Ahead of his album launch show at The Cavern Club, singer-songwriter Dr Orange talking about his upcoming release and his background in music.
How did ‘Dr Orange’ come about and what is the story behind the name?
I’d been in various groups over the years and tried to make it work as ‘three or four guys in a band’ but it never really clicked into gear, so in 2020 I decided to go it alone as ‘Dr Orange’.
The name was inspired by artists like ‘Dr John’ and ‘Dr Hook’ and the word Orange just came to me whilst I was lying on the couch.
Since then, people have asked me if it’s inspired by Stanley Kubrick with ‘Dr Strangelove’ and ‘A Clockwork Orange’, which is a much better story, but that wasn’t the thinking at the start, maybe it was somewhere there milling about in my subconscious though.
People have also pointed out it’s similarities to Professor Green which I didn’t even think about at the time. Funnily enough he got in touch about a collaboration not long ago so maybe somewhere down the line, you’ll see a Professor Green / Dr Orange track.
Tell us more about the Professor Green collaboration.
I was being interviewed a few months back, and one of the questions was if I’d thought about collaborating with Professor Green, due to the similarities in name.
The interviewer then posted the question on his socials, and Professor Green hit his inbox, saying he was up for it. So, like I said, keep your eyes peeled for that somewhere down the line!
Why did you decide to release an album before an EP?
Originally the idea was to release a long EP with six or seven tracks on it, something in between an EP and an album and then follow that with a full album in 2025.
The last two songs I recorded changed the plans slightly though. The second to last song we recorded, ‘I Was A Roman’, was originally meant to be a 40-second hidden track at the end of the EP, a bit like The Beatles ‘Her Majesty, but I played at a few shows and everyone was telling me It was too good to be that short so I stopped being lazy and finished writing it.
The last studio session we recorded was ‘I Found You’ and although it wasn’t meant to go on the EP originally it just completed the jigsaw and ended up becoming the lead single for the album.
You mentioned The Beatles, who else are your inspirations?
This is always a tricky one to answer. I grew up on 1960ss music as a kid, The Beatles, Bowie, The Kinks, The Stones etc. I can remember the change from thinking The Velvet Underground, my dad’s favourite band, were the worst band that I’d ever heard to thinking they were the best.
My mum was always into happier kinds of music, I remember a lot of Status Quo and The Eagles being played in the car so I’d say I’m probably a marriage of my dad’s darker taste and my mum’s lighter.
My favourite musical decade will always be the 1950s though, I was completely obsessed with Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran from about the age of 15 onwards and ‘that scene’ in Back to The Future.
Generally speaking now though I’m just into whatever my ears like, I’m not too bothered about the politics of it all.
I remember vibing very hard off Black Mascara by RAYE when it came out and everyone was a bit confused, if you see me driving around you’ll hear all sorts from J.Cole to Johann Bach blasting from my car. If it sounds good and you like it, just enjoy it – life’s too short.
You’re headlining the Cavern Club to launch the album, what can we expect?
I wouldn’t want to give too much away but it’s going to be special.
We’ve got Blue Jean and Brandon Tew who have now joined the live band, and it sounds incredible, more big band than an indie-quartet. It’s the first time in my life I’ve enjoyed rehearsing!
We’ve got a great lineup as well with Blue Jean, Roscoe Street and Joe Loram supporting and some fantastic special guests getting up with us throughout the show. It’s going to be a great night!
You’ve got some impressive comments on the album from well-known figures, how did these come about?
I’ve been blown away by the quotes from the likes of Dave from the Zutons, the legend that is Meatball Molly, Keith from The Farm and Boff from Chumbawamba.
I won’t bore you with the details, but you can meet some great people over the years, especially in Liverpool, who are always very supportive. Everyone has each other’s back here and we’re always building each other up.
Finally, what can we expect in 2025 from Dr Orange?
Originally the plan was to put this record out and hope that kind of like a time capsule, in a few years it starts to get noticed.
However, there’s such a buzz around it and the show that it’s meant I’ve had to alter my plans slightly, pull my finger out and do a bit of work with it so you’ll be seeing us playing a few shows around the country between now and next summer before festival season.
Dr Orange’s lead single ‘I Found You’ will be released on 27th September followed by the full debut album ‘Late Night with Dr Orange’ on 25th October. He will headline the Cavern Club on 23rd October for the album launch show.
For tickets and more info: click here
Mersey Music 