ALIBI: An interview with Scottish folksters Paper Crowns!

 

PART 1 - THE 'INTERVIEW'1 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to Paper Crowns?

 

Jack – "smallPRINT, briefly substitute fiddle player for Matt Norris & The Moon."

 

Stuart (cue essay) – "100 Paper Boats, Where We Lay Our Heads, Shauna Joy, Anna Sweeney, Ross Mitchell, Algernon Doll, Scott McWatt, Starling Heist. A few more briefly/one off gigs."

 

Molly and Abigail – "Paper Crowns is our first venture into the world of popular music..."
2 - How did Paper Crowns begin?

 

"Jack wrote some songs. Jack got bored. At Christmas Abigail came, played some gigs. Seemed to go well. Sounded like there could be a bigger sound (i.e. Jack and Abigail argued too much). Molly played cello. Stuart played percussion."

3 - Where did the name Paper Crowns come from?

 

Jack – "Me and Abigail were walking along after recording Alibi (we still didn’t have a name). Abigail just sort of pulled it out of thin air, seemed to work so we went with it."
4 - How would you describe the sound of Paper Crowns?

 

Jack – "I guess popular folk. We have backgrounds in classical music and Scottish folk, so we’re probably heavily influenced by that."
5 - You've made a few songs available online already. One of these is 'Alibi' - a heartfelt acoustic ballad. What is the song itself about?

 

Jack – "The breakdown of a relationship really. The verses are memories and the chorus is one of the people involved trying to disengage themselves with those memories."
6 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

Jack – "Daughter. Please let us collaborate with Daughter."

 

Abigail – "Bon Iver would be amazing."

 

Stuart – "I think Lisa Hannigan would be a lovely collaboration with this stuff."

 

Molly – "Snarky Puppy would make my life."

7 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

Abigail – "1000000000000000000"
8 - Any new singles, EP's or album to be released in the near future?

 

"Hopefully an EP will be on the way before Christmas."
9 - Any live dates coming up?

 

"We’re playing at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut on Saturday 7^th September supporting Blood Relatives and Eliza and the Bear. Should be class! Also supporting King Charles in Glasgow Uni Freshers Week."
10 - Who would be in your dream super group?

 

Jack – "James Blake, Dave King (drummer from The Bad Plus), Marcus Mumford, Nicola Benedetti, Jimmy Page and Steve Garrigan (singer from Kodaline)."

 

Abigail - "Itzhak Perlman, Stephane Grappelli, Eva Cassidy, Simon and Garfunkel and Jeff Buckley."

 

Stuart – "This would depend too much on the kind of band for me"

 

Molly – "Jacqueline Du Pre, Morrissey, Jimi Hendrix, Ben Howard and Newton Faulkner."

PART 2 - THE 'QUICKFIRE ROUND'
1 - Favourite Beatle?

 

Jack – "Mr Harrison."

 

Abigail – "John."

 

Stuart – "George or John."

 

Molly – "John Lennon."

2 - Favourite band?

 

Jack – "Too many. Some are The Lumineers, Little Comets, Mumford & Sons and Dry The River."

 

Abigail – "Bon Iver/Mumford/Elbow."

 

Stuart – "Too difficult. Elbow, Frabbit and Sigur Ros would all be in with a shout."

 

Molly – "Far too many to chose between - Twin Atlantic, Snarky Puppy, Coldplay, Parov Stelar, Mumford and Sons to mention a few!"

 

3 - Favourite new band?

 

Jack – "Victorian Trout Conspiracy."

 

Abigail – "The Black Diamond Express."

 

Stuart – "Milo Greene are new to me."

 

Molly – "All Souled Out."

 

4 - Favourite song?

 

Jack – "Again, not a clue. At the moment ‘No Rest’ by Dry The River."

 

Abigail – "Right now ‘Awake My Soul’ - Mumford and Sons."

 

Stuart – "‘Old Fashioned’ - Frabbit."

 

Molly – "At the moment? ‘Booty Swing’ - Parov Stelar"

 

5 - Favourite album?

 

Jack - "'Sigh No More' - Mumford & Sons."

 

Abigail – "‘Songs of Robert Burns’ - Eddi Reader."

 

Stuart – "Either ‘Build a Rocket Boys’ - Elbow or ‘Diamond Mine’ - King Creosote and Jon Hopkins."

 

Molly – "‘Mylo Xyloto’ – Coldplay."

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"Jack – Vinyl."

