Formed in late 2021 straight out of Lockdown, SUSAN is the amalgamation of two friends and one baby-boomer uncle on the drums. SUSAN layers high-energy alt-rock on top of a rhythm section that was there in the front row when Bonham was alive. This trio writes music to spin roots rock into a louder more palpable form for a post-pandemic world. After their debut gig at the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell, they’re booking up gigs across London and beyond to take their riotous swan songs to every backroom of every pub, club or concert hall that’ll have them.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hi SUSAN. How did your team form? Can you cite any anecdotes?
We formed after Will (Guitarist) convinced Piers (Drummer) to get back into the rehearsal room after a 47-year absence. Hugh was champing at the bit to play more music, and both he and Will had wanted to call a band SUSAN for while.
Who inspired you to make music?
Will - My dad when he played me an Eagles album in the car when I was a child.
Hugh - A classic tale of Year 7 band needs bass player. Shoutout to bass guitar teacher Rob who poured petrol on the flame.
Piers - Seeing Humble Pie’s drummer Jerry Shirley play ‘Four Day Creep’ at the London Coliseum in 1972.
Your latest track is 'Cheese & Wine'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
Piers started playing the drum groove to ramp up the energy during a break in rehearsals, and Hugh and Will immediately came up with the angry boisterous core riff, adding on extra parts to complete the song. Will improvised an angry rant over the top based on the current news and the rest is history. It came together quickly and we decided to keep it lean and punchy at 2’ 46”.
What is your creative process like?
A mixture of chord progressions Will has in a bottom drawer to riffs and grooves made in the moment. Will then goes away and writes lyrics based on the mood and energy of the song. Then the ingredients get kneaded by the band into a hot doughy track. Once we’re happy with the structure, instrumentation and lyrics, we record a digital demo in Piers’s garage, which we use as a reference leading up to gigs and recording sessions.
How do you share responsibilities when producing songs?
We turn up to the studio like a bunch of neurotic fools (mostly Will & Piers) then Ian Flynn (Producer) calms us down and helps us formalise how we play through the track and where we can take it.
Does the fact that you live in London help your career?
Definitely, although we hope to play gigs outside of London in the future to broaden our horizons! Especially festivals.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
SUSAN is all about the pure enjoyment of being irreverently emotional.
Have you encountered funny situations in your life that you still recall today?
The 30-year bickering Uncle-Nephew relationship between Piers and Will can sometimes descend into Laurel and Hardy territory, however the best judge of that is Hugh, and he may disagree. Piers thinks Will’s passion for performing comes from seeing a fridge full of free Dr Pepper’s in the VIP backstage area at a Queen + Paul Rogers concert in Hyde Park. We can but dream.
Which of your tracks do you like best? Which one are you most satisfied with?
We each have favourites which rotate as they evolve while we play them more. Our joint favourite currently is our happy-go-lucky new set-opening track ‘Winnebago’.
What are your plans for the future?
New music on the way shortly and two gigs booked in at the Road Trip Bar on November 10th and Camden Assembly on December 17th.
In the next 12 months we plan to record an album’s worth of material (three songs already completed), create engaging videos, build our London fan base with regular gigs, and to play summer festivals, to share with our fans what we consider the pinnacle of the ‘band experience’.