Cashier No.9

Cashier No.9

Cashier No.9 are a Belfast-based group that forms in 2005 and operates as an alternative pop band with a sound that draws on pop, rock, indie, country and electronica. The line-up includes Phil Duffy on drums, Stuart Magowan on bass, Ronan Quinn on keys and guitar, James Smith on guitar, and Danny Todd as guitarist, songwriter and producer. Todd also gives the group its name: he works in a coffee shop as a teenager, is known there as Cashier No. 5, and adapts that into Cashier No.9 because it scans better.

Style and influences

The band’s music brings together a wide range of references, including Captain Beefheart, T. Rex, Primal Scream, The Bees, Syd Barrett, Paul Simon and Pavement. Todd says he does not want to be tied to one sound, and the group presents itself around that mixed approach. Their material is described through brash, catchy and swaggering songs, with guitar-led arrangements and a noticeable electronic element.

Recordings and songs

The debut single is 42 West Avenue, which appears on No Dancing Records. Other songs and releases mentioned include When Jackie Shone, which appears on The Oh Yeah Sessions, and Goodbye Friend, which appears in the film Cherrybomb. The group also contributes to the NIMIC-sponsored compilation New Music from Northern Ireland. Gary Lightbody writes sleeve notes for The Oh Yeah Sessions and describes When Jackie Shone as having an “ominous shuffle” and “head-bending guitars”.

Live activity and recognition

Cashier No.9 build a live reputation through club shows in Belfast, Dublin, London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. They represent Belfast at the London Electric Proms, perform at the Knitting Factory in New York, and appear at Brighton’s Great Escape in 2007 and 2008. They also play Ireland’s Electric Picnic, headline the NIMIC showcase at In The City in 2008, and support Gruff Rhys, the Ting Tings and David Holmes. Their live sessions include broadcasts for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio ATL, with sessions for BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Ulster also mentioned.

The band receives attention from radio presenters including Steve Lamacq, Janice Long, David Holmes, John Kennedy, Rob da Bank and Jon Hillcock, who play 42 West Avenue. The song also appears in Alternative Ulster magazine’s list of Northern Irish songs, where it ranks at number 11 in a feature on the magazine’s 50th issue. The group is also featured by Guardian.co.uk and BBC.co.uk, and BBC NI Across the Line describes them as having “staggering, nonchalant talent”.