Demoitis #2: Rob Paul & Sam Soper - The Wednesday Play.

3rd May 2024: ‘Waiting at Home' by The Wednesday Play (featuring Tina Swasey).

1. What’s the name of your musical project?

Rob: The Wednesday Play. It’s basically me and Sam Soper.

Sam: Yeah, it’s mainly me and Rob, although the Wednesday Play album has contributions from various musicians and vocalists. It’s sort of a collaborative project with no fixed line up, but the core is me and Rob.

2. Where are you from, and where are you based?

Rob: We’re a duo from London, but collaborate with a variety of musicians from around the world. I was born in Bristol, but have lived most of my life in London. These days I live in Leytonstone.

Sam: I grew up in South London and am still based around Brixton.

3. How long have you been making music under this name or in general?

Rob: Three years for this project, 20 years in general.

Sam: Roughly 3-4 years, although quite a few of the tracks had started life as demos for side projects that didn’t come to anything at the time. Some of them were recorded about 12 years ago for our New Disciples project and some were written for a project me and Rob had started that never got further than a few rough demos.

During the first Covid lockdown, Rob had suggested we finish off some of the tracks as a remote project whilst we were all at home. I sent him a load of the demos that had been laying dormant for years, and the record largely came together from those, although a handful of new songs were written whilst completing the record.

I’ve been making music for many years, my dad started teaching me piano when I was about 3 and I picked up the guitar around 10. I’ve always loved the recording process, more so than playing live. My early experiments with recording started around 16 when I borrowed a friend’s Tascam cassette 4 track recorder and since then I’ve always had some means of multi-track recording. Over the past 6/7 years I’ve become interested in modular synths and have started building my own synth modules, including designing all the circuitry. I plan to release some music made solely using those at some point soon.

4. Within this project, what role do you play?

Rob: I’m the lyricist and vocalist on most of the tracks. Sam writes and records the music, playing the vast majority of the instruments, and I write the lyrics afterwards. 

Sam: I write the music and have recorded all the tracks on the record. I play the majority of the instruments (guitar is my main instrument), with the exception of some sax, a bit of keyboards on one track and some drum parts which were played by people collaborating on the project.

5. Do you write all the elements of the song, or is it a collaboration with other musicians?

Sam: For most of the Wednesday Play tracks it’s just been me writing the music, although we did have our friend Chuchi play sax on a few tracks. Before recording, I’d give him a basic direction, such as ‘play wildly’ (he features on our other single ‘Flickers’ which features some pretty wild sax playing) and he always came up with something great. On the whole I don’t write specific parts for a collaborator to play, I always like hearing what other people come up with and how they approach a track I’ve written.

Rob: Sometimes our collaborators write their own lyrics, sometimes they’re my lyrics.

6. Which instrument do you typically compose on?

Sam: Normally I’ll come up with ideas on a guitar. Once I have something I like I’ll usually record a quick demo and then loop it and play around with adding a second guitar part, or try adding different textures. I find it quite an effective way to quickly flesh out the rough ideas for a demo, and generally I’ve got some sort of rough rhythm track running as well. This track was different and was written using a synth and a new sequencer I had bought at the time, but the process was pretty much the same as if I was starting an idea on guitar. (more details in answer 15).

Sometimes, I may have an idea for a particular type of rhythm I’d like the song to have, and so I’ll start with the drums first and then write the melody to those, but generally it’s melody first and the other elements follow from there.

Rob: For the Wednesday Play, I just listen to the tracks on headphones and go out for a walk and write it in my head. But for previous bands it’s usually guitar. Or sometimes just in my head.

7. Do you usually write the vocal melody first or the lyrics? 

Rob: Usually the melody along with fragments of the finished lyrics. Very rarely the lyrics first. Sometimes I recycle lyrics from an unused song, but that’s a pretty unsatisfying way of working. I only do that when I’m really stuck for ideas.

Sam: On the rare occasion that I do write lyrics, I’ll generally write the lyrics first and then adjust them to fit the melody I come up with if needed. It’s pretty rare that I write the melody first for a vocal part.

8. Do you write or record nonsense lyrics when you first start composing? 

Rob: I never record nonsense lyrics. Maybe sometimes I record with gaps in the lyrics, but generally I finish writing before demoing. Sometimes I might record a voice memo on my phone if I don’t want to lose a vocal melody, but generally they stick in my head.

Sam: Not really, if I’m writing lyrics I normally have a fixed idea about what I’m writing about. I suppose some of the lyrics I write may seem nonsensical, but they always have some sort of hidden meaning to me.

9. And if so, have any of these ever made the final composition? 

Rob: Often the first lyrics that come into my head are the best, even if they don’t make total sense. It’s all about the rhythm and the rhyme and the assonance and alliteration, but often on quite a subliminal level. 

10. What’s the name of this song?

Rob: Waiting at Home (featuring Tina Swasey on vocals)

11. When was the song written?

Rob: The initial instrumental demo was sent to me by Sam in 2022, though I’m not sure when he recorded it. I wrote the lyrics shortly after. Then he added to it over the next few months.

