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Plague Doctors are a noisy three-man band from Northern Ireland. They use distorted synths and programmed drums to create mind-blowing sound-scapes mixed with live guitar, bass, and vocals. Debut EP ‘Outbreak’ has just been released and here’s our introduction to Plague Doctors courtesy of band-member Steve Ireland.
What are the origins of the band, how long have you been playing together?
The three of us played in a band called RedEye for several years. Paul did his own thing for a while but Garth and Steve continued to work together. Plague Doctors really started in 2016 with just Garth and Steve messing around with bass, vocals, and programmed instruments. After some time at this, they decided that the songs would really benefit from the addition of a guitarist and, thankfully, when Garth approached Paul with the idea he liked what he heard and I suppose that moment was when we found our sound.
You must be sick of people making jokes about the band name and COVID!?
Actually no! It’s just one of those weird coincidences – we had even named the EP “Outbreak” before COVID was a thing. All publicity and all that!
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe yourself?
Well, we’re not kids anymore so we’re not particularly interested in the latest thing or trend: we are just making the best music we can and having fun with it. That being said, the lyrical themes are generally fairly serious and we still have plenty to say. We have been described in a review by Ragged Records as “dystopian hard rock” and I think that’s as good a description as any. Angry words with angry music!
What was it like recording debut EP ‘Outbreak’? How quickly did it come together?
It’s been four years in the making! Once we actually got to the recording stage we were met with problems none of us had dealt with before because none of us had used MIDI or programmed synths or drums prior to Plague Doctors. Recording the audio, i.e. vox, guitar and bass, was pretty straightforward but getting that to sit well with the MIDI tracks was quite tricky. Also, it was mixed and mastered in Steve’s home studio and this was his first proper project so you can imagine how that went. A long process but a worthwhile one we think.
What are the lyrical themes on ‘Outbreak’?
The lyrics are generally quite dark. ‘Reality Check’ for example is about control of the population and is in part inspired by George Orwell’s 1984. ‘Creature’ is mostly about mental illness and paranoia. ‘Oblivion Seeker’ is a song about pain and suffering and how that impacts on our ability to exist day to day. Lastly, ‘Forgotten’ is about homelessness and was inspired when Steve was traveling through Edinburgh one Christmas and was struck by the contrast between the busy, happy shoppers enjoying the excitement of Princes Street whilst at the same time, he could see several people bedding down for the night in various alleys and doorways as the freezing rain blew horizontally. It’s an angry song. They’re all angry songs!
Even though it is only four tracks in length, ‘Outbreak’ not only packs one hell of a punch, but it is also very varied, what do you put this variety down to?
I think it is because we aren’t tied in to one particular genre so we’re not specifically trying to stick to “metal” or “punk” or whatever: we just write what sounds good to us and we’re not trying to appeal to a narrow audience. Josh Homme once said something along the lines of “we write our favourite songs that nobody else is playing.” I think that’s a good philosophy to live by.
Northern Ireland has always been a hotbed of noisy-music, who would you class as the ultimate Norn Iron noise merchants?
There are so many great bands over here at the minute it’s difficult to name one.
From the old guard, I’d have to say The Defects, a punk band that’s been going hard since 1978. Right now, I’d say Nasa Assassin are up there with some of the best rock bands around.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out from the others trying to build a name?
Be yourself and don’t compromise. Write good original material. Work hard. I don’t know really!
What band out there at the minute do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
I don’t know about best suited but I think we could fit with a band like Monster Magnet or Gary Numan, artists who are just doing their own thing regardless of media trends.
Who do you feel is the next band to break out?
I would love to see great things for Baleful Creed. Big, sludgy, Sabbath-y riffs. They already have a good following and they deserve every success.
What are your first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
Glam Rock was the thing when I was a kid, the original Glam Rock with T-Rex, The Sweet, Slade, and so on. But I never thought I could maybe do it until I heard punk rock.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
The Wildhearts and Backyard Babies in Belfast back in December. Bloody great night.
What current issue are you particularly passionate about?
It’s hard to pick one because I’m so angry about so many things but I suppose the general mass swing towards hard-right politics around the world is the major one for me. The level of injustice towards minority groups is staggering and not something I had hoped to see in my lifetime.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Loads of things, maybe something like Newton Faulkner?
What are your plans for the remainder of 2020?
We are working on EP number two at the moment, optimistically called “The Second Wave.” You can expect another four tracks with similar themes and textures. We would love to be out gigging but that’s unlikely this year as things stand.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
We are on Facebook, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp at the moment and we send out updates as and when there’s something to say. Anyone can connect with us through Facebook: we would love to interact with people more than we currently can. Message us here Plague Doctors
Check out Plague Doctors on Soundcloud here
