Interview with Dictator: ‘Everything we do has been different’

West Lothian, Scottish band, Dictator, have released their debut EP ‘Rubik’s Cube’ today (2 September), a technicolour, genre-crossing selection of tracks that signals a bold new direction for the band.

They comprise Michael Campbell (vocals, keyboard, guitar), Zach Tarimo Goodhur (guitar), Joe Murty (bass) and Allan Ramsay (drums and percussion). Campbell and Murty have known each other since primary school and Tarimo Goodhur and Ramsay go back to secondary school. ‘Me and Joe were in a band before and they were in a band before and, as fate would have it, we went for a wee jam in 2019 and ended up starting this band,’ Campbell said. Their name is partly a reference to the fact that Campbell, in his words, ‘runs a tight ship by writing all the songs’ and that they play quotes from the Charlie Chaplin film, The Great Dictator at their live shows.

The nine track EP offers a bit of everything, from gliding, grooving bass lines guided by snappy beats to euphoric horns, cracking keys, and a big dose of singalong choruses, all underpinned by Campbell’s unique voice. ‘The key thing about ‘Rubik’s Cube’ is that we wanted to capture elements of every band member’s life at the time of writing, like a frame of reference so that, no matter what happens, we could all have a chunk of this piece of work to cherish and be proud of,’ Campbell said.

‘They’re brilliant at taking something on the day and turning it into something different’

The title track ‘Rubik’s Cube’ is both whimsical and playful, depicting a nonsensical story about being at your best with the person you love and the elation that springs from the joyfully awkward and spontaneous things you do when you’re happy. With its bouncing, upbeat sound – spliced with voice samples of the Rubik’s Cube’s creator, Ernö Rubik – it introduces the band’s untethered new direction: ‘The original demo had Ernö Rubik talking at the start then in the studio, we added all the cool wee sounds,’ Murty laughed. ‘They’re brilliant at taking something on the day and turning it into something different. If I record my bass line with just the drum, it changes how you hear it.’

As the track kicks off: “Tumbling and fumbling around my head, you know my love and baby don’t back down. My head’s a Rubik’s Cube, muddle me up now. You know my love, my baby told me once, you know. I’m never gonna back down. Unless I’m tumbling, fumbling with you. Unless I’m tumbling and fumbling with you.”

With familial life serving as the bedrock of the EP, the songs reflects gratefulness, optimism and excitement for both their collective and individual futures. Their families are interwoven into every track, from Ramsay’s children’s warm words for their dad on the heartfelt ‘Daddy’s Song’, to Campbell’s parents performing backing vocals and brass duties on closer ‘Fin’ and the gentle heartbeat of Tarimo Goodhur’s unborn son as an instrument on ‘River’ and ‘Conquistador’.

‘I wanted to focus on what matters to us instead of being swept up inside it of all’

‘Each of the songs means something personal to me individually, but they are based around real-life events that were happening at the time, like the absolute whirlwind of getting a record deal with Blackhall Records,’ Campbell said. ‘I wanted to focus on what matters to us instead of being swept up inside it of all. Throughout the highs and lows, it’s our families and our lives outside of music that’s the key to everything working well, and this EP represents that in the best way possible.’

It offers something for everyone, from ‘Pangolin’, which features Ayrshire rapper Bemz to the Alt-J-esque party piece, ‘Conquistador’, and ‘Fin’ about Campbell’s pet dog: ‘Everything we do has been different,’ Murty said. ‘When it came to put a collection together for the EP, we had a similar plan. We’re a bit more sure now about the style we’re going for, the songs go together. We wanted to make sure we were proud of every song before it went on there, we wanted it to be personal. I haven’t got a baby to write about (laughs) but a lot of the songs start as an idea, when we take them to the studio to record them, that’s when they come to life.’

When we chatted last year, Campbell and Murty said that the track ‘Rubik’s Cube’ had ‘unlocked the sound’ they were looking for and I ask if they still feel this way. ‘Definitely, that’s the new thing we’re going for,’ Murty said. ‘When we did ‘Fin’, it’s not as electronic as ‘Rubik’s Cube’ but it’s so fun to play live!’

