Local Talent: Jordan and the Sketcheads

Warwick’s Jordan and the Sketcheads certainly aren’t lacking in energy. Fresh from performing at the student-run One World Week, the rock-soul four-piece are set to take on Heat II of Battle of the Bands in their bid to win this year’s competition. Sam Carter caught up with vocalist Jordan Charles ahead of the contest to discuss life as student musicians…

Boar Music: Hi Jordan, how was One World Week?

Jordan Charles: It was really good! Brenda Wong – my friend who’s kind of in charge of the whole thing – put on a really good operation; it was really slick. The audience were loving it, laughing at the right times and cheering for new people. I’ve done OWW in different ways each year, but this has been the best-run event I’ve done so far.

BM: You also presented the show, right?

JC: I co-hosted with my friend Monique [with whom Charles hosts RaW’s Mojo Radio Show]. We just got up and chatted – it was cool because it was really free and easy. We made a couple of jokes about how she wanted her costume changed because she didn’t get to wear a cape like I did!

BM: What made you want to start making music?

JC: I’ve been writing stuff since I was 16. I had a couple of bands in sixth form, so when I came to uni I wanted to properly work at it for these three years. So I put some posters up around BandSoc asking if anybody wanted to play together and Sean [the band’s original drummer] actually approached me after a gig, while Ed [bass] and Tim [guitar] came as a package later on. Before, it’s taken ages to get on the same page, but with these guys it just worked.

At the Summer Party last year, Sean was leaving so we decided to play his favourite song without any preparation. We got up on stage and played the whole thing without any practice – that couldn’t have happened with any other band.

BM: What happened after Sean left?

JC: He’s in Paris living the high life! [laughs] But now we’ve got his friend Caroline, who is amazing. I was a bit apprehensive because once you’ve made a unit it’s scary stepping away from that. She’s been great, though; she turned up to her first session and immediately understood all the weird hand signals I use to signal a new song!

BM: Do you write most of your own material?

JC: We do a few covers, but otherwise I write all my own stuff and bring it to the guys. That’s the scariest part of the whole process; playing to a couple hundred people is obviously a little bit scary, but I’m usually fine. When I take a new song to the other three for the first time, I get nervous and I’m always fumbling when I perform it. Even if you’ve played them four or five songs, and they’ve liked them all, each one is a whole different set of emotions – it’s so scary.

When I bring them a song, they’ll put their own spin on it – the instrumentation all comes from them. It’s quite collaborative when it gets to that stage, but the songwriting usually just involves me sitting in a dark room, scribbling things and hoping for the best.

BM: So you set aside specific times to write?

JC: I have to – otherwise it never gets done! Usually what happens is I have to take my phone or my iPad with me everywhere because I’ll be walking along and some random melody or lyrics will come to me out of nowhere. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had weird looks from people on the train because I’ve been singing into my phone!

But I have to get it down because otherwise it slips away and it’s gone forever. I’ve probably got literally a thousand snippets of melody recorded on my phone from the past three or four years. Every now and again I’ll sit down and expand on them, turning the best ones into actual songs. When I get to set aside some time, it’s usually just me, a piano, and a sheet of paper.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had weird looks from people on the train because I’ve been singing into my phone!

BM: How would you describe your style?

JC: When people ask me, I usually say rock-soul, which I feel describes it quite well. The music itself is very guitar-led and the instrumentation is kind of bare – there aren’t a lot of harmonies or strings. But my voice, just because of the music I grew up with, is very soul- and gospel-influenced; that kind of emotion and feeding intense stories through the song.

BM: Are there any particular themes you tend to write about?

JC: Not usually, although I wrote my first love song the other day! I feel like there’s not a lot more that can be said about love, since it’s already been said by everyone.

The songs are usually about a moment as opposed to a long sweeping story. They’re usually descriptions of an emotion I’m feeling at a certain time. ‘Never Your home’ is about the moment when you have enough of someone taking you for granted, taking everything you have and never giving anything back.

I’ve made an effort in recent months to write songs that are a bit less serious and a little bit more fun, one of which went down quite well at One World Week. It’s a bit less heavy – most of my songs are either big ballads or angry rock songs and I wanted to find a middle ground where people could relax in the show, rather than being pent-up or weeping.

BM: Performance is clearly important to you…

JC: I’m influenced by people who put on a big show: Beyonce, U2, Bon Jovi. I feel like performing is the most fun you have being an artist and a singer because you get instant feedback from the audience. The favourite moment for any singer is to hear your music being sung back to you or to get a cheer in the middle of a song when something happens.

I try to put on as much of a show as possible; if possible, I’d have pyrotechnics and sparks at every show because people love that and they respond to it. Ultimately, you want to get that response from people.

BM: Have you found it difficult balancing work and music?

JC: Yes and no. It was a big struggle last year because I was doing a lot of other stuff on the side; it was a bit of a whirlwind. This year, I’ve devoted more time to the music. It’s all about choices really; you can’t do everything, so it’s about deciding what’s important to you. I’ve decided this year it’s the course and the music.

BM: So do you want to continue after uni?

JC: Hopefully – fingers crossed! Everyone has their own plans, but for I’d love to keep playing with the band and making music, because it’s fun. And that’s what the guys have all said – we’ll keep doing it as long as it’s still fun.

BM: Next up: Battle of the Bands?

JC: That’s right – we’re playing in Heat II. The thing is, Battle of the Bands is just fun, even when you’re not playing. It’s great just to watch the other bands and see the amount of talent that there is at Warwick. We got to the semi-finals last year, but I’m hoping for at least the finals this year and maybe even a win. Either way, we’re just going to go out and have fun and see what happens.

BM: And finally, what’s your favourite sandwich at the Bread Oven?

JC: I haven’t been there since first year, but I’ll go with hummus and roasted vegetable!

For more information on Jordan and the Sketcheads, check out their Facebook page.

All photos courtesy of Klara Moozova Photography.