The Bandstand: Sense Deficiency

We’re a mostly three piece, sometimes four piece consisting of Dean White, Eden Ralph, Charles Knox and myself (Joshua Phair). Dean plays guitar, Eden’s on drums, Charles was originally on drums and played with us for years but depending on schedule it can interchange. In recent times he hops on as a second guitarist. I play bass, Dean and I both sing, defers from song to song who takes the lead on it. A lot of classic punk gang vocals.

What's the origin of your band’s name?

We came up with the name Sense Deficiency after cycling through a couple of more cliché names like 'The Uppercuts'. It ended up this way because of a lack of common sense we all had.

How would you describe your sound?

Sharp guitar tone with chunky bass and a very angry man hitting drums.

What genre/genres do you consider your music to be?

Punk Rock with tinges of Crossover and Hardcore. We also wrote a few ska songs to keep things light.

When did the band form?

The band formed all the way back in 2013, start of the summer.

How long have you all known each other? How did you meet? Where are you all from?

We’re all childhood friends or well at least from our early teens, I don’t know about the other lads as I’m pretty sure they knew each other before I bumped into them. I can pinpoint it at being at the Share Centre in Lisnaskea for one of the battle of the bands when I first met all of them. Couldn’t tell what year it was though! I’m from Newtownbutler, Eden and Dean are from Enniskillen and Charles is from outside Ballinamallard.

What local gigs do you have coming up?

Unfortunately nothing on the radar as I’m currently residing in Canberra, Australia but will be back late this year. Hopefully will put something on.

What is the band’s favourite song to play and why?

It tends to change a bit however right now it’s probably 'The Fear' which is a song titled after hangovers.

What has been your biggest gig to date?

Our biggest gig is either one of two, the first replacing Aggressors BC on a headline slot for a festival out in Leitrim for Joe Carrol’s 60th. The place was packed to the rafters of punks from all over the country! The second was supporting Canadian punk legends DOA when they played Derry, personally for me that was a cool moment.

Any funny gig/rehearsal stories?

We were once joined on stage mid song by a man in his undergarments, being in this situation he firmly believed that the lack of clothes gave him the aerodynamics he needed to get back into the pit.

What does 2020 hold for the band?

We’re currently penning an EP called 'Nuclear Pasta'.

Who are your major influences?

A lot of our influences are bedded in 90s punk rock and 80s hardcore and thrash metal. Third wave Ska too.

Do you write your own songs? What inspires your songwriting?

We write all our own stuff, chuck in a fun cover here and there. We have an EP and an album under our belt. What inspires us tends to be life, past experiences, veganism, freedom of thought and the state of the world. Governmental distrust as a common theme.

What would be your dream gig?

Maybe sharing the stage with Black Flag and The Descendents before they quit or croak would be excellent.

Best moment as a band so far?

There’s been a lot of fantastic moments through the years, for me it’s the community. As you travel and play you meet a lot of wonderful people and that as a whole has been the best thing about being in a band. Creates this wonderful web of support and just plain old craic.

What is the most unusual venue you have played?

One fest we played outside Dungannon had a miniature pirate ship set up but they couldn’t get it all safely working, so I was a little raging we missed out on that and had to play the normal stage inside. One place deserves mentioning is the Warzone Centre that was running in Belfast as a gig collective from the early 90s. It was an autonomous centre ran by volunteers and the community, inside and out covered in graffiti and it just reeked of positivity.

What is your ‘go-to’ encore song?

'ScaremonGRR' or 'New Age Plague'.

What's the best thing about performing?

It’s a big outlet, a lot of stress gets burned and you can really let loose. Seeing the joy you’re giving to people too.

Any last words?

Please check us out on Bandcamp or Youtube, you can download our music on bandcamp as pay what you want so if you want it free then you got it! Just google Sense Deficiency, we’re easily found. Be kind to each other, we’re just coming out of the Christmas and new year period so check in on your friends. This time of year can be pretty hard for a lot of people, so look out for one another. Call your ma if you can, she probably misses ye!