wiggleband(at)gmail.com
We are Toby, Colm, Rory and Jim.
- Toby sings, does the lyrics, makes noises, plays drum machines, sequencers, special effects and samplers.
- Colm does guitars, programming, loops, effects stuff, fly catching, delf and posters.
- Rory does keys, samples, fish, learning and can manipulate a great many random instruments and things.
- Jim does visuals, ladder climbing, screen hanging, projection, logistics, fish and cabinets.
Wiggle, Cork's electro dub wizards began in 1999 when a jam session in a small sushi restaurant in Cork city resulted in the formation of the band. Through their creative promotion and quirky artwork they soon became well known locally and as the years passed, Wiggle could be found playing in all corners of Ireland.
Wiggle can be seen performing at many underground festivals, parties and gatherings from the hills of west Cork to the mountains of Kerry, to a field in Roscommon or a beach in Mayo. Wiggle has consistently performed in their home town Cork since their formation and often performs in Dublin, Galway and Limerick regularly.
Wiggle, “Dub music is a huge influence on all of us. The ethics and ethos of dub music contribute to this. As a group we feel that conscious reggae music is necessary in society. The social gathering aspect and dancing to dub sound-systems creates a sense of well being within and we like to nurture that feeling as much as we can.”
Wiggle gigs are like entering an ever evolving sonic landscape, their songs segue and flow into one another. It’s an electronic rhythm riot, part entrancing mash-up, part swirling voyage that makes their every Wiggle gig an extraordinary event not to be missed!
The focus on improvisation has always been there. That is why the sound and performance of Wiggle is so alive. Every gig is different. Faithful repetition does not appeal to the band. Wiggle play for the dancers, a symbiosis happens where the music feeds the dance feeds the music feeds the dance and so on until they are told to stop!
Wiggle released their debut album ‘Brighten the World’ in spring 2009 and are currently recording their second album due for release summer 2011.
1. Let's start with the generic 'how did you guys get together' question – were you involved with other projects prior to the formation of Wiggle and, if so, who and what were they?
Wiggle began in 1999 when three of us (Toby, Colm and John John) all shared a house on Sundays well with Lilly the cat and Jim (aka VJ Present). We had a music room where we used to jam. Toby got himself a Roland 505, Colm played guitar and John John played Double bass at the time. We did a gig for the end of Toby and John Johns end of year thing for Togher Music Project and that was the first Wiggle gig ( in the Deanrock pub in Togher). Claire from the Yumi Yuki club gave us a weekly slot and that really got the ball rolling in terms of regular gigging. Thats where we first met up with Rory who was also playing music in the Yumi Yuki with Nuca and Harry J at the time. We were all in various groups before Wiggle, John John played bass with lots of bands, most notably Hookey and Sangré Latino. Toby played in various bands; Moontan, Brigadoon and Jellyfish, also playing percussion with John John in Cork bands Hookey and Sangré Latino. Rory has been in more bands than you've had hot dinners, Nuca, Downtown Crossing, Anonymous groove and studied music in UCC and UCL. Colm was guitarist in David Hasselhoffs' Leigon of Doom, The Club Foot Inbreds, and the Flaming Drongos, as well as learning 'how to do Art' in the Crawford College of Art and design.
2. Was the band initially conceived as a studio project or was it always your intention to have Wiggle perform as a fully functioning live act?
3. You guys have recently released your first EP – can you tell me about the four-track record, namely the recording and song writing process involved. How does the group work when composing - is there certain roles assumed within the band and is everyone present?
4. Dub has, over time, become a hugely influential art-form, notably in the dance music scene but also among punk/hardcore and post-rock – it helped transformed the studio into a musical instrument of its own and contributed to the furthering of experimentation in sound-recording - is there a particular stage at which time musicianship give way to production techniques in Wiggle? Do you look for an equal balance between the two or does it even become an issue?
Dub is not our sole influence however, we listen and are influenced by lots of other music; Roots reggae, Breakcore, Dubstep, Hiphop, Metal, Punk, Country (the Johnny Cash kind) as well as a plethora of Cork bands too numerous to mention.
5. When playing live there is an element of improvisation, right? Has this always been the case, or have you began experimenting more live as you continue to play more and more together? How important is that improvisation element at your shows and is something you guys thrive on?
The live visuals are a welcome addition to Wiggle. The visual element has always been there in poster form and now thanks to VJ Present it is with us now in flowing technicolor. Colm does a different Wiggle poster for every gig and there is a large catalogue of posters and images (10 years worth), which VJ Present incorporates into his own material and performance. Expect your minds to be blown.