Say Domino making waves

Like many young bands, London-based indie rockers Say Domino's career began not in the pursuit of fame and fortune, but for love of the opposite sex.

“We started the band because we wanted to play guitar and write about girls,” said Matt Trocchi, the band's guitarist and lead singer. But a surprise second place finish at a local Battle of the Bands gave hope to the boys, and they quickly took to heart the possibility of musical ambitions.

“That was one of the first signs that maybe we could make music that people would listen to. [Now] we pretty much live at Call the Office and have been seeing shows there for four or five years now.”

Say Domino will be playing there later this month on February 27 with Bad Ideas and Organ Thieves, adding to the list of notable indie artists they've played with, like Hey Ocean!, Shad K and CHRW Record of the Year winners A Horse And His Boy. It's been a quick rise for Say Domino, who can't actually even drink at the bar yet.

“Two of us are 18, and our drummer Eric is turning 16 in late February,” Trocchi wrote. But interestingly, much of the attention Say Domino receives is from fans and other musicians older than them.

“We've been around people that are five to 10 years older than us for a while in the music scene. It just seems like we're doing what everyone else is but we're just younger. We have goals that we want to achieve and really feel like if we give it everything, we have, we can achieve [them]... We're always pushing to do something bigger next.”

Last year, their ambitions resulted in a Jack Richardson award for Best Youth Act.

Of the effects of it, Trocchi said, “Winning the award was good because it brought us some ‘mainstream' attention in London, as the show is pretty prestigious and attended by a lot of people in the music scene. But at the same time I feel as if the award just looks good on paper now. There haven't been a lot of lasting effects from it, but it's something good to have. It holds a lot of merit.”

Say Domino were invited to perform at the awards, which is fortunate, as the band has become known for their live show, full of rock and roll spirit. In fact, the band's success is largely due to playing live, as they have only recorded one EP thus far. And though plans are in the works for a full-length album, the lack of released material hasn't stopped Say Domino from filling clubs.

“Once we have the record we want to shop it around hopefully get some sort of tour or at least shows outside of London in the summer.” But in spite of their big plans, they still acknowledge, “We can't get really serious with touring until Eric graduates high school in two years.”

Still, the band played North By North East in Toronto, and this tenacious group of youngsters is looking forward to a busy year, filled with recordings and more touring in 2010.

Though meager, their success is refreshing, given London's historical lack of acknowledgement for its own artists. So how have they done it?

“We have been persistent, not giving up even [in spite of] the lack of venues and bands in our genre... we want to break that ‘London Rock' mould.”

And as the next generation of London's musical talent, Say Domino are worth supporting. Check them out live at Call The Office, February 27 with Bad Ideas and Organ Thieves. Tickets are $5 at the door.