Tandem Felix

Originally Appears in Issue 8 of One More Robot.

The Dublin-based quartet spoke to Dean Van Nguyen about their formation, evolution and plans for the future.

With their affinity for creating music with pretty melodies, soaring instrumentation and haunting vocals, it’s hard to believe that Tandem Felix actually started life as a comedy double act. But when talking to the four young Dubliners it becomes a little more apparent as they struggle to fight the urge to drop a gag or two into their responses. “We were great though, best stuff we’ve ever done,” says lead singer and guitarist David Tapley on their former style with his tongue firmly in cheek. “Now I guess we’re more finely tuned,” he eventually concedes.

From these humble beginnings Tandem Felix morphed naturally over the next four years, adding two new members to flesh out their sound. “Me and Dave met in French class in secondary school,” says co-founder Evan Keogh. “We started playing together, me and him, just recording stuff in my bedroom on a crappy old recorder. Fiachra [Kinder], our drummer, was next door neighbours with Dave, so then we started playing with him and that’s when Tandem Felix started. We were together for a few years, just us three. Conor [Muldowney] was one of our good mates in school and played guitar so we asked him to come in. Basically, we were all just friends into the same music.”

Shifting from writing comedy songs into a heavier, grunge-like style (though the members disagree that the ‘grunge’ tag was appropriate), the band have now evolved towards a more expansive sound. To my ears they take their lead from soft-singing nineties alternative rock starlet Jeff Buckley, as well as incorporating many elements from the ensuing two decades of post-rock and indie folk. But not according to the band. “Recently we’ve never been compared to the same person twice,” says David “Somebody compared is to the Dandy Warhols a week ago, which I’d never heard before.”

“Before it was Smarshing Pumpkins, then Radiohead and early Verve,” adds Evan. “It just varies all the time. It’s probably good that no one can pin it down to one band we sound like.”

As the primary songwriter, David is Tandem Felix’s defacto leader. “There’s no question about it, I am the leader. All the hail the leader,” he jokes before explaining the band’s process. “I’d write some of the songs and record them how I think they should sound like. It’s a 50/50 chance when we actually play them as a band whether they’ll sound anything like the recording. Sometimes it turns into something different.”

The band have released a collection of 10 recordings via their bandcamp titled Tweedledee. Available to download without charge, the set comes with a disclaimer stating it’s neither an album nor a release. “The reason I didn’t want to call it an album [is because] it’s not really something I’m pushing too much,” clarifies David. “The reason it’s not an album is it’s not a priority to put out an album now. Our priority isn’t to tell people ‘we have internet music’. It’s more come to our gigs at the moment.”

So what’s next for Tandem Felix? A more official CD or vinyl release may happen eventually but, really, it’s a silly question to put to four 20-year-olds. “The 21st season is going to start soon,” smiles David. “So we’re going to do some serious karaoke and paintballing, or whatever people do on their 21st.” A momentary respite on their path to greater things no doubt? “We’ll take it as it goes really. We never knows where this long and winding road leads us.” He’s musical until the last.

Photographs by Aidhán MacCionnaith.