Getting To Know: City Dog

Photo Credit: Anna Dallas

Hailing from the seaside city of Brighton, City Dog travelled to Bristol to perform a one-off gig at The Exchange.

Aged only 20 and 21 years old, primary members of City Dog, Deri Bovaird and Keelan Shephard have already carved out a reputation in Brighton’s modern punk scene, boasting sell out UK and European tours and supporting artists such as the

Buzzcocks and Surfbort. We caught up with Deri, Keelan and bassist Aaron Butler after the gig to get to know a bit more about them.

City Dog vent the raw energy of the 90s grunge era, preserving its spirit with distorted angst and a devoted DIY ethic – making them a perfect fit for the genre. The band was founded by lead singer and guitarist Deri Bovaird, who started City

Dog as a lockdown project when he was just 16, recording in a makeshift studio singing into a microphone that was stabilised by a cupboard that had been fashioned into a stand.

One of the band’s most well-known songs, ‘Burn The Witch’, was written and initially released solely by Deri. He later admitted that the engineering wasn’t quite up to scratch: when the song was supposed to drop into a heavy chorus, it instead gradually got louder over the next 30 seconds. It was removed from streaming platforms and reworked into the head-banger it is today with the help of Keelan Shephard, the drummer and second in command of City Dog. Keelan met Deri in secondary school in Brighton and soon became part of the project, helping to define the slightly more polished gritty sound the band harnesses today.

Talking us through their music-making process, when writing songs, the band told us they usually begin with a riff, a melody or a particular sound, the product of a jam session before they add lyrics. However, if there is a certain message they want to portray in their music or an idea that they strongly stand behind, Deri and Keelan will write lyrics and wait until they find the perfect tune to accommodate them. This process is evident in ‘Burn The Witch’, a song that talks about systemic issues of poverty and media manipulation.

‘Burn The Witch’ was the final song of the set. It was performed with aggressive guitar riffs, driving a steady rhythm, a frantic drumbeat performed by a bedevilled Keelan Shephard, whose body moved with each pounding pulsation of the drum like it was his ventriloquist and he, the instrument’s puppet. Impassioned, rebellious vocals brought the song to life. The track preaches about societal discontent, reflecting themes characteristic of the bands grunge roots. Deri Bovaird gave a burning performance, his movements intense and unconstrained, thrashing his guitar with venom and piercing the crowd with its electricity. For a band this young, City Dog have already been on a walk around the block a

couple of times. The band are massive fans of The Wytches, frequently covering songs like ‘Digsaw’ in their sets, paying homage to and showing their appreciation of their influence. So, it was a proud moment when The Wytches approached City Dog after a gig in Brighton, offering to record a song with them. Deri said that, as massive fans, you kind of want to play it cool, so he told one of the members that he liked his hair – although, Deri then admitted, there was nothing special about his hair.

Unfortunately, though City Dog had been working on a track with The Wytches, the timing wasn’t right for a release, as they had just put out fresh music, and decided to withhold it from streaming platforms – perhaps we can take this as a sign of maturity. The band also had an encounter with Dominic Keen of Death in Vegas, who also wanted to collaborate. They related how Dominic approached them and said he was from a band called Death in Vegas, which at the time didn’t mean much as they hadn’t heard of them, although they now love their music. Nonetheless, Deri and Keelan agreed to collaborate. The result was ‘Deadman’, a relentless track that pushes a tough charm through feedback and distortions, encapsulating the spirit of basement gigs.

From playing their first show in Amersham arms in London, to selling out headline tours across the UK, to flying out to perform in places like Latvia, City Dog are on the up and baying for more. These lads have done a lot for their age, but are only at the start of their journey. Keep an eye on them, it could be an exciting ride.