CARL DAWKINS

Armada Of Secrets bassist Carl Dawkins reveals the ethos behind the low notes

Make our day, punk.

Iguess I’m a closet punk bassist who learned to play! My bass playing is raw, energetic and passionate. It’s all about dynamics, and losing yourself in the music. When I first started playing in the pre-internet era, I was so unsure if what I was doing was right or wrong, especially as I started late in my life. Even when I went to college to do a degree in music, I was still doubting myself – until I started gaining recognition and getting booked because of my playing style. I can sit in the background and still bring the vibe, but I do love to bring the energy, especially live. If you’re not sweating after a show, what were you doing? I was very lucky to be trusted by Warwick basses and amps early in my career. After using them for years, my gear was stolen, but Warwick were extremely supportive, so I have to give a massive shout-out to them. The instrument I use most regularly for Armada Of Secrets and sessions is a Fender with Dean Markley and DR Coloured strings. After sessioning so much, I’ve learned that the extra notes of a five-string really help when you’re playing with a piano or keys player. Having grown up playing in metal bands with drop tunings, the five-string gave me a lot of options. I even had a bass from ESP which was tuned F#, B, E, A, D when I was touring Asia sessioning for the metal bands Underside and Undying Inc. That was thanks to Dean Markley, who made me a custom 185 low F# string, which sounded like a Panzer tank. I slap when needed – I’ll play with my nose if I have to, as long as the job is fulfilled and the bass sounds good. Too many players don’t play for the song. The funny thing about slap is that it can stand out for both the right and wrong reasons. To be honest, I could do with no slap being played at every music show – we already have Mark King and Henrik Linder. It took me a long while to realise that playing for you and the song, rather than trying to impress everyone else, is the most rewarding thing you can do. It will take your playing to new levels that you never thought possible. Play so that everyone moves. Bass is one of the easiest instruments to pick up, but if you want to be good, it’s one of the hardest to master.

“Bass is one of the easiest instruments to pick up, but if you want to be good, it’s one of the hardest to master”