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elsewhere
What have you been wearing on stage? Anything new you've been liking?
Ewan Mackenzie (drums, @pigsx7)
Generally, I always wear a t-shirt of one of my favourite bands or musicians (Dalek, Thraa, Cocteau Twins, Can, to name a few on rotation). I also tend to wear a baseball cap, most recently with a 'P' or the pirate logo for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's an interesting baseball club for a number of reasons (check out the story of Dock Ellis Jnr!). I also have to wear shorts on stage, as otherwise the post gig experience can become very uncomfortable. We were recently introduced to the concept of 'gig butt' on our tour of the US. The less said about that, the better!
Matt Baty (vocals)
For the Land Of Sleeper touring I’ve mainly been wearing a pair of Fairtex muay thai shorts which feature a really colourful kabuki mask design with a Stone Cold Steve Austin vest. I guess I’ll change something up whenever our next album comes around, but for now, this is my get up. I do not wear any footwear. Do you know how filthy most music venue stages are? They’re mostly very grim and leave the soles of my feet filthy. This is the price I must pay for my art.
Credit: Argiris Liosis
Adam Ian Sykes (guitar)
The clothes I wear onstage are the clothes I wear most days. I suffer from Cystic Fibrosis, the symptoms of which include malnutrition. It’s left me with the kind of body you’d find on a Tim Burton mood-board so I like to hide my limbs wherever possible. I end up opting for shirts over T-Shirts and occasionally a jacket when onstage air conditioning allows. A good western shirt is my go-to.
I occasionally wear tinted glasses onstage which can leave me feeling a little too Roy Orbison. They’re prescription, I assure you.
John-Michael Hedley (bass)
I solidly stick to a black band t-shirt, super super tight cut off black jeans. And nothing else.
Sam Grant (guitar)
I think I’ve mentally tapped out. I’ve been wearing the same clothes on stage for a few years now. I’m a creature of habit. I’m also not very good at being stylish; the idea is a pretty foreign to me, and the others in the band do a grand job of it (in some definition of the word). I just want to avoid being too hot and sweaty. So I have a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I also fold my socks down into my shoes. I don’t know why I do that.
Do you know how filthy most music venue stages are? They’re mostly very grim and leave the soles of my feet filthy. This is the price I must pay for my art.
elsewhere
Do you collaborate with anyone? A stylist? A friend?
ewan
Most of the discussions I have had with others about stage wear are very practical, given that it's generally a full-on work out. Johnny and I regularly discuss the importance of shorts. I also have to avoid baggy trousers as they can catch on the bass drum beater and stop me playing properly. Lightweight shoes are also key for kick pedal action.
johnny
No.
adam
Ewan has a habit of buying me jackets that I see in charity shops or thrift stores on the road that I can’t afford. I’m not sure he can afford them either but he’s kinder than any of us deserve.
sam
I don’t think anyone would want to associate with my style - or lack of.
matt
Of course not. Everything is 100% the manifestation of my own twisted imagination. I don’t think anyone would seriously send me out looking the way I do.
Credit: Argiris Liosis
Everything is 100% the manifestation of my own twisted imagination. I don’t think anyone would seriously send me out looking the way I do.
elsewhere
Do you make any special pieces?
ewan
Sadly not, although I once tore off the arms of a PJ Harvey t-shirt when we were in Greece as it was so damn hot.
Credit: Argiris Liosis
I kind of regret that now as I really liked that t-shirt, but it did mean I stayed cool(ish)!
matt
For our touring of our Viscerals album I cut the sleeves off a ‘Find What Feels Good’ Yoga With Adriane t-shirt.
johnny
I kind of make my own shorts lol. If I find a pair of painfully tight jeans in a charity shop, I buy them any cut the legs off myself. I get a new pair when the crotch falls out. I also have a horrendous superstition… never wash the shorts… trust me, 70+ shows in, they actually smell gorgeous (yes I’m disgusting).
I like to stretch and lunge on stage quite a lot, so the super tight shirts allow me all the freedom in the world.
sam
I don’t make any special pieces. I’m not that advanced. But I do always wear a pair of climbing shorts, and climbing shorts have got a gusseted crotch, which makes them extremely comfortable. I just wear generic t-shirts, nothing with brands on. Often band t-shirts, but I’ve learnt over the years there’s good and bad t shirts when it comes to playing guitar. I have my guitar pretty high, and if there’s a heavy print on the t-shirt it sticks to the back of the guitar. This is not ideal.
elsewhere
Where do you find stage clothes? Any fav shops?
ewan
Generally band merch stalls and sometimes thrift stores.
matt
As well as my Fairtex muay thai shorts I have a bunch from Yokkao that I wear from time to time. I absolutely love their designs. Loads of colour and character.
adam
On our last trip to Austin, Texas I visited Allen’s to pick up some boots and intend to do the same again next week. A man can never have too many Cuban heels.
johnny
Charity shops/thrift stores and band merch tables.
sam
I find the climbing shorts in climbing shops. I mean, I buy them to climb in, but their merits are transferrable. Band t-shirts are just accrued through all the gigs we’ve played. We’ve played with so many good bands that it’s a pretty frequent occurrence to end up buying a shirt.
I bought a job-lot of bamboo socks a while ago. I’ve not looked back on the sock front.
elsewhere
Where does your sense of style come from? Any special sources of inspiration?
ewan
I have never considered that I do have much of a sense of style. In the main what I wear on stage comes from combination of my love for bands and the practicalities of being a drummer. The chaps in the band are always encouraging me to get some fingerless studded leather drummer's gloves, but so far I've resisted! :)
matt
To most people I’m probably just an idiot sweating away in small shorts and a Stone Cold Steve Austin vest, and they’d be correct, but actually there’s far more to my outfit that might meet the eye. Rather than being solely an homage to the Texas Rattlesnake, my vest also pays tribute to CM Punk, one of the realest wrestlers to ever grace the squared circle. A true wrestling connoisseur would recognise that the Stone Cold design on my vest is the same as worn by CM Punk during his infamous 2011 ‘pipe bomb’ promo. To this day one of my favourite moments in the history of the sport. That’s right, sport.
adam
When I grow up I’d like to be less Burton and more Leone.
johnny
No idea. I wear black because it doesn’t show the sweat stains. I wear shorts and have bare feet mainly because I get too hot on stage if I wear trousers and shoes, also I need flexibility to lunge my heart out. I used to wear socks on stage about 20 years ago because I was too embarrassed of my alien toes… I’ve not given a fuck about that for many years now tho, drink up my alien toes
sam
Comfort is King, they say. Maybe that could be my source of inspiration. I think I might be style blind? In terms of the literal aesthetics of what’s “cool” or whatever. But what is style anyway? If someone wears something with confidence, is the confidence the true arbiter of style? Is style just a frame of mind? I’m pretty comfortable when I’ve got my shorts and t shirts on, which I guess means I’m pretty stylish. Or not. Who knows.
Credit: KEXP
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