oblong interview
Introduce us to the members of the band and give us a quick insight into their musical history:
oblong is Andrew Clement on guitar with his right hand man and enforcer Rob Daniels on bass guitar and Hyws Grav completes the lineup on drums. Andrew and Hyws go back a long way having played together in The Hepburns. Rob is a relative newcomer to the rock scene and Andrew has taken him under his wing nurturing is innate songwriting and performing talents.
Pam oblong?
Roedd Andrew yn hoffi’r enw 'Twll yn y Baw', sef llinell o’r ‘Mwydyn’. Roedd Rob yn hoffi’r enw 'Van Selsig' sydd yn chwarae ar enw yr heliwr fampirod, Van Helsing, ac hefyd yn swnio fel enw band fyddai Tommy Vance wedi chwarae ar y 'Friday Night Rock Show’ ar Radio 1. Er bod y ddau enw yn ddoniol a dderbyniol, penderfynon ni fynd am enw a oedd yn adlewyrchu natur ddwyieithog y band - enw fyddai’n adnabyddus yn y Gymraeg a Saesneg. Felly oblong - y band, dim y siâp - oedd y dewis. Enw byr a gobeithio enw cofiadwy.
Translation - Why oblong?
Andrew liked ‘Twll yn y Baw’ or ‘Hole in the dirt’ which is a line from ‘Y Mwydyn’ (The Worm). Rob liked ‘Van Selsig’ which, as well as being wordplay on the famous vampire hunter, Van Helsing (selsig being ‘sausage’ in Welsh) also sounded like a band that Tommy Vance might have played on ‘Friday Night Rock Show’ on Radio 1. We liked both names but we decided to choose a name that reflected the bi-lingual nature of the band - a name that would be recognisable in both English and Welsh. So oblong - the band not the shape - was the choice. A short punchy and hopefully memorable name. It was also the name of a made-up band which Andrew used in a graphic design course he did years ago, which enabled him to exploit the retro-futurist beauty of his favourite font, Eurostile, to sensual effect. Always lower-case – never capital “O”, ok?
How long have you been together?
Well the band was formed in 2015. It started on a fateful evening during which Andrew and Rob had travelled to Cardiff to see Sauna Youth playing live. They were both equally wowed and inspired to follow their passion for low-fi, new-wave music and together resolved to return to Llanelli and start up their own post-punk combo.
How would you describe your music?
Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales) nailed it when he summed up our sound as “Spiky, joy-injections of guitars”. But we also like a recent comparison to the Pixies mashed up with the Undertones – both huge influences. Our music has also been likened to the sound of “some animals hissing and fighting each other”, which we also kind of like.
Can you tell us about what influences your lyrics and music?
Our lyrics set out to examine the usual issues which confront most 21st Century middle-aged Welshmen: zombies, overlooked philosophers, pub jukeboxes, non-physical phenomena, portable telephones, casual nihilism and the legacy of Iain Duncan Smith.
Our music is a distillation of nearly 40 years of listening to and absorbing everything from Burt Baccarach to the Lovely Eggs. You could say we have shamelessly plagiarised every band we’ve ever heard to come up with a shimmering tapestry of stolen ideas. But, to paraphrase T.S. Eliot, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” So that’s ok then.
What is your favourite oblong song and why?
Our favourite oblong song is usually whatever new one we’re working on at the time. Right now it’s Rob’s tribute to Captain Crunch and the 1970’s Phone Phreaking phenomenon (Google it kids). I particularly like it because I can listen to it on my phone in the time it takes me to walk from my house to the village co-op.
What is the best and worst thing about being in a band?
The best thing about being in a band is the endless banter, or, if you will, “band-ter”, which we goes on between us. Come to think of it, the worst thing about being in a band is also the endless band-ter that goes on between us.
