“Turn the Radio Down”? Not Likely: Inside The Macaronis
- Kennedy Drolet
- 18 hours ago
- 8 min read
Cover Image and all featured Images by Kathryn McRae
The Macaronis may not have planned to become St Andrews’ loudest band, but that’s exactly what happened. Sitting outside Shawarma House on a buzzing South Street, we had the privilege of having a conversation with the Macaronis. Born out of chance encounters during last year’s Fresher’s week at the University of St Andrews, and a last-minute gig that accidentally packed the room, the five-piece has been shaking floors across St Andrews ever since. Meet the Macaronis: Marco on guitar and vocals; Leonardo (Leo) on bass; Edo on guitar and vocals; Ilya on drums; and Daisy on the keyboard and vocals. The Macaronis channel a sound that’s as international as their lineup: part Strokes grit, part Red Hot Chili Peppers funk, and entirely their own.
Their live shows are the stuff of St Andrews legend: raucous, high-energy, and unapologetically loud. And since their formation this past year, the band has become synonymous with the kind of nights that leave your ears ringing and your shoes sticking to the floor (in the very best way). What started as a college cover band has since evolved into a collective with its own originals, most notably their recent track “Turn the Radio Down,” a punchy anthem about twenty-something chaos and digital-age disillusionment.
We talked with The Macaronis about their origin story, their evolving sound, and what’s next as they transition from campus icons to serious contenders in the indie rock scene. Read the full interview below.
How did you all meet? What is the origin story of the Macaronis?
Edo: It all started when I went up to this guy Ashvin at the Fresher’s Fayre, who runs this thing called SignPost. I asked him how I could start a band here in St Andrews, and he added me to this group chat where you can meet potential other members. That’s how I met our bassist, Leo. I met Marco at the first jazz night in Fresher’s week, and I just went up to him and asked him what he played. He told me he sang and played guitar, and I said, “Same, let’s start a band.” Ilya, our drummer, was in another band called Full Circle.
Ilya: One night, I was rehearsing for my previous band, but the members didn’t show up because they were going out. There were these guys practicing in the same room and talking about how they needed a drummer for a gig they had coming up because their original drummer had essentially ghosted them.
Edo: So, we run into Ilya in this practice room, holding his drumsticks. So we asked him if he would play with us that Friday. Despite already being in a band, he agreed. After our first performance together, Ilya decided to stay with us.
Marco: We’d only had three days until our first gig, and we needed to rehearse together. And there actually wound up being a massive crowd at the event we were playing, despite barely knowing each other. We decided to play a bunch of easier covers that we knew everyone would enjoy, and it went really well. We honestly still often stick to that formula.
Daisy: I then met Leo because we lived in the same hall. I mentioned to him that I played guitar, and he told me about being in a band. I went to their first gig and I was…
Leo: Flabbergasted, of course.
Daisy: Right… so I was a photographer for the event and was walking around capturing pictures of the band. I told them that I’d played that song before for another band, in case they wanted to consider having me on. I sang “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac for them with the original keyboard. Eventually, the original keyboardist would be away traveling, and I would stand in for him. Then, the keyboardist went abroad the next semester, and I wound up becoming a much more permanent fixture.
Luckily, he studies at the University of Glasgow now, so there are no hard feelings.
"We mostly like to play music we know will get people moving; we like to bring high energy."
What made you guys choose the name “The Macaronis?”
Edo: It’s quite a random story, actually. I was listening to this history podcast about fashion. They were talking about this fashion trend from the 18th century called the Macaronis, where a bunch of rich English kids would go abroad to places like Italy and Spain and wear these fancy costumes with crazy wigs to get girls’ attention. Then, they would come back to England, and people would make fun of them for their flamboyant outfits and refer to them as Macaronis. I thought it was quite a cool term.
When we had those three days before our first gig, we needed a name to send to the people coordinating the event so they could put our band name on the flyers and Instagram posts. I remembered that episode, and it felt like it sort of fit. Leo’s Italian, I’m half Italian, Marco’s from Spain, Ilya’s from Uzbekistan. It’s also just not a very serious or pretentious name; it’s honestly a bit stupid. It felt like a good name for a college band.
Marco: When Edo initially changed our name to that, he didn’t tell us. We kept asking, and he would essentially just avoid the question. When they put the posters up, I saw the list of bands playing, and I asked Edo, “Who are the Macaronis?” That’s when he decided to tell us. There was a whole two-day delay in this information being shared with us.
Ilya: I thought the name was pretty cool before I knew it was us. I was like: “These guys are kind of edgy. They must be pretty good.”
Marco: It was one of those things where we didn’t know where the band was going to go, so we had very few expectations.
Leo: The thing is, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We just started to grow into the name.
Marco: It’s catchy; I think it helps people remember us. It was hard to come up with anything anyway because we were navigating what kind of band we wanted to be. Each era of bands seems to have their own kind of names. Like, in the '60s, you get a lot of ‘the.’ The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones. And then, in the 70s, bands were all named something crazy and psychedelic. Like, you name your band ‘Beef Haze’ and you’re like, okay, that’s cool.
