The Big Interview
Aday at the dogs emptied the wallets of The Hot Sprockets but inspired the title of their latest record.
Dream Mover, due for release on April 6, is the Dublin band’s third album and is named after a greyhound backed by the Hot Sprockets during a day out at Shelbourne Park.
The band had struggled to find a name for the album until they stumbled across the dog on raceday.
“We had a lot of title ideas that had dreamy floaty words, but we never really settled on anything,” lead vocalist Wayne Soper told The Beat.
“We ended up going to the dogs for our drummer’s birthday around the time when we were having the album mastered and at that stage we really needed a title.
“His family and friends were there throwing fivers on everything moving but there was a dog called Dream Mover that we really liked.
“We all put money on it and said if it wins we’d call the album after it.
The dog lost but the lads had made their mind up and Dream Mover became the title of the Hot Sprockets newest release.
The shoe fits.
While Dream Mover is in many ways another slice of good honest rock and roll from the much loved Dublin band, the Hot Sprockets were inspired to take their sound in a new direction.
They were especially keen to experiment more with psychedelica.
“If you listen to the album as a whole it does kind of fit together as a rock-and-roll album but theres so many different influences tied up in it aswell,” Soper explains.
“For some of the songs I wanted to to drop the guitars totally!
“We wanted to add in more strings than on previous albums – more percussion, more reverb on vocals and try more psychedelic stuff with it.
“We just said f**k it lets go somewhere a bit different with it.
“That being said, you can still take any of the songs and bash them out on an acoustic guitar, thats the essence of the band really”.
Inspired by the Afrobeat rhythms of Fela Kuti, “Cold Cold Sweat” is a more percussive track than what we’re used to hearing from the Sprockets.
It’s video was shot and directed by their long time friend and collaborator Joseph Ingersoll, and takes it’s inspiration from the 90’s turtleneck and chain wearing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The Sprockets were keen to throw themselves into the project.
“We love being part of the videos”, says Soper.”and we love being part of the creative ideas behind them.
“I remember seeing that picture of The Rock wearing a turtle neck and chain and just loving it – I actually dressed up as him my stag back in 2016.
“People didn’t even realise we were on a stag, they were all a bit like what the f**k is going on.
“It kind of sparked off the idea for the video, and we went from there.
The Hot Sprockets kicked off 2018 with the announcement of a new single, a new album, and a nationwide tour starting at Dublin’s Button Factory on 14 April and calling to Waterford, Limerick, Dundalk, Clonakilty, Warrenpoint, Port Laoise, Galway, Cork and Listowel.
And they are looking forward to getting on the road again..
“We just want to get out there and start playing our tunes, we’ve got loads of CDS and merch to sell too so we’re excited to bring everything to the fans,” says Soper.
“We’re looking forward to playing some small clubs, packing them out and getting a buzz going.
The Hot Sprockets intend to pack out the stage too.
They have drafted in a female vocalist for the tour as well as a brass section and extra percussion to help get that buzz going.
“We’re looking forward to playing Woke Up – the last track on the album – just because we never thought we’d go there with a tune.
“Even when we were making it we were like ‘woahh this is weird’ because it wasn’t super comfortable.
“We put ourselves in places that made us feel like ‘can we do this’.
“Now we’re just not afraid – we don’t know where we’re going to go with writing from here on in.
The Hot Sprockets kick off their