Dave Payne, the 22 year-old bassist for The Stow, really is one of the most down-to-earth guys I’ve come across in a long time. His humour is self-deprecating and his only diva-demand right now is a Nandos black card. “I mean, if JLS can have them, why cant I?” he protests.
The reluctant Hammers fan – supporting out of geographical proximity rather than the teams quality of football, obviously – joined the band, like much of the others, responding to an advert that frontman Haydn had placed, looking for members. He started out his musical career before that though, joining a covers band at school after hearing them play, and performing jazz/funk style covers of contemporary songs. For Dave, there really is no plan b, music is where he definitely sees his career, if he wasn’t playing an instrument, at a push he concedes he might do something in production.
Inspired by the slap-bass styles of legendary bass players like Primus’ Les Claypool and Mark King of Level 42 fame, playing live is what really gets Dave going. “Going on the VV Brown tour really made me really determined to make my career in music. We got to see what life was like for a travelling band, visiting a different city every night and having so much fun”. He describes his bandmates like a ‘family’, where everyone genuinely gets on with each other and everyone has input into the overall sound. “We all take inspiration from everywhere really, even outside of music and that brings something different to the table” he says.
After his family and friends, his co-workers in his 9-5 job are also another positive influence on the young east-Londoner. “ Just seeing how hard-working they are as people, and how motivated they are to achieve their goals and go after what they want makes me really determined to make it happen.” Ideally, Dave would like for the band to get signed and be successful in Europe and then worldwide, touring everywhere of course, and advice for any budding musicians? “Stick at it. If you really want it you have to work hard, stay committed and don’t give up, because then if it doesn’t work out, at least you gave it a real shot.”
There’s one final gripe Dave has to get off his chest though, and that’s the almost-clichéd, though arguably quite true, notion that ‘nobody ever remembers the bass player’. Through his work with The Stow, and their success, which is surely imminent, he hopes to be the first to change all those ideas, and not a moment too soon.
Stay tuned for the other members of The Stow everyday this week. For gig information check out thestowonline.co.uk
Photo courtesy of www.Mariskeva.com
