We meet the fast-rising fourpiece from north of the border who are stretching genres and making waves on the rockabilly scene. By Craig Brackenridge
Although they only formed early in 2023, this female-fronted four-piece from a cosmopolitan mix of towns around Scotland have hit the ground running with support slots lined up with Messer Chups and Jane Rose & The Deadends as well as a record deal with US label Missing Fink Records.
Wild Devils do have pedigree, though, and feature bass player Davidlee Bernard and drummer Del Littlejohn from The Hurricanes (VR’s ‘Ones To Watch’) alongside former Intruders guitarist Rhys Jenkins and recently-recruited vocalist Karla Rose MacLachlan who also fronts her own Americana-flavoured combo Karla Rose & The West End Trio. Getting together with a clear vision to create something a little different and drawing on a wide variety of influences including the Stray Cats, Johnny Burnette, The Bellfuries, Son House, Pokey LaFarge and The Clash, things are really moving in the right direction for the band – and at a lively pace, too.
What sort of sound did you set out to create when you first formed and has it turned out as you expected?
Rhys: I think we were determined to not necessarily have that typical, clean 50s sound. We were after something with a bit more grit. I think we’ve found a happy balance there. The band was also keen to get a female vocalist in as we felt there’s still not a massive representation in the rockabilly scene for female members.
Del: I just wanted to do something more twangy, modern-sounding rockabilly very different to my old band and definitely wanted to have female vocals. The band is going great and it sounds exactly how we wanted it to. We have a very distinctive sound and have had great feedback so far.
Do you feel that in rock’n’roll a band should generally just stick within certain parameters or are you all happy to see how the Wild Devils sound evolves and just go with it?
Rhys: I think parameters are there to be challenged. Try what works for you and – ultimately – play what makes you happy. Music in general is there as a means of expression. You should play what reflects your mood.
Karla Rose: I don’t think any band should limit themselves to one genre or sound. Bands create more flavour when you add more ingredients!
Davidlee: I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of sound we can create and where we can take it.
Del: We obviously use a slap double bass sound as our backbone, but we drag in some old blues and country elements, too. I’m definitely happy to see where things go.
Was it always your intention to get the band going with a bang and then build momentum?
Rhys: We always had it in mind that we wanted to work seriously on our publicity. David, Del and I had played together a handful of times and Karla has very quickly shown herself to be a great fit for the band, so we were pretty happy and confident in our abilities as musicians. With that in mind, it was a case of, ‘Let’s devote a bit of time and energy to getting the name out there.’ I also think a bit of mystery surrounding the band wasn’t initially a bad thing.
Del: I was disappointed when The Hurricanes broke up as I had spent a few years working to get us to a good level and wanted to get back to playing live. I think bands just need to take as long as they take. There are bands that rehearse a set and just go do it live and don’t care what they sound like and there are others that like to be well rehearsed. We write our own songs so that takes a bit longer to get together and we also like to be tight for that professional sound. There’s a certain amount of quality control over our songwriting and we like to add stops and little accents to our material. We are really lucky to have found Karla who is a great singer and great with lyrics, which brings a new dynamic to the band.
Do you think things have changed in the global music scene in recent years and is it just as easy now to work with a label like Missing Fink in Augusta as it is working with someone more local?
Rhys: The internet is a fantastic tool for connecting you with the type of people and businesses that were once considered completely inaccessible.
Karla Rose: I couldn’t tell you for sure. I have never worked with a label before so I don’t have much to compare it with. I imagine as long as there is open communication, it won’t matter if you’re five miles or 5,000 miles away.
Davidlee: Missing Fink Records are super-cool. Johnny Fink is the master behind the label and we can’t thank him enough for all the help he’s given us and taking us onto his label.
Del: They really support us as a band and the world is a small place nowadays. It doesn’t matter where you are or where your label is based, all the labels post worldwide so your release gets everywhere.
What can we expect from your debut release and when will we finally be able to hear it?
Del: We’ve just finished writing and recording our first release, 3 Days In Memphis, a six-song EP available on 12”, CD and cassette, over the last few months. You can expect to hear a mix of Elvis, The Rhythm Shakers, Wanda Jackson and Wayne Hancock. We write the songs together and all put our own stamp on the sound. It’s the type of music that makes us happy and hopefully everyone will dig it!
Rhys: People can expect to hear that classic, rockabilly-influenced sound but I’m also hoping people with find the sound to be quite fresh, too.
How do you think the Scottish rockin’ scene is at the moment? Are there plenty of promoters putting on gigs and a good number of homegrown bands about?
Rhys: On the whole, I think the scene in Scotland is very strong compared to other places. There’s always somewhere to go and someone to see, so I feel people on the Scottish scene are spoilt for choice – and that’s no bad thing!
Karla Rose: There’s definitely a hunger for rock’n’roll in the Glasgow and Edinburgh music scene and a few excellent local bands doing their thing.
Del: The Scottish scene is pretty small but there are still a good amount of people who are trying to make it work. Promoters like Lonesome Promotions, Colin Duff, Rock’n’Roll Rampage and Club 22 are all great – and the likes of The Buick 55’s, Tennessee Hotshots and Cherry Red 53 are all superb bands.
You seem to be quite a creative unit – is it likely that you will have more new material on the cards for release after the new EP appears?
Rhys: I can safely say that more new material is an absolute certainty. Amongst the four of us, we have a lot of ideas that are begging to be recorded, so watch this space.
Karla Rose: Definitely. I think we’re all pretty similar in that we have lots of ideas and once things start flowing it all kind of comes spilling out.
Davidlee: Once the new EP is finished we’ll be straight onto working on the next release with more self-penned material and hopefully a couple of 45s, too.
For more details about Wild Devils, visit wilddevils.bandcamp.com
