneapolis, which is where our producer has his studio, and work on ideas. This year we finally had a batch of songs together that we could narrow down and get an album out of it.”

Scars on 45 at Delius Arts Centre, Bradford. Picture: Mark BickerdikeScars on 45 at Delius Arts Centre, Bradford. Picture: Mark Bickerdike
Scars on 45 at Delius Arts Centre, Bradford. Picture: Mark Bickerdike

Bemrose says the themes of the band’s records tend to only occur to him in hindsight. “When I look back on this album I think it’s an album of realisation. I’ve travelled the entire world and I don’t if its my age but you realise that home is where the heart is. Despite all the places that I’ve been there is nowhere like Yorkshire. When I listen to this album songs like Satellite Town...are about remembering where home is and remembering Yorkshire and everything that I love about it, stories about where I grew up. It’s very much a Yorkshire album, about for me what is the best place ever.”

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Co-singer Aimee Drivermay have taken a break from touring but Bemrose says: “She’s still part of the band. She recorded on this album. We’ve been friends for 20 years. When we’re at home we’ve got a little studio back in England and we record there. Aimee’s just taking some time out from touring, which is fine.”

Despite the record’s Englishness, Bemrose says the band’s American audience have taken to it with enthusiasm. “It’s incredible how the things that you feel are quite English and could only relate to you when you were growing up or whatever Americans listen to it and they can relate to it the same way. I do feel from a musical sense it’s universal, but from a lyrical point of view it’s quite English.”

Satellite Town is out now. Scars on 45 play at Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds on January 12. www.scarson45.com

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