Wasps vs Humans launching new single at Fred Zeppelins

Wasps vs Humans have become a fixture on the Irish independent music circuit over the years. The passionate lyrics of Carl Antony Plover, delivered by him and by his wife, Linda, are a standout, backed with a wide range of musical accompaniment provided by both of them.

The pair utilise traditional folk sounds, such as whistle and guitar, but also electronics, drums, and louder electric instruments. This week, they are releasing a new single, Death Chamber Visits, following on from their debut album, which was released less than a year ago,

Carl isn’t surprised by his prolific output. He says: “I write every day. I write in a book that I carry around. I write on the bus, on the train, at home, in every room. There could be a line, or title I like, and that’s the starting point.

“The words are always the starting point. Brian Wilson always started with the music; that’s probably why he had more success! HaHa!”

While Carl is never afraid to find humour with his writing and in his life, Wasps vs Humans is a serious undertaking. He also has noticed their sound changing over time. He says: “I like the way Wasps vs Humans have evolved; it started out as just me performing a solo set of punk poetry. I then brought in drums and beats and, in the last two years or so, Linda has joined me on vocals, bodhrán, and other instruments.

“Although there are more songs in the set, the nature of Wasps vs Humans has never changed; it’s always been direct and in your face. The words tend to be edgy and are always at the centre.”

Indeed, the title Death Chamber Visits does signal the subject of the song pretty clearly, as Carl says: “We’ve managed to create quite a catchy song out of a dark subject. For some years, I’ve been following the case of Richard Glossip, who has been on death row in America for the last 27 years. He has had nine execution dates and three last meals.

“The powers that be have now decided to give him a retrial. I wrote the words to Death Chamber Visits as a response to American capital punishment. The inhumanity of one human taking another human life; murder is indeed murder, whoever is doing it. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I think we can become desensitised to death, when exposed to a constant stream of death from afar. We may feel horrified one moment, but, with a single click, we can switch off the news. It’s clear what’s going on in the world is sick. Musicians have the right to speak up. We have the right to agree or not agree, but it’s beyond that.”

Furthering that point, Linda says: “Death Chamber Visits is that dark take on execution. There is a nod to medieval public executions, but it also references a desensitisation to the horrors within today’s society.

“We are supposed to be living in a civilised world, but history repeats itself; barbarity seems an innate human trait. A lot of our songs are very much social commentary-based and, I guess, in today’s global village, our material is very much affected by what we see happening in the world, whether it be the other side of the planet or closer to home.

“That said, there is also a profound sense of helplessness. What’s happening in Gaza, at the moment, is utterly despairing yet, across the world, it is ordinary people who are speaking out and standing in unwavering solidarity.”

Wasps vs Humans, while part of the DIY independent mindset, are also well aware of the importance of working with collaborators. Linda spoke of someone who has helped the new single in multiple ways: “We recorded Death Chamber Visits with Cormac O’Connor at The Maple Rooms, and he helped produce it, too. It’s always a fun and creative process when we work with Cormac. We’ll lay down the tracks and then he’ll have some creative input and add that bit of magic to the song.”

Cormac was also involved with the accompanying music video, which is being debuted at their next concert. Linda says: “Cormac also filmed and edited our video for the single. We researched different historical last meals of convicted criminals and featured some of these. We wanted to capture the condemned individual having their last meal in front of an audience before execution; a disturbing reminder of people being detached and possibly even entertained by the horror of someone being put to death.

“We recorded the video at The Cork Arts Theatre. With both the tiered seating and the blackened, breeze-block walls, it provided the perfect backdrop and setting. We put the call out for extras to play our audience members and had a great response and a nice mix of ages.”

Wasps vs Humans have quite an evening planned for the launch gig tomorrow. Linda says: “We have very special guests, SHELOVESCALPOL, featuring published poet Julie Goo and Tir Na gCasta DJ/producer Mike Millis. Carl is very excited to gig with her again; we’ve been doing gigs with Julie for years. We love her work; she has a beautiful way of making the words flow in both Irish and English. It’s a moving experience. The electronic soundscape Mike creates really lends itself to Julie’s words.”

Carl is adamant that while Wasps vs Humans aren’t looking to increase the band’s membership, the spirit of collaboration will always be in the foreground for them.

“There are no plans to add to the band,” Carl says. “More people, more compromises. But when the occasion arises that we can bring a guest for a song or two, we like to seize it and we are really looking forward to Liam O Shea, from The Grunts, joining us for a couple of tunes on Friday. He played on a track on our latest album, Scratchcard Empires, called Lou Reed, so we’re really happy he’ll be joining for that song on Friday. We loved The Grunts; a brilliant band and it was a great loss when James Spillane, the band’s drummer, passed away earlier this year. He was a good friend and we miss him. We’ll be dedicating the show to him on Friday.”

• Wasps vs Humans play Fred Zeppelins on Friday, September 5, with an exclusive screening of their new single’s video and a concert, with special guests shelovescalpol.
  Tickets available via www.fredzeppelins.com.