No big deal - Draymin go it alone
Gary Fitzpatrick • Published 14 Mar 2012 09:30
ROSYTH'S finest The Draymin are set for the release of their long-awaited debut album 'Should've Known Better' next month.
It promises to be an exciting year for the indie rockers who are planning a big charity gig in Dunfermline in June and have won a support slot on a national tour.
Their new single 'Heart Attack' has been earning well-deserved plaudits in the national media and the album, out on 2nd April, has been a long time coming for the band and their many fans.
Front-man Fraser Penman said, "It feels like finally after six years we've now got a strong enough backlog of songs for an album. A few years ago we might have had four or five good songs and rest would have been fillers.
"We think it's brilliant. I normally wouldn't blow our own trumpet but I think it's s***-hot.
"We had no pressure, we had plenty time mixing it and getting the right sound. I think that comes across in the final mix. I think it sounds pretty much like it does live. It's got a ballsy live feel to it throughout."
The band were helped by funding for recording and mixing from the Mary Leishman Foundation and plan to return the favour with a charity gig this summer.
The band are looking at new ways to promote themselves, especially down south. One possibility is a deal where their tracks will be played at football grounds and they also have a link-up with designer sports clothing label '77 looks' with customers receiving a memory stick with Draymin tracks.
The group have previously attracted interested from recording giants EMI and more recently the legendary Island Records but down-to-earth Fraser is not dwelling on not being signed.
He said, "To be honest I'm not even interested in the 'big record deal' any more. I just want as many people as possible to hear our album.
"In the past we've tried to push for a deal and we've come close so many times. I'm happy just to have people listening to our album rather than us taking over the world as some bands think they're going to do," he laughed.
"Last year there was interest from Island Records. They got in touch asking about setting up an urgent meeting. Then as soon as we told them we were from Scotland, they backed off."
The band went ahead and arranged a gig in London but the record company's A&R man, who had made the initial contact, did not turn up.
Fraser said, "He gave some s*** excuse so that's what you're up against. These A&R men are a***-holes. They just want to sit in the house. They can't be bothered going out and watching a gig these days.
"You look at Lana Del Rey, Ed Sheeran - they're all making it big by sitting in the house doing covers on YouTube."
Having had enough of the machinations of record companies, the band hope to get their album exposure through blogging sites like Tumblr.
"Promoting an album up and down the country isn't easy without a label behind you but bands have shown they can do it themselves and we're going to try and take that route.
"We'll see how this album goes and how things have gone by the end of 2013. We could end up calling it a day then but for now we're giving it a big push and we're already working on new songs which I want to record because they're really good."
The band played at Rockness last year and were voted the best of 18 unsigned acts on the Sound City stage.
The prize was to return this year and play the Golden Voice arena. "That will be brilliant. It's a huge stage. There might be just a tiny wee crowd at the front but it will good to play on the big stage," Fraser laughed.
They also won a support slot on a tour in May but don't know yet who the headliners will be.
"The prize was with the booking agents AEG Live. They're massive so if they like us that could work out well."
Also coming up are two live appearances in Glasgow and London with the This Feeling Club tour which will also see them making a DJ appearance at PJ Molloys.
In May, they are playing the Big Stooshie Festival in Cupar and already preparations are under way for their Dunfermline concert, the details of which will be announced soon.
"We're going to have a massive visual thing. A massive screen and rear projector. We've been making videos for each track so we think it's going to look really good and all the money will be going to the Mary Leishman Foundation who've been great with us."
The 15-track album 'Should've Known Better' can be pre-ordered via the band's website www.thedraymin.co.uk
This article appeared in Dunfermline Press 14 Mar 12
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our Press:On archives.
