Fourth Son South Talks To Fanbase Music Magazine About New Single, Gear, Members, And Performing As Fourth Son South Lite

Interviewed by Duzzy Clayton

Photography by Rohan Mostert

Intro

South African Alternative Indie Pop Rockers Fourth Son South are back with their new single ‘The Moon’. Peter Toussaint (Vocals & Lead Guitar) shares that “Our inspiration for ‘The Moon’ came from the spiritual belief that the moon has got a great influence on our emotions and relationships. From werewolves to mental health (a lunatic suffers from ‘moon sickness’), or the success of a relationship … the moon has been thought to be a defining influence.”

I chat with the band about the new single, get to know what gear they use, and other cool things

Questions

Hello Fourth Son South, welcome back to Fanbase Music Magazine, after the success of your last single, The Cold, how do you feel that track was received?

Thank you for having us again! The Cold was a great success, and we’re very proud of how it was received. It charted on a good number of stations, including #1 on the 5FM indie chart. And it’s still being played numerous times daily on stations throughout the world.

Sarah, The Cold was the first single you appeared on since joining the band, how was settling into the band been, to me it seems you are almost part of the furniture.

It has been such an amazing journey getting to know the band, and they really made it easy for me to become ‘one of them’ if I could say that. All four of the guys in the band have helped me tremendously in finding my feet as an artist new to the whole gigging scene. It took some time and plenty of experimenting and time on stage to find out how to be the best version of ‘Sarah’ for Fourth Son South.

Peter, how has it been having Sarah in the band?

An absolute delight! Apart from having the most fantastic voice, Sarah has been fantastic to have in the band. We were on the road for three weeks (and had a breakdown of both cars). That is normally something that really tests a band. But after three weeks all 5 of us still enjoyed hanging out together and not just meeting before the gigs.

Okay, let’s talk about the new single The Moon, can you tell us what the song is about?

The Moon has been said to influence all aspects of our lives. It would have an effect of our behavior, our love life, predict the future and so much more. But everyone is still responsible for their own actions.

What was the recording process like with this track compared to The Cold?

It was very much the same process. Peter wrote the song and recorded all instruments as a demo. The band members consequently came in to record their parts. Carel’s were recorded at the Jarr Bar in Pretoria by Stevie Bester and all tracks were sent off to Pieter Nel for mixing and mastering.

The song starts off with Sarah’s vocals and then has the rest of the band harmonizing together, how does it feel to have so many accomplished vocalists in the band?

Peter: This is how I always envisioned it. Being able to write songs with multiple harmonies and having those performed how I wrote them. The band now has 4 vocalists and three of them are so good! Ok, and I sing as well.

When is the new track set to be released?

The release has been set for the 5th of May. Stream on all platforms HERE

Will you be releasing an EP or album soon?

We are still unsure about it. Music consumption nowadays has moved away from albums towards individual songs. I’ve always loved full albums where songs can shine that are not necessarily singles (meaning, radio-friendly) but I see that the songs that have not been released as singles on an album are hardly played.

Fourth Son South has always been a cool full-piece rock band but you have got this thing called Fourth Son South Lite, which is basically the band stripped down acoustic, can you tell us what that sort of set brings to the live show?

There are not that many venues where full bands can play (with electric guitars and drums). And of course, we want to play live as much as possible. As Fourth Son South Lite, we play our songs acoustically and a bit toned down but with all harmonies. And we throw in a few more covers.

Sarah, you are also a great solo musician, can you tell us if you have any new music coming out soon or an album as a solo artist?

Hehe, funny you ask. Yes, I do indeed have an album coming out very soon! We start recording this month, and Peter will be on the tracks too! I am very excited, as it’s my first album and my second solo project, and am very grateful for everyone who is helping me make this happen.

Can each band member run through their setup, what are your preferred instruments and brands you like to use both in the studio or live?

Peter: my guitars both studio and live are my custom-built Zwier guitars. They both look like Gibson SG’s but have an amazing tone and an Ibanez custom pro that has been modified by the same Sjak Zwier (in the Netherlands). I nowadays make use of a Line6 Helix which goes straight to the sound desk with sometimes a line to an amp on stage. I prefer singing over a Sure SM58.

Sarah: My setup is very basic, and I use an SM58 Microphone.

Dale: I pretty much use anything that works. Brands are overrated, some of the best guitars I’ve played have been cheap pavement specials. Right now I use my Ibanez Xyphos going into a TCE Polytune, Dunlop mini crybaby wah, Boss DD9 delay to a Palmer Pocket Amp MK2

Carel: I usually play a 5 piece drum kit, either Tama Rockstar or Tama Superstar Hyperdrive, with a selection of Pearl and Tama hardware. Cymbal brands are hard to say, since I mix and match, using Anatolian, Istanbul, and Meinl cymbals. On acoustic shows, I play on a Percussion Real cajón.

14″ snare drum
13″ and 14″ tom-toms
16″ floor tom
20″ bass drum
Tama Iron Cobra 200 single bass drum pedal
14″ hi-hats
14″ medium crash
16″ thin crash
20″ ride

I use this setup for both live performances as well as studio recording.

Bernhard: I’m using an Ibanez Gio GSR205 5-string bass guitar with the patented “Phat EQ” built-in equaliser that provides a good measure of low-end boost. I use standard GDAEB-tuning. No effects pedals on my setup and I also don’t use any specific amplifier on stage, sometimes running straight through the desk and monitors if there’s no stage amp available, although it is preferable. For vocals, the indestructible SM58 takes the prize. In the studio, I run the bass straight into the interface and let the software do the rest.

Can you give us your Social Media Links?

All Links HERE

Facebook @FourthSonSouth
Instagram @FourthSonSouth
Bandcamp @FourthSonSouth
YouTube @FourthSonSouthTopic

Thank you for doing this interview, do you have any last messages for our readers?

We are incredibly grateful for all the support we are receiving so thank you! As always, please be kind to each other.