Behind The Scenes With…Cusp

With a growing fanbase, including a certain Noel Gallagher who praised their “great guitar sound,” it’s clear that CUSP are on to equally great things. Having shared stages around the UK with DMA’s, Red Rum Club, Corella, and The Snuts, the trio is quickly establishing themselves as a solid live act. Centred around singer-songwriter Dan Stock, they create an anthemic blend of guitar music that feels both nostalgically familiar yet still has a contemporary twist.

What are some of your individual earliest musical memories?

It’s a cliche but there was music everywhere when I was growing up. My dad had a wooden CD cabinet that I can still remember the smell of when you’d open a drawer. I’d open it and choose a handful of albums to take in the car that would get played on repeat for weeks. There’s so many songs that are burned into my memory that I haven’t listened to for 20 years or more. I was obsessed with every detail of the music I loved, which has basically never left me.

What are some of the main influences on your music? Are there any particular artists or genres that have shaped your sound?

Personally, I can get endless inspiration from the big songwriters. I love Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Bob Dylan but I’m careful not to directly steal from those guys. It’s hidden in our own sound and my own voice but that music is the source of it all. My favourite current bands are Wilco, Big Thief & The War On Drugs. As a band, though, our taste is pretty broad and it ends up sounding like us because we each hear things in a different way.

How do you prepare for a live show? Any pre-show rituals?

We always have a little hug before we go on but that’s about it for rituals. It’s a big effort to stay away from McDonald’s after the gig.

Highlight of your career as a band so far?

Selling out our first headline show in Newcastle was a great moment, especially since it’s 300 miles from home. That will always be special because it felt like the first city to get behind us.

Who else should we listen to from your local scene?

They play totally different music to us but shout out to our friends Torus who are about to release their first album. They make huge rock music and have some great songs.

If you had to change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

Income from the top should be fed back into new artists. Of course, it’s important to support small venues but artists also need some financial help otherwise we’ll just be left with tribute bands every night and no real bands left. Right now, it feels like the big artists are getting bigger whilst it’s harder and harder to break through at the bottom.

Any projects in the pipeline?

We’re recording a load of new songs at the moment, the plan is to release a single every 6 weeks or so for the next year before making the first album.

What is a superfan to you?

They’re everything really. The people that travel to gigs and support bands at the ground level are the most important thing. We always have them in mind with everything we do.

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