Named after an imaginary friend and boasting a hefty repertoire of catchy poppy rock songs, Mugger Dave are one of the most exciting bands emerging from the fertile Galway music scene. Punk-ish guitar riffs blended with strong beats and imaginative vocal typify a Mugger Dave song. Mugger Dave are Simon Noble (Guitars and Vocals), Sean Herriott(Bass and Vocals) and Niall Curran(Drums). Their debut EP “Girly No.1”, released in November of last year contains 5 highly original and musically articulate songs. While rarely going over three minutes, each song creates it's own distinctive sound and manages to go in many directions without sounding forced. Songs like “My Life in Circles” and “Uncle Sam” with their high-octane guitaring and well delivered lyrics sum up the energy of Mugger Dave. EP closer “Bubble” demonstrates how well the guitars, bass and drums work together in a simple yet effective rock song. The groups collective experience shows in the tightness of these songs. I spoke to Simon about his experiences with Mugger Dave so far.

SIN: Describe the sound of Mugger Dave. What can people expect from the Girly Number 1 EP?

SIMON: At the time of recording the E.P, we had had only been together as a band for 8 weeks. We wanted to capture the feeling which is an energetic full-on pop punk rock thumping that is Mugger Dave! It’s the kind of catchy music that gets stuck in your head, but you don’t mind it being there!

SIN: Where does the band find their influences?

SIMON: Each of us listen to different kinds of music so we all bring something interesting to the band varying from the arrangements of E.L.O and Queen to the straight forward simplicity of The Beatles and The Kinks. While at the same time injecting a hefty amount of loud distortion and melodic harmonies to the mix.

SIN: You’ve been together for a year now. What have been the highlights of the past year?

SIMON: One of the key highlights for us was recording our E.P. It was an exciting and fulfilling experience. Touring around the country with the support of great bands like The Rye and Noise Machine has made the past year so enjoyable. Also, appearing on T.V and recording shows for the radio has been surreal.

SIN: How do you approach your live performances? Are you ever nervous playing live?

SIMON: You are only as good as your last show and we always try to make each gig the best we’ve ever had. We are all confident in our abilities as well as playing together. There is always a small amount of nerves before the show but they disappear the second we start playing.

SIN: What do you think of the current Galway music scene?

SIMON: Galway is a city full of DJ’s and cover bands so it’s very encouraging to see so many new Galway bands emerging over the last few years. We are lucky to have a very supportive Galway fan-base, which makes our gigs here that little bit more special.

SIN: Have you any plans to do a national tour?

SIMON: We are currently planning our national tour, which begins in Cork on February 28th in Cypress Avenue. The tour will include gigs in Dublin, Limerick, Belfast and Galway. We are also headlining a pre-tour charity gig in aid of the Irish Cancer Society in the NUIG College Bar.

SIN: Where are you going from here? What have Mugger Dave planned for 2008?

SIMON: We’re looking forward to a busy 2008, between Song writing, touring and recording a new album while at the same time developing our musical style.

Mugger Dave will be playing The College Bar this Friday 15 February.

by Liam Griffin for SIN (Student Independant Newspaper)