Campbell is a big fan of English poet Wilfred Owen (1983-1918); their debut single in 2019 ‘Anthem for a Doomed Youth’ was inspired by the Wilfred Owen poem of the same name and Owen’s influence has also seeped into this EP. ‘Conquistador’ directly references his poem “How do I love thee?”, mapping out the cyclical and unrelenting nature of power. The song tells the familiar story of someone who, after spending their life advocating for change, abuses their influence to become the very thing they were originally fighting against. As the song goes: “Look where we are, we’re lost in our triumphs. Stuck where we are in this familiar asylum.” The track was also influenced by their fans, suggesting that current politics have also fed into the song: ‘The catalyst of this song was actually our fans,’ Campbell said. ‘Mid-pandemic, we gave people the opportunity to vote on the direction the song should take. For each of the parts, we asked everyone to provide a word bank of lyrics to choose from so that everyone would have a part of the track in one way, shape or form!’

‘The lyrics are quite angsty for us, a bit heavier and serious’

It kicks off with the heartbeat of Tarimo Goodhur’s unborn son before launching into something dancier. Oscillating between moments of reflection and gospel-like vocals, it’s the most defiant song on the EP: ‘It came about in lockdown,’ Murty said. ‘Michael had come up with different drumbeats and bass lines and we got people on Insta to vote for what they liked best. The lyrics are quite angsty for us (laughs), a bit heavier and serious.’

Inspirations are worn on their sleeves with clear nods to Gorillaz, Primal Scream, Alt-J and London Grammar. If they could collaborate with anyone, they say they’d love to work with American rapper, Nas, given that hip hop is the main groove that inspires them, allowing them to slot melodies and vocals over the top. Locally, they are huge fans of The Snuts, with whom they have shared the stage as well as the other great acts that have come out of West Lothian, including Lewis Capaldi and Mark Sharp & the Bicycle Thieves.

As the title ‘Lullaby’ suggests, it’s their take on a lullaby featuring just Campbell on piano and vocals, although there’s nothing traditional about it as he laments in the chorus: “Is it enough just getting by, will I sing this lullaby for the broken and the beaten, for those without a plan?” It could easily be about the frustrations about trying to make it in the industry. ‘Michael wrote it, so knowing him, it’s not to do with anything really deep (laughs). It’s about things getting better,’ Murty said.

‘It’s classic Michael writing about his dog, he just loves wee Fin’

‘Fin’ is a natural closer, it’s upbeat and delightful with a massive singalong chorus. Written from the perspective of Campbell’s own West Highland Terrier called Fin, it’s softer and more introspective. It leaves the listener on a high as Campbell sings: “I’ve been searching for all the meaning in my life and the road, well, it leads on back to you.” The “sha la la’s” and jubilant “la la la’s” are really infectious, particularly in the outro, you have to join in. Campbell’s parents are singing backing vocals on it and his dad, Joe, is playing the trumpet, alongside Mark Sharp & the Bicycle Thieves’ Darren Moran: ‘Fin is still running about, it must be 6-7 years Michael’s had him,’ Murty said. ‘He’s in the video for the song. It’s classic Michael writing about his dog, he just loves wee Fin.’

If he could go for a pint with anyone, Murty picks The Kinks’ songwriter and guitarist, Dave Davies: ‘Ray’s the main brother but Dave seems hilarious, he’s got a very high pitched cockney accent, I bet he’d have some stories! Or Shane McGowan but he’s hard to understand (laughs).’

On the road moments are frequently funny, although some are more angst-inducing: ‘We were on tour at the beginning of the year, we were playing in Southend, we had to leave here at 5 in the morning,’ Murty said. ‘I put my alarms on but I was really struggling to sleep. When I checked the clock it was 3 or 4 a.m. but when I woke up, I could see sun coming through the windows – it was 9 a.m.! I called the boys, they told me to jump in the car. I was shaking, it wasn’t funny at the time. I’m normally quite an early riser but still it happened. There was a big panic but we still had to wait an hour for the soundcheck, it was a relief!’

(Photo back row: Allan and Zach. Front row: Michael and Joe. Photo credit: Rory Barnes.)