The Deccas are a guitar based band formed in 2007 in the Medway Delta, currently signed to

indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, DIY ethic, do-it-yourself approach to r ...

label 208 Records. The Deccas have played many gigs in and around

Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...

and London and have been described as short, sharp songsmiths with a specific style of spiky power pop that has become synonymous with the

Medway scene The Medway scene consists of the bands and related cultural activities of the Medway Towns, north Kent, England. Main towns involved (from West to East) are Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, and Rainham. The Medway scene is typically dat ...

for many years.

History

Ways to the Sun

The band's self funded debut album was released on 15 August 2009 at The Nag's Head Pub, Rochester, Kent. The album features 12 original tracks as well as a hidden acoustic track, Top of the World. The album took several months to arrange and organise, only 3 days of which were actually spent recording at Ranscombe Studios, Rochester Kent. Jim Riley and Dr Robert recorded and produced the album. The

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

heard on the album is played by Nathan Swan. After 18 months with the band, Nathan left The Deccas in August 2009 shortly after the UK release of Ways to the Sun.

Cavern Club Liverpool

On 23 May 2009 The Deccas performed two shows in Liverpool at the world famous

Cavern Club The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...

, Liverpool. As part of the

International Pop Overthrow The International Pop Overthrow (often referred to as simply The IPO) is an American-originated music festival, devoted to power pop music and related genres. The festival is dedicated to bring classic pop music to the public, and is run by CEO an ...

festival The Deccas performed a lunchtime show at the Cavern Pub and an evening show at the Cavern Club. As a result of the shows The Deccas picked up a distribution deal for the U.S with Kool Kat Musik

Radio Caroline Feature Show

On 11 January 2010 The Deccas were the subject of a special feature 60 minute broadcast with Ray Copeland on the world-renowned

Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...

. The show which aired at 10pm GMT was dedicated to the band and took in a

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...

style section which involved each of the band choosing a song to play out. The songs chosen were: *Wesley Wren -

Rudie Can't Fail "Rudie Can't Fail" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash, featured on their 1979 album ''London Calling''. The song was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, who sing it as a duet. Composition Like some songs on ''London Callin ...

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

*Phil Crane -

I Am the Resurrection "I Am the Resurrection" is a song by the Stone Roses and the final song on the UK version of their debut album. The last four minutes of the song is an instrumental outro. The single was released on 30 March 1992, and reached number 33 on t ...

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

*Dave Sawicki -

Angel of the morning "Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by Evie Sands, but first charting by Merrilee Rush. The song has been covered by many artists including P. P. Arnold, Connie Eaton, Mary Mason, Guys 'n' Dolls ...

PP Arnold Patricia Ann Cole (born October 3, 1946), known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American soul singer. Arnold began her career as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. The following year she relocated to London to pursue a solo ...

*Tony Hetherington - It's Gettin' Better (Man!!) -

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

Band members

Current Members *Wesley Wren -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

''(2007–present day)'' *Nick Rice -

''(2010–present day)'' *Dave Sawicki -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

''(2007–present day)'' *Tony Hetherington -

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

''(2007–present day)'' Previous Members *Nathan Swan -

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

''(2008–2009)'' *Phil Crane -

, ''(2007–2010)'' Occasional Liggers *Stuart Turner -

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

*Robbie Wilkinson -

Critical reception

BBC Radio Kent BBC Radio Kent is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Kent. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Great Hall in Tunbridge Wells. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of ...

's Stephen Morris said of the band: "The Deccas are Kent based Mod Revisionists. It’s an exciting retro-sound that brings the feel of Mod right up to the 21st century. For all they’re use of Hammond organs and Sixties era harmonies there is nothing old fashioned or stale about this band. The music is fresh, vibrant and riotous. The Deccas are an exciting band that bridge the generations from the sixties to the present day. They have quite a few gigs coming up so try and check them out if you can." "They deliver a superb old school, up beat rock performance. Every inch still in the Britpop scene, their vintage riffs brought The Who, Oasis, and even some Nirvana back to life. They described their sound as “mod revival”: a clever and catchy mix of the 60s with the early 90s". Pauline Eiferman - Surface Unsigned FestivalPauline Eiferman, Surface Unsigned July 2009 - A Guide to Surface Unsigned "Short, Sharp, Songsmiths - The Deccas"

Love Music Hate Racism Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) is a music-oriented antiracism campaign based in Britain. The campaign aims to bring people together and promote unity through the power of music. LMHR was born in the tradition of the Rock Against Racism (RAR) movem ...

Dublin Castle/Bugbear Promotions- Inspirals shaped 60s informed indie with an even more so Clint Boon swirling keyboard thang. Got real good energy these Deccas, a bit Clashy, a bit Stone Roses, a tad Julian Cope. Rousing and garagey, and stuffed fulla poptastic whistlability. Nice. Let’s also mention The Stranglers here…

, Liverpool 2009 - Hailing from Medway, that veritable hotbed of mod garage pop, The Deccas stand out by infusing their mod sounds with a touch of Motown and Mersey. The songs on their debut EP, "The Way Things Were", are a swirling blend of organs, harmonies and energetic vocals that could just as easily be described as "The Way Music Should Be"!! ''Scootering Magazines Mark Sargeant - "The Deccas' influences, references and inspirations, intentionally or not, are there for all to hear. If all the best elements of 60's beat, 70's punk, 80's baggy and 90's Britpop were put in a blender, the result, i'm sure, would be a similar sound to that of The Deccas."

References

External links

* http://www.thedeccas.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Deccas, The English indie rock groups Musical groups from Kent