Dave McCormack interview

Dave Mac has always been a funny bastard, on or off the stage. His intelligent and sharp wit was part of what made Custard one of the country’s most unique and loved bands, and is the driving force of The Polaroids. Essentially starting from scratch with this new project, Dave’s work is cut out for him, but he is also blessed with a clean slate and a new perspective on band life.

“Sometimes I miss Custard, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss playing for a couple of thousand people and travelling around in relatively luxury and rock star, where you get 500 people along and your pretty happy. It would have taken down a couple of steps, musically I love what’s happening now, it’s quite interesting and it’s good to have all those Custard songs, Titanics songs and new songs to pick from.” Dave says, “There’s been a few Custard fans who have translated to Polaroids fans but it takes a bit of convincing and informing them. Quite often a couple of people will come along to a Polaroid gig on the basis of the last single and they go, ‘you’re the dude that was in Custard’, they come on the recent single there will be a couple that go ‘I really like Custard’ or whatever. I’m called ‘the guy from Custard’ which is a lot better name for a band. ‘Dave McCormack is the guy from Custard’… maybe that’s what I will do next.

Having come from a background where he was the frontman, but not a stand-alone entity, it is interesting to pick Dave’s brain about what motivated him to the whole ‘singer’s name and the somethings’ style band. As it turns out, and is so often the case, the motivation was as pure and simple as the proverbial spice of life that is variety.

“I just wanted to be in it for the band situation. The Polaroids have been the same Polaroids for two albums - for two and a half years now - but I wanted a break. I’d always been in bands and just wanted to do the typical ‘solo singer’ thing. I was always operating with the intention that band members could come and go and there’d be these hotshot session dudes, but like I say it’s been a pretty solid line up. I’ve been doing the solo thing for a while so maybe in a period of time it will be nice to sort of hide in a band again.”