Declan Welsh and the Decadent West are a band whose name is soon set to become familiar with masses of audiences in among the Scottish music scene - to those who have not heard already - for a variety of different reasons. One of Scotland’s brightest prospects at the minute, Declan Welsh is a songwriter and poet from Glasgow who has recently performed at a variety of venues across the country such as The Great Escape, Stag and Dagger and also London Fashion Week and is now set to embark upon his first UK and Ireland tour with Dundee’s, Beat Generator Live! set as the band’s first stopping point. Welsh’s debut EP ‘All My Dreams Are Dull’ was released on June 1st and has featured on BBC 6 Music’s recommends playlist being described by Louder Than War as ‘punchy political indie rock’. Aside from Welsh’s songwriting pursuits, he is also an avid poet who recently launched the release of his debut book of poems titled ‘If You Like That Sort of Thing’ to a sell-out Glasgow crowd.
Welsh’s debut EP ‘All My Dreams Are Dull’ showcases his inimitable, thought provoking talent in five stylistically different tracks offering a glimpse into the different aspects of his work and his views on themes such as class divide, identity and a sense of banality and triviality in Scotland in the 21st century. In an interview with The Skinny, Welsh mentions in his own words about how he portrays himself as a ‘political writer’, “If you're talking about fucking feeling alienated, depressed or being sad, that's not a thing you're meant to talk about so that becomes a political act... there has been no point where I deliberately set out to be a 'political singer.' It's just what I write about." ‘Lull’ in particular, is one of the tracks featured on the EP that first caught my attention a few months ago and encouraged me to explore Welsh’s music further. The track really highlights the earlier mentioned views of the trivial reality for the lives of many Scots in the modern day with down to earth, straight cut spoken word lyrics featuring throughout the track such as, “so tired with no reason, so listless and so lost, the cost of an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise”, along with more thought provoking lyrics such as, “there’s little we can do but sit and watch them turn the screw and hope some of our lives are true”. To further penetrate the lyrical conviction conveyed throughout the track, behind all this lies a punk influenced distorted guitar foundation to the track alongside a driving drum beat which fans of other rising Glasgow based bands such as Rascalton would appreciate greatly.
Another track featured on the EP titled ‘Do What You Want’ projects the listener into a completely different soundscape from ‘Lull’ displaying Welsh’s musical diversity very credibly. Influenced by the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, of whom a certain Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys has also been influenced by in his band’s most recent work, the guitar work features vast amounts of delay and reverb to create space in the sound along with the use of 9th chords - used in genres such as jazz frequently for those who may be unfamiliar – which helps to conjure up a lavish scene.
Aside from the EP, Welsh has also released the singles ‘Useless’, ‘Mirrors’ and notable fan favourite ‘Nazi Boys’ portraying Welsh’s work at its most toxic, unapologetic expression of his intolerance of the intolerant.
Be sure to catch Declan Welsh and the Decadent West at Beat Generator Live! on Saturday 8th September for a performance that is arguably set to be unlike any other Scottish band you will see this year. Links to tickets, music and social media pages below:
Music: ‘Lull’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dApdH2WE-Ao
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/DeclanWelshMusic/
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