Sam: The initial demo was recorded in 2017, although it was very basic to begin with, just guitar, synth bass and a basic drum pattern and only really two sections of the song. We then started working on the final version around 2022 with Rob writing the lyrics and me completing the structure of the song.

12. To date, has the song been released? 13. Or is it still a work in progress at the demo stage?

Rob: Yes, it was released on One Shoe Records in November 2023. 

14. If you want to, feel free to share the inspiration behind writing the song or the meaning behind its lyrics/narrative.

Sam: I had called the initial demo ‘Waiting at Home’ as I came up with the music whilst waiting for a friend to come round to mine (we had planned to mess around with some musical ideas we’d been working on). However, they didn’t show up or even let me know they weren’t coming round due to a heavy night the night before! So I was at home waiting for them, playing around with my synth and came up with the basic track and named it ‘Waiting at Home’.

When I sent Rob the demo years later it was just instrumental and didn’t have any melody ideas for the vocal line or anything like that, but I’m glad the title ‘Waiting at Home’ sparked Rob’s imagination as I think the lyrics he wrote are great. So maybe it was for the best that my friend didn’t turn up after all…

Rob: Sam sent me the instrumental demo with the working title ‘Waiting at Home’. Initially I wanted it to be a sort of dressing up, getting ready to go for a night out song. A doing your hair and putting on make up song. I think I had the idea of female singer quite early on. Somehow I couldn’t seem to get going with that idea though. It only really got going when the idea switched to something a little edgier or more paranoid. I started with the lyric “waiting at home for the phone to ring / I read the writing on the wall / I feel my mind start wandering / whenever I get a telephone call”. That opened up a lot of possibilities and intrigue and gave me somewhere to go with the song. Who is the protagonist in the song waiting for a phone call from and why? It definitely isn’t autobiographical. At least not directly.

‘Waiting at Home’ (instrumental demo)

15. When did you record this demo, and how (e.g., audio-note, DAW, etc.)?

Sam: The initial demo was recorded in 2017. I was messing around with my Korg MS20 synth and a small sequencer I had bought, the Korg SQ1. It’s a pretty basic sequencer but also very versatile for such a simple thing. The synth bass on the track is the Korg synth being sequenced by the SQ1 and me just messing around with a simple pattern of notes. In a very early demo there’s a breakdown to just drums and synth and there I’m restarting the sequence at random points so it almost trips over itself, although that didn’t fully make it into the final version. The guitar was then added later as an overdub on the same day.

I was also trying to work out how to sync up an old drum machine with the sequencer and the synth (the drums in the demo), and the jam that followed ended up making the basic backing for the final track. I sometimes find that recording early experiments with new bits of kit leads to interesting results as you’re using something that’s unknown; you’ve not fallen into a routine way of interacting with it.

The demo was recorded straight to my DAW, everything in the demo was recorded via DI (including the guitar). Some EQ, delay and an amp simulator plugin for the guitar were added to get a rough overall sound.

Rob: I recorded the demo vocal directly onto my iPhone phone using a Shure MV88 microphone. I’d definitely recommend using a mic like that if you don’t have your own home studio equipment. It means that if you love your demo vocal it’s good enough to use on the finished track, sound quality-wise. We did that on a number of Wednesday Play songs, though not for ‘Waiting at Home’. Sometimes there’s magic in a demo vocal that’s hard to recapture in the studio. I recorded by listening to the backing track on my old iPod and counting the vocal in. Then emailed it to Sam who just matched it up. 

‘Waiting at Home’ (Rob Paul vocal demo)

16. If relevant, who did you collaborate with on the demo version of the song?

Sam: It was just me and Rob working on the demo for this song, although perhaps the absence of my friend (see answer 14) led to a sort of unintentional collaborative effort on their part!

17. Did you experience ‘demoitis’ with a particular version of this song?

Sam: Not with this track, I’m really pleased with the final version. When I made the original demo I didn’t have a vision of how the final track should sound, either in terms of instrumentation or structure. I really like how it ended up and just see the demo as the beginning of that process rather than a better version.

Rob: Not on this song. Funnily enough, Sam’s original instrumental demo is very basic. It’s the song that changed most from demo stage to finished product. My demo vocal was okay, but I wasn’t exactly in love with it. I was going for a Baxter Dury vibe, but I don’t think I got there. Eventually I said to Sam, I think we should get Tina Swasey to try doing the vocal instead. I pictured her doing a Debbie Harry/Tina Weymouth sort of vocal and she nailed it. 

18. How do you feel now when you hear the demo version of the song?

Sam: It’s been a while since I’ve listened to the original demos, I’d forgotten how sparse it was as I’m now so used to the final version. I often wonder if I’ve added too much to my tracks when listening back to them, and wonder that a bit with Waiting at Home in comparison to the demo. But I suspect that’s just from hearing a very bare bones version of it compared to the final track. I wouldn’t change it though, it’s done and dusted!

