Being around local music as much as I have for a long time allows me the opportunity and privilege to make friends in it, especially the musicians. My interviewee is no different and it is safe to say that from the first moment we met, we instantly gelled and became friends. Now living in the UK but forever flying the Gibraltar flag is Daniel May. Daniel was an accomplished musician in the Gibraltar Music Scene and is now a part of UK based band called Debts. Daniel with his new band will be performing on the Rock in September at an event at The Arena hosted and organised by FutureSoundz. I sat down with Daniel to get to know him a little more as well as to talk shop, if you will.
“I started performing when I was invited on stage to perform with Don Spider at the early Gibraltar DnB crews. I was at the time entering into rapping and found a great vibe when hosting DJs and this continued all the way through my Gibraltar adult life. During this I found myself in several musician’s circles, playing in bars acoustically, rapping, hosting drum and bass events as well as DJing. I am not entirely sure, but I was the first person to play Trap music in Gib and jamming with everyone from Sista Dee to Skribblez.
I was fortunate to meet an amazingly talented musician called Matt Davies, who was a local producer and engineer, he had worked with a few celebrity musicians and was willing to do music with me! We produced a lot of music and lived together for a long time with a few other people. MAD Production was born, Matty and I think were one of the first duo EDM original track making groups in Gib! After a while we renamed ourselves to Four Higher and wound up performing at a few events including Sunset Festival which we absolutely tore up! Unfortunately, due to life and its many commitments meant we could not continue Four Higher, this put the fire out on my path for a while until I found two friends Dave Clarke & Michael Merwin, who reignited the light.”
Obviously, the question must be asked when it comes to comparing the UK Music Scene to Gibraltar’s; “It is not so different really, just harder to meet the right people in the UK, due to competition. I have always believed that if a musician really branded themselves correctly, became a beacon for Gibraltar Music and the people did what Gib is great at, like rallying together. I genuinely believe with even tenth of Gib on board they would have enough fans to create a career out of music in Gib. The UK is about promoters, if you want to play shows, you need TikTok, YouTube, Spotify & Soundcloud if you want to get famous and get bigger shows. That is what I have now learned, unless you have lots of money or the right connections, it is hard to get the new passive followers at a volume that opens the doors to the bigger shows.” expressed May.
On how the band was formed; “I will admit, I lost just over a year to depression and the four walls of my room.
One thing that did come from this time was music and a lot of it. I made some calls and managed to round up a few mates from college for a jam. One of these friends being the incredibly talented drummer, Mr. Daniel Hutchinson.
Hutch and I have been in numerous musical ventures over the years. After a year we had a good four-piece band. I realised I knew nobody in the London scene, so I had to find a way in. As if by the Architect itself, the next day a position for sound engineer in my closest music venue popped up. I applied and was successful. Due to this move I gained one of the most important connections for Debts so far, in the name of Steve, the lead singer of Faers! After another year and several musicians later, offered us the opportunity as main support for Faers, our performance caught the eye of promoters in London.
Stephen, Jordan, and I met in Southampton at a random jam in a Verisure Office, and their talent did not go unnoticed. Later when my bass player went to pursue her career, Stephen joined. He told me how he had given up on the dream, but he believed in my music and would love to get on board. I will be honest; he has been one of the most integral parts to Debts.
Jordan was brought into the Debts family shortly after, when I chose to put the guitar down and concentrate on being a front man, Jordan was the first to come to mind, after remembering how similar our guitar style was at our previous meet. I really wanted someone who could replicate and better the strumming patterns that I would play. Not only does he do that, but he has made them his own and improved the sound beyond what I had imagined!”
Of course, through social media one can follow a band’s movements and I put to Daniel how overwhelming he is by the local support. “I am delighted with the support so far, but I would love for more of Gib to know about our music. However, that is down to our marketing, supporters, and skill to prove we are worth supporting. We are performing at The Arena on the 9th of September and could not be more excited. The band cannot wait to see Gib, and meet the people that made me who I am.”
Debts have as of this writing released four songs on all digital music platforms with another four almost finished. I quizzed Daniel whether a full-length album / EP was on the agenda; “We have about fourteen original songs, but due to finances an album is just out of our reach, unless we rally up about £10,000 to get it done.”
To say the very least without sounding a little biased, well okay only a little, I recommend that you check Debts out. They are on their way and their vibe, sound and all-around presence is felt with every note on their four tracks. You can follow them on all the relevant social media pages by visiting the following link; https://linktr.ee/debtsuk
