Quirks Behind the Music - Seb Clarke

I caught up with Seb Clarke, a singer-songwriter and synth player in indie-rock group Arcadia, discussing everything from vintage gaming to Jimi Hendrix to desert islands.


Summarise your sound with one word.

Hmm, one word? I guess the one word would have to be 'me'. I guess my sound isn’t that distinctive, like; it’d be difficult to put into a genre. Can I have a sentence?
Bringing the old into the new. I’m  young and I suppose you could say I’m bringing together a lot of influences from older bands into the music I create.

Which artists and/or experiences have fuelled you love of music?

I think the biggest artist to fuel my love for music would definitely have to be Jimi Hendrix. He was my very first love, from a very young age, and I would love to say I share his passion for music and for playing. Hendrix heavily influences my guitar-playing style; from the way I play chords to the way I play solos and the scales and techniques that I use. I take influence from a huge variety of bands from 50’s blues/rock and roll like Chuck Berry to modern indie like Jaws and Peace. I think that this is a great tool to have under my belt; it means that I can ‘cross’ between genres and movements to find my own style.

Biggest musical achievement to date?

There hasn’t been one really, I’ve played a lot of gigs, whether they are on my own or with a band, but I suppose nothing has been massive. Although, Arcadia, the band I play bass and synth for (and the band you should definitely check out by searching “Arcadia The Shore” on Spotify or Sound Cloud), headlined the O2 Academy 3 in Birmingham, which is kind of big for an unknown band. Right?

If you could back in time and see any act live, who would you see?
Oooh, now that is a difficult decision, there are way too many to choose from. I mean, you’ve got Nirvana: Live at Reading, Pearl Jam at Pinkpop in 1992, Jimi Hendrix & Santana at Woodstock in 1969 or Oasis at Maine Road in 1996, and that’s just the tip of a very large iceberg. There are loads more, like Led Zeppelin at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970. If I had to choose one, it’d be the infamous Unplugged in New York by Nirvana.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three albums, which albums would they be?

This one is almost impossible. Well, recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Mac Demarco, and I would definitely have to take his album ‘2’ with me. Every song on there is brilliant and I don’t think I would ever get bored of it. Even the instrumental song, Boe Zaah, is great. Now, I know that a lot of people would say that they would take Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ or The Smiths’ ‘Meat is Murder’, but I think that I’d easily get bored of Joy Division after a couple of weeks and get depressed. I also genuinely don’t think I could stand Morrissey’s voice for more than 3 hours, never mind my all of my remaining days. Don’t get me wrong, he’s fantastic, but his I can’t stand his voice for long periods of time. I think my second choice is going to have to be two records, because one only has four songs on it. Those two records would be ‘Burgh Island E.P’ and ‘I Forget Where We Were’ by Ben Howard. You’ve got to let me have those, right? Extra 4 tracks? That’s nothing. It’s just because the songs on both records are absolutely beautiful. Ben is such a great musician and pours his absolute everything into what he does. A big inspiration to me. My last choice would have to be either ‘The Bends’ or ‘Kid A’ by Radiohead, just because of all the 'bangers and anthems'!

What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory has to be getting ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ by the Arctic Monkeys on CD and importing it onto my XBOX original. I never stopped playing that album. It was always on repeat, and always got on Mum’s nerves. That was around the time I’d picked up the guitar. I was about 7-8 and another fond memory was dancing around my room with this bright red, ¾, acoustic guitar that my Nana had got me from some charity shop for like £5. I’d dance around my room with a Hendrix record on, pretending to play this guitar and imitating Jimi’s stage moves. It’s weird to think how great my music taste was at that age.

Would you rather: never be able to listen to recorded music again or never be able to perform live?
Again, another difficult one, because performing is great. It gives an amazing sense of euphoria; being on a stage and having an audience go mental to your own songs. It’s a wonderful feeling. Although, nothing is better than getting home after a long day out and putting on your favourite record. Like, when you think about it, it means you could only listen to music live, and if you want to listen to Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, or Hendrix, you simply can’t. So I’d choose to not perform live.
8) Which bands and artists have caught your eye lately, both locally and signed?
The Wytches have caught my eye recently. They have a brilliantly disgusting tonality about them. Annabel Dream Reader was brilliant and housed some great songs. Their recent release of their ‘Home Recordings’ was great and showed their roots, very scary at the same time. Their recent announcement to release a second album has got me very excited. Another artist that has caught my eye has been a local band called Thieves Asylum. I supported them with Arcadia at a local venue called The Exchange, for their single launch. They have a big sound to them and ‘I.K.Y.K.I.K’ definitely shows this, they pack big riffs and great sounding, catchy choruses. I think they could be one to look out for.

What advice would you give young musicians or musicians just starting out?
Well, I think I’ll just say what I would have liked to hear when I started playing. I guess the first thing I’d say would be: practice, practice practice! Don’t let playing the same songs 300 times get to you. You can never practice too much. I wish I’d have practiced a lot more than I did. I’d probably be better than I am now. The second thing I’d say would be: don’t be afraid. We all suck at the beginning. I used to think I was brilliant, looking back now, I’ve come a hell of a lot further and got a hell of a lot better. I used to sing along to records, pretending to be some great front man, like I was going to be the next LG or something, but I couldn’t sing for shit. My voice now isn’t even all that great, but it’s a lot better than the pre-pubescent me. I would also say: “don’t feel down because a friend is better”. I used to think like this all the time when I started off and I know a lot of people do. Don’t be put down by the fact that they can sweep pick and finger tap and you can’t. It takes time to get better. You aren’t going to pick up a guitar and play ‘Master of Puppets’ or ‘War Pigs’ straight away. I think the last thing I would say would definitely have to be 'stick at it'. I gave up playing for about half a year because I couldn’t do a single thing right. Don’t give up so easily.

What's on the horizon for you?
Keep on keeping on, I suppose. I’m going to keep writing songs and record from Fake Fags Studios (aka my bedroom). I’m taking a bit of a break and time away from social media soon, just to kind of find myself and write some songs and all that jazz. Just some me time. Arcadia have got some great things coming, including a headline at the Sugarmill on the 3^rd of September, so get down and have a dance to some tunes.