Edo: Yeah, and then it’s all one word or something entirely made up in the '90s.
Who are some of your musical influences and inspirations?
Edo: That’s kind of the joy of it, because we all have specific tastes in a wider genre. I was a big fan of the Rolling Stones and the Clash. Leo was really into the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whom I didn’t really listen to very much until I got here. Marco’s really into the Strokes, whom some of our other members didn’t really listen to very much, but then go into. Ilya’s big into the Police. So, it’s quite fortunate how we all got together.
Ilya: We did a Spotify blend and wound up all having over 90% overlap in our music taste.
Marco: Each of us had different styles in how we played, too. Ilya loves to play the way Stewart Copeland does in the Police. I’m a big Hendrix guy; I really like his guitar solos. So, for anything we’ve written, I like to include very Hendrix-style guitar moments.
Edo: The album that really got me to learn guitar was Marquee Moon by Television, who are very similar to the Strokes. As far as singing, I’m definitely inspired by Mick Jagger in the Rolling Stones. He’s my favorite frontman.
Leo: Before coming to university, my primary, if not only, influence was the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Joining the band has allowed me to expand my music taste. Now, I feel like I didn’t know anybody before.
"We’ve never done an event where we’ve turned down our music for longer than one song. And that’s what we’re all about."
What do you hope to evoke in your listeners? What’s your ethos?
Marco: We like to build our setlists around the events we’re playing. We mostly like to play music we know will get people moving; we like to bring high energy. To be fair, all of our originals so far seem to reflect that same intention as well. All of the instrumentals have a joy to them. I write most of our lyrics, and it’s funny because they tend to be the opposite. But the music still sounds happy. I kind of write like I’m laughing at myself.
Leo: We want people to be dancing and enjoying themselves. We are most satisfied with our gigs when the floor is genuinely shaking. Our favorite gig was at a flat party for Swim Society last year. It was insane because it was so packed, and we were playing so loudly, I’m shocked we didn’t get shut down. The floor was literally shaking; you could hear us a block away.
Marco: We’ve never done an event where we’ve turned down our music for longer than one song. And that’s what we’re all about.
Tell me more about the original you guys played recently. I’d love to hear about your inspirations for songwriting and if the song is available for streaming.
Marco: The track we played recently was called “Turn the Radio Down.” We currently have another single recorded, which we have yet to put up on streaming, called “Waiting on Another Day.” We hope to get our music on Spotify very soon, in the next month if possible.
When I wrote “Turn the Radio Down,” I was listening to a lot of Third Eye Blind. They have a bit of a funky, grungy vibe that comes out quite punk-y. I wrote it during winter break, and then when we all came back, we worked on it together. The main point of the song is about that sense of constant overwhelm in our age of the internet. There’s an essence of being in your twenties and not being sure if you’re falling behind, and the idea that it’s okay to relax for a second. The song kind of pokes fun at that feeling in a way, too. I’m not sure I knew what a 401k was when I wrote the song. I half-looked it up; I honestly still don’t fully know. But the song is about that feeling. Because in the end, there’s no winning, there’s no being on the right path in your twenties, and someone will always be telling you that you’re wrong.
Describe your sound in three words.
Ilya: Hard
Leo: Loud
Daisy: Grungy
Marco: I’m gonna throw in Sparkly
Edo: Dirty
All: Vibrant and saturated
Do you have a piece of advice you’d give your younger selves at the start of your band formation?
Edo and Leo: Don’t be afraid to make a song into your own. We used to copy songs directly as they’re normally played. But we like the way we’ve experimented with our own versions of songs.
Daisy: Don’t be afraid to be too loud.
Marco: Trust your musical intuition; allow yourself to be driven by where the song is taking you. A lot of music can feel exhibitionist because you’re experiencing a song in front of a large crowd of people. I think it’s important to be okay with feeling it and not just performing it.
Ilya: Don’t be afraid to do more. Be confident.
What’s next for the Macaronis?
Edo: See where the wind takes us.
Marco: Honestly, we’re quite booked and busy being in this town. There are always events we could be playing for. It can be hard to find time to look into playing other concert venues beyond St Andrews. I think what we want to do is focus on our original pieces so we can step from being a cover band to being our own genuine band. Right now, we’re big fish in a small pond. We’re excited to be slightly smaller fish in a much bigger pond.
Ilya: We just have to keep knocking it out of the water.
Leo: Get as big as possible.
Who are some artists you’d like to see next on Enharmonic Magazine?
Parquet Courts, Lady Gray and the Phantoms, Stiles Bryson (of Lady Gray and the Phantoms), The Meerkats, and Emerald Watch
Is there anything else you want people to know about you guys?
All: Stick around, we’ll be here. And reach out to our manager, Kathryn McRae, for gigs!