Interview with CASINO: ‘I had no intentions of singing but I was obsessed with music’

Liverpool bluesey soul band CASINO are gearing up to release their next two singles ‘Then It Hit Me’ and ‘By Your Side’, one of which will come out before the end of the year.

The band, who describe themselves as ‘the bastard sons of Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding’, comprises Dillon Kelly (vocals), Jamie Wild (drums), Anton Jackson (bass), Oliver Stone (keys) and Tom Donoghue (guitar). Jackson and Kelly have been friends since their childhood and they met Wild via Facebook, after he moved from Wales to Liverpool to go to university. ‘Our name comes from The Wigan Casino, that soul stuff from the 70’s,’ Kelly said. ‘We used to be called The Sonder but there was another band called that.’ (The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, England in the 70’s, which became known as a primary venue for Northern soul music.)

Kelly describes ‘Then It Hit Me’ as ‘another type of soul song, big and anthemic, hopefully’: ‘It’s about being in a certain situation, asking for help and getting it,’ he said somewhat cryptically. ”By Your Side’ is more contemporary, it’s got a big, big chorus, it’s a bit more emotional.’ 

‘It’s a song about having fun and being upbeat’

Last month, they released their second single ‘Love Go On’, a soul classic in the making, opening with a retro drum beat and trumpet that sounds as if it was actually written for one of the soul greats: ‘I was listening to ‘Do I Love You?’ by Frank Wilson,’ Kelly said. ‘It has a similar chord progression, I just changed the key (laughs). It’s dead simple, the lyrics aren’t that deep but it’s a song about having fun and being upbeat. I’m trying to get close to that.’

As the track kicks off: “It’s summertime and the nights are long. Looking for someone to call. The time for making change has been and gone. Where did it all go wrong?”

Kelly’s honeyed, vintage voice underpins every song and it’s easy to get transported back to the 70’s, such is their upbeat tempo and jazz funk spirit and it seems inconceivable that ‘Love Go On’ is only their second single. Their debut single ‘Back In The Day’, much like the name suggests, is a nostalgic high octane track that transports you back to a time of soul classics with big choruses, bursts of brass and soaring harmonies. It could easily be a Sam Cooke or Otis Redding song: ‘We always try to add some sort of big chorus, this one is a good reflection of that,’ Kelly said. ‘It started off dead slow, weird and dark (laughs). It wasn’t very good, a weird instinct I had that there was something in it.’

As the chorus goes: “And world keeps on changing. And the truth is all I’ve found. And the world keeps on lying but the proof is all around.”

The band’s formation was something of a happy accident: ‘Me and Anton in the band, we were just going out all the time when we were 17-18,’ Kelly said, laughing. ‘He couldn’t play the guitar at all! I thought, what could I do? He said “You’ll have to sing”. I got my first guitar when I was 21, I had no intentions of singing but I was obsessed with music. It’s not the thing to do round here, I didn’t know anyone who played the guitar.’ 

‘We were obsessed with The La’s, we wanted to be them!’

Dillon’s musical tastes have evolved a lot over the years: ‘Back then, I liked dance music and house music,’ he said. ‘Then I’d be in school listening to Miles Davis when I was 13. I got into Arctic Monkeys and Oasis when I was 17. We were obsessed with The La’s, we wanted to be them! When I heard Steve Winwood, this young, white kid singing the blues, I thought “It can be done”. In lockdown, I thought that nothing was stopping us. I love Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Sly and the Family Stone, they’re a massive one for us. And Durand Jones and The Indications.’ I ask him if he could have written one of the soul classics, which one would he have most liked to write? ‘I’d say ‘Move On Up’ by Curtis Mayfield,’ he said. ‘I love everything about it and I always say it can be played at any time of day, whether at a party or waking up, and still have the same effect.’

CASINO supported Liverpool bluesey soul band The Heavy North at their incredible Arts Club Theatre gig in their home town last month and I ask what it was like supporting legends in the making: ‘I was just as excited to watch them that night as to play with them,’ Kelly said enthusiastically. ‘I already knew Kenny and his voice, they’re a brilliant band. It was a great crowd.’ Locally, he is also a fan of The Sway and Jamie Webster, with whom they’ve shared the stage. ‘Brooke Coombes, she’s Scottish but based in Liverpool now, she’s great. Hopefully, we’ll get to play with her soon,’ he said.

If he could go for a drink with anyone, he is quick to say Elvis: ‘He’d have a few drinks, wouldn’t he?! I’d ask him “Is he a red or a blue (laughs)?”. I’d just sit there and let him talk!’ They’ve had some hilarious and dicey moments as a band: ‘We’ve had a few, they’re hazy memories (laughs). One time, we were playing a little club in Liverpool and a cable burst into flame. We just carried on playing, it was a compliment that our music set the stage on fire!’