DeadBeat Blondes are a brand new rock band often seen down in U-Bar. The band is made up of members AJ Keable (she/her), who is the lead singer and guitarist, Salani Shaw (she/her) on bass, Sam Flanagan (he/him) on guitar and Alfie Buxton (he/him) on drums. They brought Sam’s dog (also called Alfie) to the interview, too.
Originally titled ‘Hotcakes’, the band began when AJ messaged Sam to start a band, with Alfie then messaging to offer to play drums. Bass player Salani was recommended by other local bassist Jakira of Ani Saafa and Emily Alice. The name ‘DeadBeat Blondes’ is inspired by the band name ‘Teenage Dads’. “We wanted something similar and said, ‘Oh, maybe Deadbeat Dads,’ but that didn’t feel right and someone brought up 4 Non-Blondes and I came up with DeadBeat Blondes,” says AJ, the decision-maker of the troupe.
The band began practicing at the very beginning of this year, only playing together three or so times before being offered a spot at a Thursday gig at U-Bar. “I was friends with Sam who works at U-Bar, and he said, ‘If you want the spot, it’s yours,’” says AJ. The gig featured Purple Dog, No Danger and Caribou. “We were like, ‘hey do you want to play with this band you’ve never heard of before’ and we are so glad they said yes,” she adds.
DeadBeat Blondes have evolved through members learning different instruments. Alfie was originally a guitarist for a different band, but learnt drums for the band. They have also tried a different approach to their sets. “With our covers we want to make it our own thing” says AJ. They often bring in a special guest, Luc, who sometimes plays sax for the band.
The band has two original tunes, ‘Ticket to Japan’ and ‘The Void to go along with a great collection of covers including ‘Creep’ by Radiohead, ‘Come Together’ by The Beatles and ‘Super Freak’ by Rick James. They have also recorded their debut single to be released in the near future. The single, ‘Difficult’ (which their #1 groupie mentioned sounded like Avril Lavigne), is being mixed and is hoped to be released sometime in September.
DeadBeat Blondes has played a host of gigs in a short period of time, including competing in the Dig the Gig competition, as well as a very special Pint Night. “It was my birthday,” Sam says, “it was a really good time.” AJ adds: “I was very drunk, it was a lot of fun.” The band will be competing in another band competition, ‘Bring the Noise’, presented by Radio One and are also involved in Flipper Fest, which will help raise money for the Yellow Eyed Penguin trust. Both gigs will be at U-Bar.
You can follow DeadBeat Blondes on Instagram @deadbeatblondes to see the dates for these up and coming gigs, as well as any new music releases.