Rogue Siesta: daring to be different
- Dhairya Negandhi
- Apr 29, 2021
- 6 min read
Reggae band Rogue Siesta are a standout in the Sheffield music scene. They take major cues from a wide array of musical styles, ranging from soul, blues, reggae, and rock, seamlessly combining them in unique ways. The end product is undeniably satisfying- lively, energetic tunes you can’t resist dancing to, which makes sense when considering the group’s origins over a weekend at Boomtown.
“We’ve all been friends for years before we started the band, but one weekend we were at Boomtown Festival just loving some of the music, and it only just hit us then that we all loved this style of music and could all play instruments, so we formed the band there and then.”
Flynn also revealed how the group decided on their distinctive stage name.
“We honestly can’t remember how we arrived at this name. But we’ve come to agree that a ‘Rogue Siesta’ is when you take a very sneaky nap in the middle of a gig or a rave. I think at some point we had our first gig booked and they needed a name, so it was a frantic brainstorm of ideas before this one just stuck.”
The group features Tom Carr on vocals, Lauren Greaves on drums, Ben McGovern on bass, Ed Donnellan on saxophone/keys and Jack Flynn on guitar who gives us some insight into the creative influences on their work and how the five-piece incorporate contrasting styles into a cohesive project.
“It really is a melting pot with us, we’re all coming from different angles. Ben is the real Reggae head, Jack is into his rock and punk, Tom is into acoustic folk, Ed is into all sorts but is a dab hand at his Jazz, Funk and Soul, and Lauren is into everything from Rock right up to hardcore electronic rave bangers. So our writing process is usually a tug of war between all those genres until we unexpectedly manage to arrive somewhere which is a bit unique."
Flynn also described the satisfaction of going through the musical journey from conception to final song.
“It’s very collaborative. Sometimes it’s literally just an impromptu jam that sparks an idea that we will improvise on for hours, other times one of us will have the bones of a song written at home. We’ll all layer our parts, and bring it to life. Initially Tom will freestyle lyrics and melodies over our jams, and that will trigger something in Loz. She will then unearth some lyrics she had already written that might be ideal for this new song idea. Sometimes Ed will have a nearly finished song with lyrics that we will then layer up, sometimes Ben or Jack will have some riffs & chord progressions that everyone will build on from there. It tends to be different for every song, but it’s always so exciting to see something finished that was miles ahead of what humble idea it started with.”
The band’s musical style is difficult to define, but easy to love. Rogue Siesta have a feel-good, summery vibe that makes it extremely easy to groove to. Fusing various styles together is no easy feat, yet Rogue Siesta have made material that consistently conveys their quality and ideas in an appealing manner. The group often imbue their music with a fun, engaging characteristic that makes it easy to enjoy, but could lead to some ignoring the subject matter of their work as it’s easy to lose yourself in the rhythm. Lyrics often revolve around more realistic, yet aspirational topics, and sometimes deal with more serious subject matter. Flynn speaks about the substance distilled in the band’s work, and how the topical choices came about.
“Some lyrical themes that keep cropping up are often revolving around being broke yet ambitious. But our songs explore all sorts really. Jungle is about the desire to breaking out of the rat race and literally move to the jungle, Smoking Gun is about all the terrifying news stories and distrusting the media.”
Rogue Siesta may make fun-loving, buoyant tracks but they truly have something to say in their music. The band’s notion of being “broke yet ambitious” has bubbled to the surface in many ways. Peculiarly, this concept lent an almost prescient quality to one song in particular, that freakily mirrored the socially distanced world we now find ourselves in.
“Funnily enough, one song we have called “Pass It On” was written way back in 2018 about having to watch bands from the sofa instead of being able to afford to go out to gigs and live life properly, and then ironically we now find ourselves all at home watching live sessions online instead of being out there at the gigs!”
In a pre-pandemic world, Rogue Siesta were chopping it up on the Sheffield circuit, and have a fondness for Yellow Arch. Flynn expresses love for playing the venue and says it’s one of the highlights of the group’s career.
“We’ve played so many shows there and they have always been incredible. It’s the coolest venue in Sheffield and one of the few that puts on bands that play our sort of music. It’s got a great vibe. It’s an old church building that has been converted into this colourful lively alternative venue and we will hopefully play many more gigs there once the pandemic is over!”
An underrated aspect of the South Yorkshire music community is the variety of styles and genres on display. Venues and bands often meld different sounds together and refuse to be pigeonholed into one particular genre, which describes Rogue Siesta perfectly. Hailing from a city renowned for its musical culture and identity and nurturing homegrown acts, guitarist Jack Flynn describes the group’s relationship with their hometown.
“The Sheffield scene is great in that it’s a small enough community that it doesn’t take long for you to get to know the place, and word of a good gig will usually spread fast and it’s great to see lots of familiar faces at each other’s gigs. We have some great platforms like Exposed Magazine, or BBC Introducing who can help you to get your music out there.”
But, like the rest of the country, the pandemic has impaired the live music industry in Sheffield, a once lively city packed with exciting venues. Enduring multiple lockdowns, Flynn speaks to the experience of making music and connecting with fans in a strictly virtual world.
“It’s so hard to grow at all if your only method of connecting with people is Facebook posts. We make our strongest connections to new fans with the atmosphere and energy of our live gigs, so without those it’s been hard to break through to new ears. Isolated live sessions and acoustic videos are great, but after a year I feel like the appeal has worn off for the audience. You also stop selling as much merchandise as you usually do, which in turn affects how much money you have to spend on new recordings. It’s a real struggle to stay active and engaging, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it won’t be like this forever!”
It's heartening to hear a hopeful twinge in Flynn’s response to the pandemic, as all eyes turn to this summer. Festivals are a huge part of Rogue Siesta’s psyche. The band formed at a weekend in Boomtown after all, and accomplished their collective dream of playing the festival. Flynn indicated the experience was so significant and positive for the group that they would love to return in any form possible.
“I think it would just be Boomtown… again! If we could be Boomtown regulars then that would be the greatest result ever. We’ll be at the festival every year one way or another, so it would be awesome to get to play a set on top of visiting. Other than that, I think the next one would be to support The Skints at some point.”
Considering the impact of the pandemic on the live music industry, you really feel for Rogue Siesta. The group are ambitious and passionate about making music, but more importantly, they’re good friends who simply have fun doing something they love, and that really shines through in their work. Here’s hoping they bring the energy to Boomtown once again this summer, if all goes well.
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