Alt-rockers Translation say they owe much of their success so far to Dundee’s grassroots music scene.
The band – made up of frontman Kyle Watson, lead guitarist Ethan Wilson, bassist Ben Simon and drummer James Phillip – formed in early 2023 after meeting at Dundee University’s band society.
It was the first major project for Kyle, who was “playing really rubbish rhythm guitar in cover bands”, but almost immediately after forming, the band released their first single, ironically titled Hesitate.
And since then, they’ve been busy – releasing two more singles (Days and Lately), selling out two hometown headline shows, and appearing on numerous festival bills last summer.
They’ve even bagged a 2024 Dundee Musicians Award win from the city council. In short, Translation are a Dundee band on the up and up.
And Kyle puts much of that success down to the city venue’s vital support.
“We owe a lot to Roots, which used to be Conroy’s Basement,” says Glasgow-born Kyle, who moved to Dundee to study graphic design.
“That’s where we got our first gigs. In early 2023, we did a sold-out headliner there, just after we released our first single, Hesitate. That’s where we found our feet.
“It’s good that it’s opened back up again, because it was closed for a while before the rebrand and it’s just such a good grassroots venue in Dundee,” he continues.
“It’s definitely one the city needs.”
Dundee DJ Jim Gellatly gave Translation airtime
Kyle also credits the “amazing” Dundee Music Studios, as their student discount has allowed the band to afford practice rooms and hone their sound on a regular basis.
Thanks to that swell of hometown support, the Pixies-inspired four-piece have managed to get gigs further afield in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
And 20-year-old Kyle emphasises the importance of radio play for local bands as they attempt to break into the national music scene.
“BBC Scotland was a big one for us,” he smiles. “We were really chuffed with that. It’s really exciting – songs just sound better when you hear them on the radio.”
Still, it all started with locals helping locals, as Kyle credits Dundonian DJ Jim Gellatly – who was the first DJ to spin Dundee stars The View – for his initial support of Translation.
“We’ve been really lucky with radio play since the beginning,” he explains.
“We got a lot from Jim Gellatly on Amazing Radio, and there’s always nice words to go along with the tracks which is really nice too.
“Well,” he clarifies, “we’ve been played on the Gaelic BBC station a lot too, and none of us actually speak Gaelic, so hopefully what they were saying was positive!”
Dundee-based producer Tindal captured sound
With influences ranging from East Kilbride rockers The Jesus and Mary Chain to prog-rock legends Pink Floyd, Translation are particular about their sound, both live and on recordings.
Their newest track, Lately, was written specifically with radio play in mind, Kyle reveals – but the band were determined to preserve the energy of the live performances which have proven so popular.
“Most of the songs stem from a really rough iPhone demo of me playing my acoustic guitar,” Kyle explains. “But it takes ages to go from that to the finished product.
“With Lately, we wanted it to be fit for radio play, but we wanted to cover a lot of ground in three minutes.”
Working with Dundee producer Mark Tindal, Translation recorded Lately at the city’s Open Eyes studio.
“We said to Mark from the get-go that we really wanted to capture the way we’ve been playing the song live for the last few months,” explains Kyle.
“That’s the difference for us with this new track.”
‘Translation’ name came from in-joke
Hailing from all over the UK – Kyle from Glasgow, Ethan from Coleraine, James from Newcastle and bassist Ben from Carnoustie – the band have become firm friends since they formed.
But though they all speak the same language, their band name Translation comes from an initial lack of musical lingo between the members.
“It kind of stemmed from a joke,” laughs Kyle. “We have three guitar players and then there’s James, the drummer. And we were trying to explain to James how we wanted the drums to sound on an early song – but we had no knowledge of drums, and no drum language.
“We were trying to figure out how we could translate what we meant to James, and that’s where the name came from.”
Surely now, as they climb the ladder to success, they’ve picked up some ‘drum language’ along the way?
“Not really,” says Kyle. “We just kind of make noises and hope for the best!”
Translation’s newest single Lately is out now on all major streaming platforms.Â
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