Sid Plus One is one of Exeter’s finest bands, playing a groovy blend of old funk and their own unique sound. They’re releasing their first single, “Rat King,” on January 25th. Their next gig will be at the Old Firehouse that same evening, supported by The Retrospect. They’ve also got a gig at Bomba on January 29th.
Sid Plus One is composed of Jasmine Halsall (vocals), Sid Rai (guitar), Bert Addison (bass), and Ben Abbott (drums). They’re busy people; Jasmine is the President of Campus Bands, and the others are each in multiple bands themselves. Sid is in The Post, Ben is in Atlas, and Bert is in Japan, Man, The Roxy Revival, and White Rose. But their dedication to Sid Plus One shines through in their easy camaraderie and their passion for music. I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing them on Monday, January 20.
Maya: With “Rat King” coming out on the 25th, which is very exciting. I want each of you to describe “Rat King” to me in one word.
Sid: That’s easy. Gross.
Ben: Funky.
Bert: It’s like… you’re walking down the street, and then you’re like, “Yeah, I feel cool, you know.” So “cool.”
Jas: Goofy.
Maya: How are you guys feeling about the release?
Bert: As the newest member of the band, and having not actually written this song, I am still incredibly excited to have something out on the streaming platforms that I can just have on repeat.
Maya: You’re gonna have your own music on repeat?
Bert: Bump up the streams.
Jas: I’m feeling a little apprehensive, cause it’s getting our music out there and people can play it whenever they want. It’s different to putting it out at a gig; you can’t see their reaction.
Sid: I’m also apprehensive, but mostly very excited. It’s a fun process. I like sharing stuff with friends, and there’s so many friends that are excited to listen to this. It’s gonna be good, man.
Ben: It’s a crowd pleaser.
Sid: And I love pleasing people.
Bert: I, for the record, also love pleasing people.
Maya: That’s great for you and whoever you’re pleasing. Sid, you mentioned that it’s a fun process, so how was making this song?
Bert: Big mess plus hangover equals the recording of “Rat King”.
Jas: We wrote it with Will, our old bassist.
Sid: Shoutout Will Read.
Jas: He’d be so annoyed if we didn’t mention him. But we just made “Rat King” in Sid’s room. He asked me to write a song about him as a rat with the world on his shoulders.
Sid: I wanted a goofy, funky song about a rat. I was watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Charlie really resonated with me. He’s big into rats.
Maya: He kills rats, though.
Sid: But he’s kinda one of them at the same time.
Maya: You’ve had some lineup changes, so tell me about the evolution of the band.
Sid: It started with me and Jas doing acoustic gigs. The sound guy at Firehouse, Ash, gave us that name, and we kinda liked it.
Jas: Couldn’t think of anything better, so it stuck. We knew Will from Sid’s course.
Ben: Me and Sid used to jam back in our first year.
Sid: I asked him to join my band after I’d given him two pints, so he said yes. And then we all played a gig at Firehouse, which is like a spiritual home for Sid Plus One.
Maya: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Sid: I like balls to the wall funky and funk rock, like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Ben: One of my big influences is Steve Gadd, a session drummer from the ‘70s. I grew up playing jazz and funk, Latin, bossa nova stuff.
Bert: The musical inspirations I take into this band are all the old funk people. Parliament, The Meters, Herbie Hancock, Yusef Lateef, Sly and the Family Stone. Anyone that makes you move, so that’s what I like to bring to Sid Plus One.
Jas: We all have different musical backgrounds, that’s what puts our music together.
Sid: It makes it unique, but the concept is still cohesive enough for it to work. We’ve definitely streamlined our sound.
Bert: We did that with this new “Duck Song,” as well.
Sid: That new “Duck Song” is the best song by any band ever. Honest to God.
Jas: He says that about every song.
Sid: And “Rat King” is genuinely really, really good, and everyone should be excited to stream it.
Maya: How has the music scene in Exeter impacted the band?
Ben: It’s very closeknit, so it’s easy to pick up sounds from other bands and share ideas. No one’s really tied to one band, like Bert’s in a lot of bands; it’s quite free flowing with ideas.
Bert: I also like how this year the student and nonstudent community is growing closer. People like Jasmine, Fraser (Obvious Events), and Francesca (Exeter Gig Collective), are putting on young and exciting student and non-student bands, which really helps with that.
Ben: It’s bridging the gap between the actual Exeter music scene and the student music scene.
Bert: The community really pushes bands to make more music and play more gigs. The momentum is up right now, it’s gonna grow and grow.
Sid: Everyone’s supportive, which is really nice.
Bert: Shoutout to The Retrospect who are supporting us.
Sid: I wish Ollie from the Retrospect was my son. One thing though is I get very competitive when I listen to bands. Every time I hear a band play, it makes me want us to be better, but that’s a good thing. Everyone pushing each other to be better, as well as the support and cross-promotion, is making the Exeter music scene pretty decent.
Bert: Shoutout Johnny Herst [Guild Music Coordinator].
Sid: And big shoutout to the only and only Benny G at Studio 54. Really great setup, a really great producer who pushes you to do well. Lots of people in the scene are recording with him right now, for good reason. We’re really happy that “Rat King” was in safe hands.
Maya: Who are your favourite Exeter bands?
Sid: Japan, Man.
Jas: I was just gonna say that!
Ben: Japan, Man and King Louis.
Bert: My favourite is FLAVOUR THE WiiCKED. Japan, Man are actually supporting them on February 20 at Bomba.
Jas: We’ve gotta give credit to Die Twice. And all our friends! And everyone else! White Rose are also really good. A lot of these bands have one thing in common…
Sid: It’s Bert!
Bert: Shut up.
Sid: HALFCUT are our biggest rivals, though, and I say that with malicious intent.
Maya: Apart from the single and upcoming gigs, what else is on the horizon for you guys as a band?
Jas: We just wanna have fun and get good music out in the world.
Sid: Spread the message of Sid Plus One: peace, love, and funk. And “Pseudo-Romance”, another song we recorded, is coming out at some point. Best song of all time. And listen to “Rat King.”
Jas: See, he says “best song of all time” about all the songs we write.
Sid: I didn’t say that about “Rat King,” did I?
Jas: You said it about “Duck Song.”
Sid: Oh yeah, “Duck Song” is the best song by any band ever.
Bert: “Duck Song” is gonna be the best song coming out of Exeter this year.
Ben: Which one is that?
*Sid begins humming*
Ben: Oh, is that the “Duck Song”? I can’t put names to things, and I’m really bad with lyrics. Up until we recorded “Rat King” and “Pseudo Romance” I didn’t know the lyrics to those songs. And I barely know the lyrics to them now, they’re just white noise.
Maya: You can’t say that about your own song!
Sid: We’re a self-deprecating, funny band.
Jas: Yeah, but you’re also really egotistical, and say that all of our songs are the best songs ever.
Sid: It’s funny!
Note: he also thinks it’s true.
Sid: I also cannot wait to see Bert on stage with us.
Bert: Sid’s energy on stage is great, so is Jas’s, I love the dynamic the two of you have going on.
Maya: Any final things you guys wanna say?
Jas: Come to our gigs, listen to our music.
Sid: Be nice to each other.
Sid Plus One, apart from being generally lovely people, are all fantastically talented. Get yourself down to the Old Firehouse to watch the Rat King be crowned.
