Sad Dads

Words and Photographs by Willow Shields

You find me, dear reader, in my living room with one hand being slowly stained by black hair dye and the other engrossed in Sad Dad’s most-previously-blonde member Dan Cox’s barnet, awaiting the arrival of the other Dad, Owen Bullock. The door was rung and the half Dads are once again reunited after being split by the harsh realities of non-student-dom and lack of housing in Brighton. 

The pair began this music venture in late 2020, being the best of friends, this match is one made in heaven and produces some of the most humour-filled and entertaining ‘shite-pop’ (they said it not me) I've ever seen. Being BFFs, their conversations flow like a river filled with lots of distractions and tangents. I am struggling to imagine how this piece will be written without just plopping out the whole manuscript and calling it a day. But for you, I’ll try and add a story and paint you a picture. So, atop crackling brown leather sofas in my tiny flat in the east end, I sat down with the Sad Dads and tried to do the most professional interview I was capable of, which wasn't very professional at all.  

I began by asking them why they were called ‘Sad Dads’, Dan immediately jerked “next question.” Owen laughed and after repeating the question back to me they agreed that it was just funny, Dan summarises “It was funny and it continues to be funny and that is what we’re all about.” Trying to put on my serious journalist hat at this point, I asked why they felt like they needed to be funny to make music, Owen chuckled, “because we’re not good enough to make serious music.” and Dan continues “because people will laugh anyway, we might as well make it look like they're laughing for a reason.” The two only joking, using a scarily serious tone with stifled laughs slipping in between sentences. 

It’s difficult to dissect a conversation between two people who seem to read each other's thoughts, in the way they continue a single train of thought split evenly between them. When asked about their favorite things to write about, they play verbal tennis together. Dan begins “very normal people specifically, i think every song is about people or a specific person”, Owen, “or a job,” Dan, “or a position.” Owen again, “you can make a lot of things up about, for example, a surf instructor who doesn't know how to swim” (a new song they were in process of writing) Dan, ironically surprised, questioned “where have you pulled that from?” Owen then continued “or, you know, a cop on a beach. Or a man named John.” Then after being lost in a train of thought between the Dads about surfs up, problematic penguins, and how madagascar is definitely the superior penguin movie, they agree that their favourite time of the day to write is the very specific “6PM.”

Realising that this was to be a silly interview and definitely not one of my most stone-faced-serious-journalism-interviews, how could it be? I asked the Dads about their Dads and how and if their Dads potter around their gardens. Owen admits on his Dad’s behalf that he “doesn't really have much of a garden to potter around in.” Dan, one upping him, stated “my dad doesnt ever have a garden.” The pair once again resume their verbal tennis match; Owen, “he just sits in an armchair,” Dan, “and has a cigarette?” Owen, “in his dressing gown,” Dan, “have we got the same dad?” Owen, “I think we might.” Breaking out of verbal tennis territory, Owen said gravely “ I don't know the last time I saw my dad outside actually, he’s usually indoors.” and Dan continues “my dad likes to potter around when we go camping, so maybe if we had a big garden with a tent in it he'd love it.” Then the pair go on another one of their humour adventures, this time delving into the world of Dan’s Dad’s pop vinyls, him making a fortress out of them and a woman who has started to make bricks from ocean plastic. Owen abruptly continues the interview section of the conversation by very seriously saying “well you know what they say, next question.”

I asked about their school life and in particular their most nerdy subject, Dan begins “maths, by far. Or do you mean voluntarily, or the one we were best at? Well I must first pick you up on the appropriation of the word nerd because nerd doesn't only mean to only be good and productive at school, Willow. You're as bad as the bullies, but yeah maths.” After saying he suspected I was a bully at school, Owen continued “mine was probably IT because our teacher was so bad, she also assaulted me with a door once. She made me stand outside and she closed the door on me and my arm got caught in the door. She was so shit that I don't even have an IT GCSE. I've got a European computer driving licence, But I did make a, what's it called, when you press the button and the next slide comes along… a slideshow. I made one of those about Harry Kane before he became big, and look at him now... Dogshit.” Dan berrates his fellow Dad, “ I think i'm going to have to disagree with you, you did history,” Owen replies, ”That's not nerdy, you find that interesting, don't you Willow? War of the roses?” Dan asked Owen to give his lovely IT teacher a big shoutout, he leaned into the microphone and slightly scarily said “Mrs Musgrove, fuck you.” After cackling for a good while, we move on to the next question. 

