In this ‘Listed’ feature, we get to know the most radicalist up-and-coming stars through a themed list of their top musical picks.

This time it’s exciting London-Glaswegian garage-rock trio, Dama Scout.

With a name stemming from a long-standing fascination with the idealistic young protagonist of Harper Lee’s Southern Gothic To Kill A Mocking Bird, and prefixed by ‘Dama’, a word typically denoting a deer, Dama Scout are a band with a truly frenzied blend of influences. This results in a vibrant sound characterized by Eva Liu’s velveteen vocals and crunchy guitarwork, Lucci Rossi’s chunky bass lines, and Danny Grant’s thundering drums – a sound that is at once celestially sublime and grotesquely scuzzy.

We’ve only heard three singles from the band but they paint a vivid picture of what’s to come from this rising three-piece. Debut release ‘Forget It’s Good’ showcased the band’s archetypal ‘quiet-loud’ dynamic that brings to remind alt. rock godfathers, the Pixies; the infectious, lo-fi sing-along ‘All In Too’ boasts textures so blown-out it comes as no surprise certain elements were actually recorded on a broken laptop microphone; and most recently, the swirling, chorus-laden ‘Paper Boy’ which comes complete with a pulverizingly psychedelic final refrain.

Dama Scout have continually proved themselves ‘ones to watch’ so we caught up with the band before their Alt. Escape performance at the Hand In Hive x TMR showcase at The Mucky Duck to familiarize ourselves with their playlist of choice: “Music Our Parents Gave Us”.

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1. The Temptations – ‘My Girl’

Eva Liu: This song always makes me want a hug from my dad. He sang it to me when I was little. I remember watching the Macaulay Culkin film on one of our family movie nights.



2. Judee Sill – ‘The Kiss’

Lucci Rossi: I remember getting our first DVD player and my folks bought an Old Grey Whistle Test box set and took my sister and I through their favourites. Judee Sill and this song particularly has always stayed with me.



3. Queen – ‘Sheer Heart Attack’

Danny Grant: Queen are my mum's favourite band and she'd disown me if I didn't include them. Some of their stuff is a bit theatrical for my taste, but at their core they are a really great rock band.



4. Peter, Paul & Mary – ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’

EL: When my dad lived in Hong Kong as a teenager, he was in a family band with his brothers and sisters. They played lots of Peter, Paul & Mary covers - and this is one of my favourites.



5. Keith Jarrett – ‘Heartland’

LR: I remember listening to this with my dad when he bought me Keith Jarrett’s ECM Rarum album. It’s quite different to a lot of his work but you do get wee bits of gospel, americana, jazz and baroque.



6. Faye Wong – ‘Dreamlover’

EL: My aunt brought a Faye Wong album back from Hong Kong. Faye Wong was a massive star in the 90s. This Cranberries cover always reminds me of the drive with my mum through the country roads in Kent on the way to visit my grandma.



7. Igor Stravinsky – ‘The Firebird’

DG: As well as being a rock fan, my mum plays classical music. I've always liked this Stravinsky number, he was punk as f**k.



8. David Bowie – ‘Sue’ (with The Maria Schneider Orchestra)

LR: Killing two birds with one stone… David Bowie soundtracked lots of our family trips - though not this song. I’ve chosen this as I used to play in a jazz orchestra with my dad and he has always been obsessed with Maria Schneider’s incredibly dense arrangements.



9. Rush – ‘Tom Sawyer’ 

DG: Rush are the perfect band for small white boys and I was one of them. I just listened to this again there and had a really good time lol.



10. Carpenters – ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’

EL: My mum is a huge Carpenters fan. I remember thinking how awesome it was to have a female drummer/singer in a band. My mum wasn’t too keen on me getting a drum kit though so I just stuck to piano. My mum used to (and still does) get really into singing along while she pottered around the house. I can't hear Karen Carpenter's voice without thinking of her.



Catch Dama Scout at the free Hand In Hive x TMR Showcase on Friday 19^th May at Brighton’s The Mucky Duck.

-Karl Jawara