8track: Duke

Picture the scene: you've just stepped out of the Hercules Moments DeLorean and you find yourself in the 90s. MC Hammer pants and Walkmen are all the rage. Deciding to ignore the fashion of the day, you pick up a Walkman and head home to 2012...

Over the past few months, we've been getting in touch with bands, celebrities and more to ask them to create eight-song-long mixtapes for YOU. So crack out your Walkman and enjoy...
Aberdeen's Duke are a trio of fresh-faced musicians who have a passion for making music that's loud and powerful. Undoubtedly influenced by the likes of Biffy Clyro, their sound is as melodic as it is heavy, and can be found on their recent EP Swimming in Circles. We asked singer and guitarist Calum to choose 8 songs that have shaped him into the songwriter he is today...


Biffy Clyro - Semi Mental
Biffy are easily our biggest influence as a band, and this track is the first of theirs I ever heard, sitting on a bus on the way home from France.

Tellison - Edith
On our first UK tour, The Wages Of Fear (Tellison’s second record) had just been released, and we had it (and one other) in the CD player in the van for literally the entire tour. This song stuck out the most, almost like the soundtrack to a great tour.

Sucioperro - Grace and Out Of Me
This is the other record that acted like a soundtrack to our UK tour. A band we have always been enormous fans of, and had the privilege to support twice.

Tubelord - Stacey’s Left Arm
I discovered this band on a mix CD from a music magazine, and they changed my entire outlook on music and where I wanted to go with my writing. We supported them in Glasgow last year, and this song was one of the most impressive live performances I’ve seen and heard.

Manchester Orchestra - Everything To Nothing
There’s no real explanation to this one, it’s quite simply the best track from one of my all time favourite albums. I would highly recommend checking out the MySpace Transmissions live version of this: it’s beyond words.

The Xcerts - Do You Feel Safe?
Another band who very evidently shaped us into the band we have become. The fact that they are originally from Aberdeen, and have reached such great heights recently, inspires us to follow in their footsteps. We were lucky enough to be on the bill alongside them and Flood of Red for their hometown show at the end of last year, which was easily one of our best nights as a band.

Twin Atlantic - Audience and Audio
Myself and Martin (bass) ended up going to a Twin Atlantic show at Moshulu a few years ago, without having heard even one song from them. Needless to say, it changed us. The footage of this track live from Glasgow QMU is...inspiring.

Arcane Roots - Habibty
I was introduced to this band when they were tour support for Twin Atlantic a while back, and seeing them do what they do channelled my music taste and writing into a whole different direction. One of many bands I now have a tattoo for, so I guess that says something.

Check out Duke's Facebook for more info, and hear the new EP on Bandcamp.

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