Photo: Philippa Johnson / philippajohnson.co.uk
Some artists might be eager to dismiss the 'year of the guitar bands' suggestion as music media hype, or as nothing new, but others are ready to get behind the guitar band cause with full force and make 2013 the year when well worn guitars and much-travelled amps become regular features of the music scene again.
One such band is Good Dangers, a London-based group who have no qualms accepting the name 'guitar band'.We caught up with them ahead of their appearance at the Gigwise Presents night.
"We all went to uni together orginally," explains frontman Gavin.
"I guess in the last few years we played together and met up and wrote songs but never really took it seriously. Then we put some tracks up online and got some interest and it just went from there."
Although the band met while studying at Goldsmiths, in South London's New Cross, none of them are London natives. Keyboardist and singer Jenny is from Dublin, while others came from Belfast and Gavin himself is Australian. As well as Jenny and Gavin, the band includes Tim, Ian and Mark on guitar, bass and drums respectively.
As such they have a fairly astute perception of the scene in London these days, and the challenges facing bands trying to get started.
"We go to the places where things are meant to be happening, but I don't know how real any of that is," Gavin admits.
"It used to be a lot easier. I feel like it's because there's no money in being in a band anymore, there's very little funding from labels. It feels like a struggle.
"We were fortunate to get interest early on so there's been a little bit of money and support for us.
"We're not trying to get get gigs anymore, which is hard enough for London bands, we're past that challenge. But now we could all do with quitting our day jobs."
The band are also feel the scene is turning more towards guitar music again, after a lull in the quality of music being put out by guitar bands.
But the band are also wary of simply reproducing what's already been done.
"The one concern for me is that it's not too retrospective and that we're not trying to recreate the 90s or do grunge or do Nirvana, because there is a bit of that. It's important that guitar bands take the music and do something new.
Watch Good Dangers riding their bikes in the video for 'DFYF'
"We definitely consider ourselves a guitar band, but we don't separate ourselves entirely from what's going on in electronic music, there're a lot of synths in the background and I trigger drums and stuff. So there's a bit of dance production in there as well.
"It's great that guitar bands are making it clear that being a guitar band and making dance music aren't mutually exclusive. The best example for me was Hudson Mohawk producing Egyptian Hip Hop's album."
Considering Good Dangers got where they are thanks to the internet, they have a remarkably well considered and insightful view of how online tools should be used, and what the dangers of using them too much are.
"There's only so much you can build on social media," Gavin explains.
"It presents itself as this thing where you can amass fans if you really work at it, but I think people are getting more savvy towards social media. If you try and bombard peole with stuff you just get unfollowed or unliked. You have to take a little bit of a backseat, if I got something on my Facebook or Twitter everyday I'd just unsubscribe, I never want to be someone who's all over it.
"But we do use it, bandcamp's been amazing, and Soundcloud's been amazing for getting stuff remixed. Love it, love it."
Watch the video for Good Dangers' 'Beat Of Your Heart' below
Gavin's also aware of the affects social media has had no just on how bands share their music, but also in their attitude toward putting records together.
"It's made it easier to share your music, but I think the problem is people don't listen to albums anymore. For a few years we've been complaining that it's a singles market, and maybe it's just time we accept it. It's super-saturated and you can listen to 50 new bands a day now, and that's all about social media.
"But you've got to believe that what you're doing is the best and will float to the top, otherwise you probably shouldn't be doing it.
"We're doing an EP at the moment, because we didn't want to make an album but we wanted to do something more than a single. And every song on that we're making as strong as a single so whatever people happen to click on they're going to get something that's worthwhile. It's a lot easier to be excellent over four songs than it is over ten."
All things willing, the EP inquestion will be released later this year, and hopefully sometime around summer.
"There's quite a summery vibe to this collection of songs," says Gavin.
You can catch Good Dangers' vibrant brand of positive guitar music at the Gigwise Presents night at the Shackwell Arms this week, supporting headliners Shields.
