Binmen is set to take Dublin by storm, and take out your bins for you in the process. We spoke to the band’s lead vocalist, fourth-year Trinity student Ryan McDonald, and drummer Seb Wong-Cotter.
Possibly the hardest part of forming any band is coming up with a stage name. McDonald recalls a night in a pub in Wicklow where a bin truck drove by: “listen, we’re gonna see bin trucks everywhere. It’s perfect free marketing.” “People leave their bins out every Friday for us, ya know what I mean?”, McDonald added.
Another story behind the name came from one of Wong-Cotter’s interactions with his parents: “my parents were supportive of music but said that it probably wasn’t gonna work out. They asked ‘what are you gonna do?’. I said, ‘I’m gonna be a binman. Leave me alone’.”
Hailing from Wicklow, Binmen brings a breath of fresh air into the Irish music scene, offering a unique sonic blend that is nearly impossible to box into one category.
Regarding the band’s sound, McDonald said: “We wanted to make music with a bitta hardness to it.” “Something a bit heavier than everyone around us”, Wong-Cotter added.
“There’s a balance of rock and a bitta noise. I’ve definitely got post-punk influences. I’m a massive fan of The Murder Capital and Fontaines”, McDonald continued.
Binmen’s creative process varies from session to session, with the band refusing to follow an overly stringent structure. “Sometimes myself and Jack have lyrics and rhythm and guitar and we bring it to the band to try and flesh it all out together”, McDonald noted.
McDonald carries around a book of song lyrics with him at all times: “I have maybe a verse or something in the notes in my phone and then we start jamming and see what works.”
There’s not a lot of outlets for actual connection nowadays. People are crying out for human connection and a gig is a really cool way to get it.
Binmen’s output thus far has avoided falling into the trap of overcooking one specific formula over and over. Instead, the band is opting to mix it up and write about a myriad of topics. When asked whether he focuses on any specific themes when writing, McDonald said: “There’s an aspect of Irishness to the songs. There’s a mix of songs that are narrative based and talking about myself to some extent.” “Some of them are a little bit sexy, some of them are a little bit about God”, he added.
“‘The Heat’ is a song where I’ve intertwined the idea of a toxic relationship and society’s relationship with the world. It’s from the perspective of looking back at everything we’ve lost in the heat”, McDonald continued.
When asked about the best music venues around the country, McDonald responded: “For rock bands you just have to play everywhere. There isn’t enough of a culture of going to live bands because you want to see a live band. You have to know about the band first or somebody has told you about the band before you go to their show.”
When speaking about the rest of the country, McDonald said: “That’s not the case in Cork for some reason. Yea, yup Cork lad.”
One of McDonald’s biggest influences is Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave. “He’s so good at creating a connection with the crowd. It feels like the crowd are involved as much as they can be and that’s what I want to give with our shows, to get people involved as much as possible”, he said.
Binmen has an upcoming gig at Workman’s Cellar on October 9th. Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets can be purchased here.
