WHO ARE SAN JOSE?
Their name pinched from a Dionne Warwick song, San Jose wield their forthright, raucous and versatile reputation with a snarled grin. With ever-evolving theatrics and everything you’d expect from a circus with the exception of the caged animals, San Jose, are the only 5 piece band with an average of more than 5 members. Although falling under the ever expanding umbrella term of “post-punk” San Jose have a dedication to avoid musical confinement, the five piece often incorporate instrumentation uncommon to heavier styles of music, such as brass and accordion, and interweave it with their punk attitude.
With a background in musical theatre, San Jose blur the lines between performance art and concert. With people in bear costumes, auctions, fine dining, plumbing and pantomime levels of audience interaction all to be expected from their shows, the five piece sonically and visually paint a picture of the inherent absurdism that lies within Scottish culture. Their live performances have been described as “the ideal descent into hell”.
Disheartened at the lack of opportunities to perform live in Kilmarnock, San Jose looked north in order to play their set. With several trips on the X76 bus, the band, un-backed and unmanaged, began to grow in Glasgow through word of mouth, eventually trickling back down to their hometown of Kilmarnock, where they received mention in the Ayrshire magazine, which suggested that the future of Kilmarnock music scene was in “safe hands”.
The five piece pride themselves on their devotion to musical advancement and progression above all else, with an acute desire to provide a genre-blend of absorbing songs for themselves and their audience. Being lucky enough to play King Tuts and SWG3 with post punk legends Courting and Gallus respectively, while having an audience as up for pushing the boundaries of live performances as they are, and a desire to persist in the never-ending pilgrimage of musical growth, San Jose have found their boots stabilised on well fertilised ground, all they need to do is tend to the crops and hope for the unpredictable Scottish weather.
SINGLES
2022
Binoculars
Their first single “Binoculars”, tells the story of a Britpop obsessed dad on a quest to discourage a young musician from creating music, suggesting that they aren't well-versed enough with the classics yet and that it’ll never be better than anything that’s already been done before. The story told within this song, although absurd, is entirely true. This condescending experience is echoed all around the country, with almost a whole generation, who were born in “the golden age” of music, trying to disway young people from progressing in art and culture.
2022
W.IN.J
Their next song “W.IN.J”, standing for “Wanker in Joggies” although a grammagram of the word “whinge”, is also representative of the youth experience. Showing both sides of a culture divide, and the intersectionality of “ned” culture and political activism, “W.IN.J” details what is often the Scottish working class young persons experience, bottles of buckfast and loud music on public transport alike. The song connects the working class struggle for liberation to that of the LGBTQ+ communities fight for equality, both topics extremely close to the band. Although not always able to channel angst into the right places, the working class youth is the key to creating a tolerant, welcoming and safe society in the future and with a deepening wealth divide and increasing violence towards LGBTQ+ groups, the song is increasingly relevant to the Scottish working class youth.
2023
Self Help
"Self Help", the latest song from the five piece, takes a stance against the actors involved in the alt-right pipeline. Through absurdism and satire, San Jose warn listeners of the dangers of following charismatic "self-improvement" figures, something that is becoming increasingly more and more relevant as the influence of social media continues to grow.
