Colour TV are a South West based band that have been on my radar for a few weeks now. They got in touch with me via Instagram and sent me a link to their EP which will soon be available to buy on shiny vinyl! As with 90% of messages I receive, they get lost in the ether and it wasn’t until I saw that they were playing in Plymouth that I remembered. I dug out the message, hit the link and enjoyed their EP a few times on repeat before heading out to catch them live.

I caught up with Sam Durneen from the band to talk about the early days, how they got on in the studio, dream festival lineups and a very interesting story about The Cure, read on for all this and more…..

You’re a band called Colour TV from Liskeard in Cornwall, tell me who’s in the band and what instruments they play

Colour TV are Sean Goldsmith (drums, 19), James Elliott (bass guitar, 20), Jack Yeo (guitar, 20) and me, Sam Durneen (voice and words, 21 on Saturday 22nd January)

Colour TV is an interesting name for a band, how did it come about and were there any other names on the table at the time of choosing?

I used to spend more time thinking up names for a band than being in one. They won’t mean much to anyone as by the time the four of us fell into place we were Colour TV and that was that. I ruined school planners with dross like “The Blanchflowers”, “The Feynmen”… Then “Colour TV” popped into my head, inspired by posters from the 1950s promising “colour television” as some new, kaleidoscopic frontier… I think it fits perfectly, the only thread of retro derived from what was then an extreme modernity.

How and when did the band form and has the line-up changed since you formed?

The original Colour TV started in 2018. It was me and two friends: Rudi played guitar and Tristan drummed. I was overly serious from the start, scheming to get on Liskeard FM and rehearse whichever lunchtimes they unlocked the music department. Against their will, I made Rudi and Tristan listen to The Pastels, and so our music took on a shambolic C86 spirit. Within a month the three of us were on the verge of neurosis, until James came along and put us right. Having heard he was a really talented guitarist, I asked if he’d like to play bass at the school cabaret – he politely explained he’d never played bass but would give it a go. One thing led to another, Sean replaced Tristan and Jack replaced Rudi. Jack’s arrival in March 2020 allowed us to write very differently; he learned and modified our old songs without hesitation, which I took for granted but what a hill that must’ve been to climb.

Tell me something fascinating about the band or a band member that not many people would know

According to James, The Cure camped in his Nan’s garden on a pre-fame tour. I wonder if sleeping in people’s hedges was the catalyst for Robert Smith’s mid-80s hairstyle.

You cite various acts as influences including The Smiths, Suede, Stone Roses and Fleetwood mac, what is it about these bands that made you want to create your own music?

For me, The Smiths wrote the most affecting music by any one group, but as vulnerable, expressive and melodic as the hits are it’s the rocking rush of tunes like “Hand In Glove” and “These Things Take Time” that I’d prefer to channel. Our intentions lie light years from lines about being guilty for crimes of love or anything out of that phrasebook. I think it’s The Smiths’ abrasive oddness that rubbed off on Suede, and Suede’s buzzsaw pop songs have more influence on me right now. But I can’t speak for everyone! Truthfully, the other three never listen to The Smiths. The Stone Roses are a touchstone whose dazzling, unrestrained style we try to distil in our longer songs – and can be traced back to Peter Green or George Harrison. What is it about these bands that made us want to create our own music? Their iconic status, melodic intuition, mainstream success, that they swam against the current (and never grew mullets)… It’s a tough question to answer. We’d hate to be thought of as old-school or resurrecting a dead brand, I can’t think of anything worse. These artists were good, people like them, we want to be good and we hope people like us.

Would you say that you come from a musical family?

Yes, our favourite musical is The Muppet Christmas Carol.

If you were asked to choose 3 acts for Glastonbury 2023, which would you choose and why?

Mitski, Tyler, the Creator, and Colour TV. Mitski because she’s a star; Tyler, the Creator because his festival dress code would raise the bar; and Colour TV so we could see Mitski and Tyler, the Creator for free.

Do you all bring something to the table when it comes to writing new music or is there one principle songwriter in the band?

The blueprint might start with a guitar riff or bassline, on top of which we’ll each figure out our part. A couple of times Jack and I have written together on the spot (“In Your Cathedral”, “Wherever You Need”) but the most spontaneous was “The Book of Her Life”, where I figured out the melody and lyrics within an hour of receiving a full-band instrumental. Inspiration hardly ever happens that way. I don’t know how intriguing the process is as it’s so subjective, but the music fed into my lyric about a woman deified for her ambiguous lifestyle: “When they write the book of her life / Consulted pets confide that while the sun beat she would stay inside / Tearing out a new page every night”…

Do you all share an interest in similar styles and genres of music? If not, can this cause conflict from time to time?

On the face of it we’ve all got dissimilar taste, but this creates the opposite of conflict – we experiment and absorb each other’s influences, because collaboration is a lot more exciting than realising one person’s vision. Jack’s into Led Zep, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd… James loves Muse, Slipknot and The Oral Cigarettes… Sean’s a fan of The Libertines, Bloc Party, The Reytons… And I’d like to mention Galaxie 500, Love and Bowie as an antidote to all that Smithy talk.

