Share on Bluesky
Share on X
Keyside by Ewan Ogden
WHO?
I’m Dan Parker, singer-songwriter. The other members of Keyside are Ben Cassidy (lead guitar), Maximo “Max” Gibson (bass) and Oisin McAvoy (drums).
WHERE?
We found each other in Liverpool where we write, rehearse and spend time outside the band together. Oisin is actually from Newry, Northern Ireland. He and Ben met at university here and then we all ended up forming a band together after we met at a party.
WHEN?
I started writing lyrics from the age of 12 with an interest in hip hop music. I did so until I was around 16 when I started listening to more guitar-orientated music to which led me to picking up and learning the guitar.
WHY?
Being from where I am and what I listen to, I have to say bands like The Coral and The La’s, but there are plenty of other influences in the band like Blossoms, Fontaines DC and Wunderhorse.
HOW?
Keyside’s second EP was very effortless in the sense that the songs that are on there came together quite spontaneously and naturally. One of the songs, Michael (What’s Your Call?) for example was written in under an hour the day before we were due to go in the studio to which we all agreed had to go on it. We got all our parts together as quick as possible for it to be ready. It still feels like it fell out from the sky!
PAST?
I dropped out of college twice never completing a year at either and was in and out of office jobs (mostly apprenticeships) from 16-18 to which I never completed either. After that I was a labourer in general construction between the ages of 18-20. I started a band called Cassidy around this time which led into what is now Keyside nearly six years on.
PRESENT?
Keyside are often described as ‘jangle-indie-pop’, but perhaps that’s better described as an infectious blend of modern, youthful indie-pop with a nod to some of the classic British rock influences.
FUTURE?
We have many plans and ambitions as a band: performing on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury is an obvious one! Above all, a discography that we’re proud of and that can be a soundtrack to people’s lives.
DID YOU KNOW?
After a gig in Glasgow we got kicked out of a hostel café after a cheese disaster in their commercial toaster. In our hungover state, we thought it was a genius idea to put cheese on top of the bread and somehow forgot about, you know, gravity. The bread flipped, cheese melted everywhere, chaos ensued. We apologised, they asked us to leave. End of story. To the Glaswegian woman involved, we’re sorry. We were tragically hungover!
WHAT’S NEXT?
Keyside have had an incredible year, with so much growing support. We sold out headline shows in Manchester and Liverpool before the summer, really enjoyed all the festivals we played, like Y NOT, Sound City, On the Waterfront and have just supported Blossoms in Liverpool. We’re looking forward to doing more of that next year, especially with our second EP coming out in February ‘25. Lots to look forward to.
CONNECT:
Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook