Q&A: Roller Disco Death Party
Photo by Brian Sweeney
Roller Disco Death Party are a two-piece electronic duo from Glasgow, Scotland, comprised of the songwriting expertise of Neal McHarg (synths) and the musical prowess of Amelia Boyle (drums). The duo met through their shared community work background; Neal is a Community Worker based within a charity called PRYDE where his work also focuses on youth empowerment through music. Amelia is the founder of GigSafe, an organisation that creates a help point at live shows for anyone not feeling safe or harassed.
During the pandemic as the world moved online, Neal reached out to Amelia to be involved in a video library of inspirational music industry professionals for the young people he worked with to look up to. It was through that where the pair bonded over their shared love of electronic music.
So far in 2024, Roller Disco Death Party made their live debut through winning the Tenement TV x SWG3 x HOUSES Festival competition this year alongside their debut release ‘Day By Day’ being used as thetheme tune for 9 episodes of the Late Night at the Euros with Compston and Smart show across the BBC this Summer.
Tell us all about Roller Disco Death Party and how it came to be?
Amelia: Neal and I crossed paths through a university project a few years ago, and when he reached out to me to be a part of this project I jumped on it, as this genre of music is something I’ve always wanted to do.
Neal: The idea of the band is inspired by the likes of Soulwax with the live drums tied in with the electronic sounds, The Chemical Brothers with their collaborations and Justice for their big bass sounds. The producer that we’ve worked with to help hone our sound, Jagz Kooner, has done work for 2 out of 3 of those acts, so was the perfect person to bring on board as a producer/mixer for Roller Disco Death Party.
Which Scottish acts are you enjoying listening to at the moment? And who do you think could become the next big thing in Scotland/the UK/internationally?
Neal: There are so many interesting projects within the Scottish Music Scene just now, like Tina Sandwich, Gallus, VLURE and Soapbox plus we’ve also got a great underground hip-hop scene with the likes of Paque, Psweatpants and Lupo ZenAku. It’s incredible just how much talent we have for such a small country.
I think they could all do well in different ways, like Gallus are doing great in Europe just now.
Tina Sandwich is a must any time she playing in Scotland just now, and VLURE pretty much going to take over the world just shortly. With the Hip-Hop scene, it’s great to see Bemz running his own festival (M4), which will help so many artists take it to the next level.
Amelia: For me, it’s also Tina Sandwich, Dead Pony and Young Fathers. I think all are doing and will do incredibly well, they each have a unique approach to their musical output which is really refreshing to see.
Do you have any advice for upcoming artists in Scotland, what would you tell your younger selves to help them navigate the industry in 2024?
Neal: I think just to back yourself 100%. Don’t go in and not put your all into what you're doing.
Amelia: Believing in yourself is a big one, I would definitely go back and do that some more. Don’t work for free and don’t wait around on people that won’t help you progress.
Tell us your three desert island albums.
Neal:
Soulwax - Nite Versions
Jagwa Ma - Howlin
Justice - Woman Worldwide
Amelia:
Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose
Sam Fender - Hypersonic Missiles
Shame - Songs of Praise
If you could collaborate with anyone on future music, who would it be?
Neal: I would love it if someone like Soulwax/2manydjs or Erol Alkan would remix a track of ours.
Amelia: James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem. I think it would be really interesting to sit in a room with him and talk about lyrics and dance beats.
And finally, what can we expect to see from Roller Disco Death Party throughout the rest of 2024?
Neal: Now that we’ve finally launched this project that we’ve been working on behind the scenes, you’ll see more collaborations and a new electronic/live band sound in Glasgow. We’re releasing our first collaboration with Jack McQuilstan Borril (Quiche, The Joy Hotel) on Thursday 25th July - a track called ‘Last Days of Isolation’ that is part of our debut EP. His vocal range is another level and it breathed so much life into the track.
Amelia: A lot of sweat, joy and hopefully the start of a change in the Glasgow music scene. It would be nice to bring the dance and the guitar scenes together. We’re really excited to show you what we’ve been working on.
Join us at Resonate 2024 on the 28th November at Platform, Glasgow. Final Early Bird tickets are still available and close to selling out! Click here for tickets.