Interview - The Cape Race

Over the past six or seven years David Moloney has been a very familiar face in the Manchester music scene performing with pop punk band The Honeymoon Suite who made quite a name for themselves playing with the likes of Taking Back Sunday, You Me At Six and Kids in Glass Houses.

David’s new project, The Cape Race, are currently working on their first full length album with Peter Miles who’s worked with the likes of Failsafe, Tellison and Canterbury.

“By the time The Honeymoon Suite was coming to an end it turned out that most of us listened to little, if any, of that kind of music at all. Yet we were having to physically force ourselves to write it. It got to the point where it started to feel fake, uncomfortable and not very much fun at all.”

In a statement on their Myspace page, The Honeymoon Suite explained that they were keen to move away from the sound they were producing and start afresh in order for them to be able to look upon their time in the band “with fondness and nothing but.” What would this mean for the sound of The Cape Race? How different would their sound be?

“When people ask I usually tell them we play ‘Heavy Indie’ which is incredibly lazy but it usually does the trick. I’d say its melodic rock with a bit of low-fi indie thrown in for good measure. Only with balls. Our music is a bit like getting a hug off a massive bear. The songs sound a bit huge but intimate at the same time.”

Throughout his musical career, David’s song writing has always been something that’s been very important to him. Where a lot of bands will throw a song together counting on the lyrics marrying up with the music, it’s much more crucial to David’s that his lyrics aren’t contrived and that they reflect something real and personal.

“The lyrics in The Cape Race songs are definitely a lot more personal in their own way. There’s an element of humour in there as well though which has always been important to me and the way I write. Arguments, situations, news stories, films, books or nasty mood swings have set me off writing in the past.

“’Bets’ was the first song we wrote as The Cape Race and it’s easily the most personal. I’d never written a song like that in The Honeymoon Suite so it was kind of a big step for me to be that honest and open about a subject like that.

“It's about my Nana Betty or 'Bets' as I called her. She died last year and I was there and saw her go and the songs about how it felt to watch something like that happen. Not the cheeriest number but it means a lot to me.

“When we put the video up a girl wrote a blog about it and sent us a link. She was just really genuine about the song and its lyrics and how it affected her and I’d never really had anyone talk that way about a band I was in. It’s exactly what I wanted when we decided to start The Cape Race.”

And his passion definitely comes out on stage. David is pretty notorious in Manchester for giving it all he’s got on stage and when watching a band live that’s always a bonus;

“As an audience member watching a band that sounds energetic I want to see that reflected in what I see on stage. It’s infectious and inspiring watching a band get that into what they’re doing when it’s obviously genuine and not forced. I remember when I was first starting out, going to gigs by bands like AFI, Thursday and At the Drive In. I remember watching these incredible bands and just being completely in awe of the way they command a stage. At the same time I appreciate bands that just totally immerse themselves in their music and it’s a completely different kind of energy. I like to think The Cape Race falls somewhere between the two!

“The best gig I’ve played would probably be when The Honeymoon Suite supported Kids in Glass Houses in Manchester a few years ago. It was absolutely packed and the room just went completely crazy when we played and we followed suit on stage. I was everywhere, hanging off everything, it was brilliant! Then outside afterwards we were there for like an hour signing CD’s and having our picture taken. It was all new and exciting and it was just incredible. I’m well up for topping it someday soon though!”

You can check out The Cape Race at: www.myspace.com/thecaperace

Antonia