“What song defines you?” I asked genuinely, Owen smirked and after a chuckle he said “Personally, I’d say you're gorgeous because I am gorgeous.” Dan, trying desperately to be serious said “as a band you're gorgeous, as individuals…” Owen interrupts, “You're Gorgeous.” Dan laughed “because we’re gorgeous.” Owen finishes succinctly “individually, were both gorgeous but together were double gorgeous.” I then asked them what their favorite clothing item they've ever owned is-slash-was. Owen begun “I don't know, I don't have many clothes, I often wear the same pair of trousers for weeks in a row without washing them, I went through two pairs of white trousers in a week because I got spaghetti and curry on them, so now I've started having to eat dinner in my pants in the front room. Our friend Dan has a wearable umbrella hat, that's probably my favorite item of clothing I’ve ever seen.” Dan continues “On the contrary, ive had alot of clothes that I've very much enjoyed. I had some white, very tight, very distressed jeans that I bought when I was about 15 and I used to wear them. I thought I looked like Peter Gabriel but I in fact looked like a twat. I tye-dyed them pink, but I dyed them half white half pink and I looked like Neapolitan ice cream. I'd say I have fond memories of those but not that I wear them now but they'd have to go up there.”

I quizzed the Dads about their favourite supermarkets. Dan came to the conclusion of “Asda in Longwell Green, it's got a big car park that never gets used. Longwell green feels like one of those cities that's been built in anticipation, those ghost towns that have like 8 lane motorways and stuff because they think that eventually there's going to be 4 million people living in this city or whatever, it feels like one of those because it has a huge car park outside asda and I've only ever seen like 40 people go in there at one time. But it's a massive Asda and it always has everything good that asda has to offer. I bought records in there once.” Owen contemplatively answers “I like the co-op on Western Road because it has a ham and mustard sandwich without any butter in it, it's good for a personal meal deal.” Then delving into another exploration of the psyche of the Sad Dads, Dan demanding to know “where the fuck is Western Road?” Owen telling us all about the time he went to Norfolk Square behind Western Road and met the Lorax, “what movie is he in? Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs?”. After an argument breaking out about the Lorax, Roald Dahl and Horton Hears a Who, Dan asks me what the question was about, and the hilariously stark answer of “supermarkets” spilled out of my mouth. 

I plainly ask the Dads “Why do you write music?” and Dan, jokingly offended, answers “Good point, see you later. Why do we? Because I enjoy music. I enjoyed music first then I enjoyed playing an instrument, and now I enjoy contributing to the world of music in some very minor way.” Owen continues, almost sadly “what else is there to do?” Now laughing, Dan puts on his posh voice and says “what is to be done in the world if not create art, Willow? There's your wholesome answer.” Owen begins a new train of thought “I was more thinking along the lines of…” Dan interrupts “GIRLS'' Owen shaking his head answers “it’s either make music or play clash royale in bed” they shed a stark light on their young adult realities. Dan continues “me and Owen make music because if we don't i'll be an accountant and Owen will be a historian,  much better paid, but really fucking boring” Owen defends “well histories not.” Dan continues seriously, “make music or nothing.”

For the end of the interview, we go back to the beginning. I asked the pair of chuckling men in front of me what their earliest musical memory is. Owen recalls, “my earliest music memory is listening to soul man by the blues brothers on my little portable CD player, it was sort of like a toastie maker size and me and my friend luca would listen to it on the way back from school.” Dan continues “My first musical memory is slightly less wholesome and cool, and it's not me wanking to Britney Spears, I was 8! When my mum used to drop us off at primary school when i was like 7 we only used to listen to the lollipop album by MIKA. it just goes from the start every time “sucking too hard on your lollipop ooh loves going to get you down” every day on the way to school and the song that comes after it. And then mum turns the CD player off then when she comes to pick us up later she turns it on again and it starts from the beginning again. MIKA, first musical memory. I think you can really see that come through in Sad Dads.” Owen giggles and says “you definitely can, you know where you can see the MIKA influence, at The George Tavern…” Dan laughs “as youre reading this article as its being sold there for the first time ever.” Owen continues his narrative “well, welcome, thankyou for joining us.” Dan joins in “and if youre reading this at a later date you suck because you weren't there, or you were there! So have a little sit down and have a fond reminiscence about that time that you watched Oslo Twins, Preen and then left when that shit band started playing right at the end.” 

As they pass the recorder back to me, Owen sniffs the microphone and asks “will you put that in?” So here it is. Sad Dads are one of my personal favourite bands in the world, everytime I see them live I struggle to wipe a stupid smile off my face. Their music just makes you laugh!