You’re supporting Hamish Hawk at The Underground in Plymouth on Feb 4th I see that you’re also playing at the New Lion Brewery in Dartington on Feb 12th, have you any more live dates in the diary as we progress into 2022?

Let’s have a look… I’m excited to support Hamish Hawk, I raved about him to everyone last year and so to now be on same bill… On February 5th we’re going to Torquay’s Apple & Parrot to play with Plastic Tramps. Then the big one – headlining the Shacklewell Arms in London on the 11th, supported by Megalashhh with another act to be announced. Hopefully we fall into warm arms in Dartington, it should be quite a weekend.

I’m hoping that you can tell me about some festival dates that you have lined up for 2022?

I wish!

Your debut EP ‘Is That You’ was recorded at Momentum Studios on the outskirts of Plymouth, I’m sure you’re going to tell me that Josiah Manning was involved in its production?

Josiah’s musical background (member of the blues rock Kris Barras Band) being so removed from ours meant he could approach the EP with objectivity. We wanted a good producer, not a genre producer, and Josiah happens to be outstanding. He’ll fire off suggestions at subatomic speed, encouraging us to try things for the benefit of the song that we wouldn’t have thought of even if we’d been sat there all day. He’s an invaluable fifth dimension.

Are you a ‘hands on’ kinda guy in the studio?

I involve myself in the process as much as I can, but if you put a desk in front of me I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m alright at giving directions, usually quite blurry ones; “It should sound like a motorbike falling down a well”, etc.. Some producers probably find this unhelpful but Josiah has been patient with me so far.

I know that you were Steve Lamacq’s ‘Spotlight Artist’ on his New Fix programme on BBC Radio 6 Music before Christmas, how does it feel when someone like Steve gets involved in promoting your music?

Steve Lamacq is a hero, we couldn’t be happier. At risk of sounding astrological, we envisioned it but at the same time it was hard to believe. He played “Billy Pilgrim” once or twice which was surreal enough, but the Spotlight slot gave the impression we’d struck a serious chord. I hope so.

How did it feel to hear your music played on BBC Radio 6 Music?

Like wading through waterlilies.

Have you received much help from local DJ’s (BBC Introducing’s Sarah Gosling maybe?) If so, how?

Last year Jack and I met Sarah Gosling at the Junction. LYR (Simon Armitage’s band) were on. We had a lovely chat, she was so friendly and generous with her time. The South West is lucky to be represented by such an enthusiastic broadcaster.

I saw you perform recently at The Nowhere Inn in Plymouth, I was blown away as the whole room was leaping about like crazy baboons, did you bring your own fan club with you on the night?

Getting everyone inside was easy, all we had to do was lock the doors… It was a great way to start the year. The ratio of friends to strangers was less than perhaps it appeared as the enthusiasm of the initiated persuaded the uninitiated to let go. Hearing the front row sing the line “I can’t distinguish fabrication from words really spoken” back at me took a minute to process. I think we offer a leftfield experience, we won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I’m optimistic there’s an appetite for us.

The more I listen to your music, the more I feel that you’re going to be HUGE, don’t know what it is but I have a hunch and I’m normally pretty good at predicting these sorts of things, best hang onto your hats as I think that things are gonna blow up for you this year!

Wow, that’s incredibly flattering, thank you. Fingers crossed. Without jumping too far ahead, we’re currently recording [REDACTED] for the purposes of [REDACTED] and then ultimately [REDACTED] leaving no survivors. There’s new music on the way!

Would you say that you have a better following in Cornwall or Devon?

According to Spotify Intel we have more listeners in London than we do in our hometown! Devon, probably. We’ve not ventured much further into Cornwall. The idea is to take the circus up North, we’re practising our Scouse accents.

Sorry, but I have to ask, when you have a cream tea, is it jam or cream first for you?

I’m from Cambridge, you’re asking the wrong person! Actually, it’s jam first – the butter deputy – and then a big dollop of cream as its harder to spread and tastes better without jam on top of it.

You’re big on Instagram, which other socials can people keep up to date with your musical happenings

Instagram is the place to go if you’re reading this and should like to lay eyes on Colour TV. Our Spotify profile, of course, and at Tip Top Records’ online shop you can pre-order the “Is That You” EP on coconut coloured vinyl for £9.99… Why stop at one copy?!

Lastly, Would you rather be able to teleport or read minds?

Teleport, 100% – I hate travelling so it’d would take a weight off my mind. As long as it wouldn’t destabilise my molecular infrastructure. Too late…

We’d like to thank Sam for taking the time to chat to us and we wish the band every success with the forthcoming physical release of their EP ‘Is That You’. In the meantime, get involved, click on the links below, like them, love them, consume them as it won’t be long until every home has heard of Colour TV…..

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