Rob: I feel glad I stepped aside and got someone else to do the vocal. I also feel proud that Sam was inspired enough to rework the track after hearing my lyrics. It’s turned into one of our best songs. 

19. Do you feel any hesitation about sharing this raw version of the song with a wider audience?

Rob: No, I don’t think so. I think it’s an interesting journey. 

Sam: No, more than happy for people to hear it. I’ve always liked listening to demo tracks by bands and hearing how a song started and happy to share it.

20. When did you record this final version, and how (were there any specific instruments or recording techniques you used)?

Sam: The final version with Tina’s vocals was recorded during the summer of 2022, although I had been working on the structure of the song and the instrumentation for a few months before that.

Tina came round to mine to record on a super hot day in the summer, we blasted out some Salt-N-Pepa and Tom Tom Club to get a vibe and she got it in about 2 or 3 takes. By that point, the music was pretty much done, so the vocals were the last part that needed recording.

During the first breakdown after the first verse, there are some hihat sounds that come in, they’re sort of like an open hihat sound. Those were from the original demo and aren’t a drum machine, but actually the Korg synth set to output white noise. In the same section, the drum machine snare does a sort of quick snare roll, and this was done by sending the snare through a delay rather than programming it in or editing in the DAW. Later on, during the last breakdown before the end there’s a reversed guitar sound that comes in playing different chords that builds it up before the end. I’d been trying to think of something that would work in that section that would lead it into the outro part of the track. I was listening to a bit of Led Zeppelin around that time and it’s basically the same idea as the reverse guitar in the Wanton Song that leads the song back into the verse.

The final structure of the track was all worked out in ProTools, and I would experiment with having breakdowns in different sections, instrumental sections lasting longer or shorter than they are in the final version, before eventually settling on the final structure. The original demo only had two sections, a basic intro and a breakdown, and I didn’t have an idea for how the song would progress. So it all just came about from moving sections around in the DAW and trying out different structures.

Rob: I got in contact with Tina and sent her my demo and said can you do a Salt-N-Pepa style version and she was very up for it. She’s a nurse and I think she did it straight after her night shift. She went to Sam’s home studio in Brixton. I couldn’t make it unfortunately, but I was really pleased with the results. 

21. If relevant, who did you collaborate with on the final version of the song?

Sam: Tina and Rob were the only others involved in the final version (Rob had written the lyrics), although it’s just me and Tina on the recording. It was Rob’s idea to ask Tina to do the vocals, and although I really like Rob’s vocal demo version, I think Tina did a great job and for me that’s the best version of the track.

22. Did any of the original aspects of the demo version make it onto the final recording (if one exists)?

Sam: Pretty much all of it made it into the final version. The original synth bass part and the basic drum machine track are all from the demo. There are some white noise hihat sounds which come in and out of the final track that were on the demo as well, the guitar part was re-recorded though. 

Rob: Sam changed re-recorded the guitar riff as it was a bit too abrasive. I mean it’s meant to be slightly abrasive, a bit like Gang of Four, but it was a bit too much. The drum machine is still the same I think. It’s some sort of vintage drum machine. 

23. With hindsight, is there anything you’d change about the final version?

Rob: I don’t think so. I’m proud of the lyrics. It’s a nice feeling to have someone else perform your lyrics. 

Sam: Not really, I’m happy with the way it came out in the end. I do often wonder if I could have recorded parts better or mixed things differently with almost all the music I make, but over the years I’ve got quite good at allowing a mix to be the final version and just move on. I could probably quite happily endlessly tinker with a mix as it’s so easy to do that with tracks recorded in a DAW, but that way madness lies I reckon.

Tell us about the future:

24. Did you learn anything through the recording of this song that will influence your future recording process?

Sam: The best version of the song may not be immediately obvious and it’s worth exploring different approaches to make the track as best as you feel it can be. For this track it was Rob suggesting we have Tina do the vocals which I think really brought the track together. Also, I spent about two weeks trying to add a guitar solo during the middle instrumental section and then eventually ditched it as I didn’t think it worked particularly well. So lessons learnt, don’t always settle for the first version of the track and don’t put guitar solos on everything!

Rob: Yes, I think it’s completely fine to get someone else to perform your vocal if it’s what’s best for the track. I’d recommend it! You’re kind of there on the song without being there. 

25. What do you have upcoming, music-wise or otherwise?

Sam: Waiting at Home will be out on a limited run 7” vinyl on on 27th May and the album will be out at some point this year.

 One final question: Could you recommend three other musical artists or bands that we should speak to for future editions of Demoitis?

Rob: I’d recommend Oh!Gunquit (Tina’s band) who are friends and I’d love to hear about psych-rock band The Bevis Frond. Also from a selfish point of view I’d love to talk about my other band The Severed Limb, because the songwriting process is completely different.

Sam: My friend’s band, Malphino and My friend Axel’s band Grup Şimşek. I’d also like to hear about your process, James, for Orange Peel. Looking forward to hearing more of that soon!

Rob Paul & Sam Soper - May 2024.