Interview with Boom Child

How did you all meet and what is the significance of the band name and the history behind it?

We are all from Dublin but only met when we were all studying in Dundalk Institute of Technology. Upon graduating in 2013, we immediately got a band together and started practicing. The original plan was to set up a hairdressers called ‘Cut The Chat’, the sales gimmick being that none of the hairdressers talk, but we decided music was more our forte.

Our band name ‘Boom Child’ comes from a lyric our drummer Tadhg Lipton wrote, there is no meaning behind it we just like the percussive sound of it.

If you could describe the music of Boom Child in a sentence or few sentences what would they be?

Boom Child’s music is keytar-driven rock music that incorporates parts of genres we like such pop, funk and classical music. All four of us take turns singing lead vocals and our sense of humour comes through the music too.

What are your musical influences both as a group and individually?

All four members come from different musical backgrounds. David Flood (Bass) comes from a post-rock background and is also a choir director for the Fingal Gospel Choir among others. Tennyson Firth (Keytar) is a fully qualified classical pianist, having attended the Royal Academy of Irish Music. Tadhg Lipton (Drums) is a music producer with Tuff Lip Productions, specializing in pop punk and straight pop. Myself, (Ross Shannon – guitar) I would call myself a punk funk guitarist and have played and sang in various rock bands.

Collectively we do not have any influences as our musical tastes are so contrasting. However the combination of these four backgrounds makes up our sound.

The keytar is a huge part of Boom Child’s appeal. Some of the earliest keytar users date back to 70’s with artists such as Herbie Hancock and George Duke being users, it was made popular in 1980s with synth pop, glam metal bands and new wave artists. It suffered diminished popularity in 1990’s but made a comeback in late 2000’s.Where did your interest (what genre) in the instrument begin?

First of all we are very impressed with your keytar knowledge! The interest in the keytar came from Tenny originally, the rest of us having played in guitar-filled rock bands previously. Tenny had progressed from piano to keyboards and electric organs and getting very into that kind of thing, when he heard about a keyboard you could hold like a guitar. He wrote a very desperate letter to Santa for a keytar one year and didn’t think he’d get it until that morning. He must have been very good that year. Needless to say the sonic potential of Tenny’s keytar is endless and we’re finding new soundscapes all the time.

Did you ever watch the show Miami Vice?

I don’t think so, but we are aware of its keytar-laden music and probably wouldn’t have a keytar in our midst without that series’ influence on the popularization of the instrument.

The band’s YouTube clips are very informative and entertaining, can you explain the concept and background?

Our YouTube videos we mainly do for fun, and probably give a good idea of the band members’ personalities. We’ve make some cooking videos such as ‘How to Make an Easter Egg’ and a documentary about the ghosts in Malahide Castle, as well as other sketches and behind the scenes tomfoolery.

What are the Future plans for Boom Child?

After the amazing Babylon Radio Fundraiser in Sweeneys on July 30th, we’re playing two festivals in August.

On August 1st, we play the Lock Up Festival in Bellurgan Park, Co. Louth, and on August 29th we play the 96/1 Festival in Cork City. We also have a weekly podcast called BOOMCHILDCAST on iTunes. It comes out every Monday and on it we discuss world issues and how to solve them. Last thing, our debut EP will be out in the next few months, so keep an ear out for that.

Any more info check out www.boomchildband.com 🙂