Impassioned, witty and disarmingly honest – chatting to David Hennessy certainly makes for a welcome change.
The Dundee rocker was at his lowest ebb five years ago when his riotous three-piece The Delinquents hit the skids — and he hit the bottle.
But now he’s working on a debut album to spotlight the infectious brand of pop punk mayhem that’s getting his new band noticed.
Known by his stage name David Delinquent, the guitar-toting firebrand has been playing live for almost two decades, sharing bills with the likes of Sham 69, Peter And The Test Tube Babies.
“The Delinquents were mental — that was an experience,” he tells me.
“We were as punk off stage as we were on. “Most weekends we were down in England, then it was back to work in Dundee on Monday.
“We just wanted to play as much as we could and have a carry on!”
‘I made an a*** of it’ says Delinquent
It all ended, however, after Covid hit in 2020.
“I basically drunk myself into a stupor for about two weeks and was in danger of getting my stomach pumped,” David, 35, remembers.
“I had nothing to do and I wasn’t seeing anybody. When the band came back I got into a f***ing state on the first night and I had choice words with a few folk. I just made a bit of an a*** of it.
“It was all go for about four years then I stopped playing altogether.”
Hennessy rediscovered his mojo after jamming with some mates and playing a few gigs “to see what happens”, forming The IOUs in 2021.
The Dundee United-themed podcast he started around the same time also helped lift his morale, and now attracts around 15,000 listeners.
Songs reflect reality for many Dundonians
Such ups and downs have helped fuel the solo EP he’s releasing next month, along with the grim realities for many Tayside citizens in 2025.
“The title track Scared To Spend has iconic Dundee figure Ed Muirhead playing keys on it,” David says.
“It’s about the fear of the economy and how everything’s extortionate. Another song’s called Get Old, Get Dead — it’s about the unlikelihood of my generation ever being able to retire.
“The last one, Time, is influenced by just how fast the last five years have went. It’s kind of about how we deal with loss and is a bit softer, but all three are big singalongs.”
Growing up with punk rock dad in Dundee
The musician can trace his influences back to his ’90s childhood, spent first in Dundee’s Menzieshill then in Downfield.
“My mum worked in a shop and my dad was a council painter and decorator and was into punk rock.
“He was playing Green Day and The Offspring when I was six or seven, and my mum used to go to T in the Park.
“She played Pulp, Oasis, Gene and Cast in the late ’90s and I love all those bands through her.
“I’d hang about with older kids at school ’cause they were into thrash metal and would swap CDs and tapes of Slayer and Megadeth. I liked metal because I wanted it to be mine, then I went back to punk.
“I’ve went through a million phases but punk’s always been there — it’s in my blood.”
Local gigs on the horizon for Delinquent
Delinquent plays the Star Hotel in Montrose on March 29 with bandmates Bonnie Ross (saxophone), Scott Sweeney (bass), Jason Paterson (guitar) and drummer Gordon McNally, before going it alone for a support slot at Dundee’s Beat Generator on April 18.
It’s fair to say it’s a busy spell.
“We’re away to record our album soon and I cannae wait,” he enthuses.
“It likely won’t be out until next year, but we’ve got about 15 or 16 songs and it’s a hard one because they’re all absolute bangers.”
To showcase another side to his talents, David’s also planning a solo opus based on demos he regularly records at home.
“A lot of folk think punks can’t play, but look at The Clash or The Stranglers,” he declares.
“I’ve never wanted to be the best guitarist or singer, but I’ve always wanted to write the best tunes. The first Oasis record is all brilliant songs.
“It’s the same with Never Mind The B******s and The Clash, Give ‘Em Enough Rope.
“But I don’t want to be the next Pistols, I want to be the first David Delinquent — whatever that is.”
- The Scared To Spend EP by David Delinquent and the IOUs will be available on Bandcamp and at gigs from April 18.
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