2 September 2024
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Sheffield artist sadbot to find out more…
Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I am from Sheffield, and come a large family of musicians and creatives who doused me in music and art ever since I was very young. I made an initial break into the music scene in the late 2010s with my indie guitar band RedFaces. We had our time, and when RedFaces came to an end, I got more obsessed with delving into the world of electronica and synthesisers.
I know I’m not a band/duo but the story behind the name ‘sadbot’ comes from the early ways in which I’d write lyrics: I’d come up with single one liners, that were usually extremely melancholic and melodramatic. I likened them to one of those A.I. bots on social media whose express purpose is to quote lines from movies or songs. In this way, my generating of these one liners (which eventually became the foundation of my lyrics) was akin to a “sad A.I. bot” or “sadbot”.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
I had plenty of 50s/60s pop and soul coming from my dad (The Beatles, The Zombies, Elvis), and lots of off the wall 80s and 90s indie coming from my mum (Eels, The Smiths, Tears for Fears) – but my main first obsession was Michael Jackson: the production, songwriting and showmanship was unparalleled and his songs were as appealing in the club as much as they were in your ears. Later on, my music taste was catapulted into the 21st century by Tame Impala – their blend of warbly synthesisers, hazy psychedelia and brutally honest lyrics somehow made modern pop click for me – and from there, I delved deeper into the charts immersing myself in the alt-pop wonders of the 2010s, whilst rediscovering the beginnings of synthpop and electronica from the 1980s-1990s. My predominant influences at the moment are: Tame Impala, The Weeknd, Daft Punk, HOME, Neon Indian, Toro Y Moi, Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens.
How would you describe your sound?
Nostalgia-pop. I became obsessed with writing music that both used nostalgic sounds and commented on the feelings of nostalgia so much of my generation seem to experience. I blend retro synthesisers a la Vangelis, dance-pop grooves a la Michael Jackson, a dab of French Touch from Daft Punk and various other elements from synthpop, indietronica, disco, chart and vaporwave to generate my own brand of off-kilter wonky pop.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
4AM (Fashionably Lonely) is a neon soaked synth-disco song to indulge your main character syndrome. It takes place post-breakup, at a party, and you’re romanticising your loneliness into this twisted broody main character thing you’ve got going on. It’s cringe – but tonight, it’s working. Suddenly being lonely is “fashionable” – whether you like it or not, since all you wanna do is call *her*…
What’s your local music scene like?
Honestly? Pretty lacking at the moment. There are some extremely talented bands and artists for sure – there always has, is and will be in Sheffield. There’s also some small pockets of groups doing some great work with new acts, but what is really missing at the moment is community. I think 10 years ago, all the bands and acts knew each other – they’d go to each others gigs and there’d be so many venues that there’d almost be something on every weekend. Now it feels like that sense of community has been somewhat diminished. Maybe it’s moved online in some ways, maybe it’s a symptom of the decline in indie music venues. I’m not sure. I am sure that there is enough talent in Sheffield to foster that community again, and it would be nice to bring that to the forefront.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Lots! I’m excited! I have a set of singles on their way to the world over the rest of this year – alongside their accompanying music videos. sadbot also exists within a fictional mythology: a parallel universe that tells the story of an chronically nostalgia addicted musician who discovers a mysterious A.I. that begins to help him write songs with startling humanity. This story is “scored” by the music of sadbot, and I’ll slowly be revealing more and more about this unique world on my TikTok and Instagram! It’s all building to something too – but all in good time…
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Honestly, I’m so in awe of my inspirations that I worry I’d have immense writers block when working with them and be just sat there slightly dribbling. That being said, I think I’d find a collaboration with Charli XCX and A.G. Cooke a lot of fun, or I’d like to make a super gooey nostalgia album with Randy Goffe, of “HOME – Resonance” fame.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
I unfortunately am yet to make those memories, although I’m sure there’ll be a decent amount of making a fool of myself when (and yes, it is *when) the time comes.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I, myself, am chronically nostalgic. So much of my life and decisions are in some way influenced by the possibilities of creating nostalgia or being nostalgic about something. There’s gotta be others out there like that, right?
You can find out more about sadbot on his website or via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube Music.
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