 

Abigail – "Don't have a record player, so probably CD."

 

Stuart – "Wish it was vinyl but download in reality."

 

Molly – "Download or CD if I’m in love with the album."

 

7 - Style icon?

 

Jack – "Probably get most of the fashion advice from my sisters..."

 

Abigail – "Jack and his pink denim jacket."

 

Stuart – "I have zero style sense. Although Calum Ingram's Shirt was pretty special."

 

Molly – "Elias Rooney (for his style in cello playing)."

 

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

 

Jack – "Toms have a good 'one for one' thing and cool shoes (don't own a pair yet...)"

 

Stuart – "Converse!"

 

Molly – "If I like it I'll buy it."

 

Abigail – "What Molly said."

 

9 - Favourite film?

 

Jack – "School of Rock (closely followed by Star Wars)."

 

Abigail – "Breakfast at Tiffanys and many more"

 

Stuart – "Star Wars (geek)."

 

Molly – "The Holiday."

 

10 - Favourite TV show?

 

Jack – "Father Ted."

 

Abigail – "Sherlock/Merlin/Lost/too many."

 

Stuart – "Treme."

 

Molly – "One Tree Hill/Brothers and Sisters/Sex and the City (Molly has since been disowned from the band)."

 

11 - Who would you like to play you in a film of your life?

 

Jack – "Michael Cera would be hilarious."

 

Abigail – "Zooey Deschanel."

 

Stuart – "Benedict Cumberbatch would do a cooler job than me."

 

Molly – "Carrie Bradshaw."

 

12 - Favourite food?

 

Jack – "Pizza."

 

Abigail – "Italian."

 

Stuart – "Pizza."

 

Molly – "Cupcakes."

 

13 - Football team?

 

Jack – "Heart of Midlothian."

 

Abigail – "Hearts."

 

Stuart – "Morton."

 

Molly - "Hearts."

 Hope you enjoyed this feature on Paper Crowns! Check out our previous feature on Martin J. Sandom!

 

Check out Paper Crowns' Soundcloud page here - https://soundcloud.com/papercrowns

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB Records

PROFOUND: We have a chat to Martin J. Sandom about his solo career!

 

PART 1 - THE 'INTERVIEW'

 

1 - What was your first musical memory and what pushed you towards pursuing a career in the record industry?

 

"I'm not sure of a specific musical memory, but I can remember being around music a lot as a child. My dad is very much into his music and so there was always music playing around the house. I also remember watching his music videos (on VHS) at quite an early age, specifically his "Sounds Of The Seventies" videos with live performances from "The Old Grey Whistle Test", also I remember seeing The Wall (Pink Floyd Movie) but not really understanding the film or the music at the time. I'm not sure what pushed me towards music. I just love creating music I guess. As I said, I was around music a lot as a child and I remember always liking the idea of performing music. I used to spend hours singing along to music in my bedroom as a kid. Then at around fourteen I started to learn to play the guitar and as soon as I learnt a few chords I started writing songs with them, I've been writing songs ever since."

 

2 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to becoming a solo artist as Martin J. Sandom?

 

"Yeah, pretty much ever since I started playing the guitar I started trying to put bands together. My first proper band, that I played live with, was when I was seventeen. I played guitar in a band called Hidden Agenda. Since then I've played the bass, sang and played the drums in various different bands over the years, but I haven't played with a band now for a couple of years."

 

3 - Why did you choose to become a solo artist instead of forming a band?

 

"I started playing as a solo artist in about 2010, at the same time as being in a band, so it wasn't a conscious decision to become a solo artist. I just wanted to do something new as a songwriter and see what music I could create and perform on my own. Also, I had reached a point where I was confident enough to perform on my own. Before then, I don't think I was brave enough to get up on a stage with just me and my guitar, I was more comfortable being hidden slightly, within a band."

 

4 - How would you describe the sound of Martin J. Sandom?

 

"When I started writing my solo music I wanted it to be quite simple and stripped down. I wanted to try and express what I wanted in the most simple way I could, in terms of song structure and arrangement. At the time I was playing in a band called Know No Bounds and I was writing songs with odd time signatures and more complex song structures, so my solo project was a kind of counter to that. I tend to start with a basic blues or folk song structure or riff and then mess with it a little and try and put my own take on it."

 

5 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

"Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifier)."

 

6 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

"There's always a new song in the pipeline."

 

7 - When can fans be expecting a new single, EP or album?

 

"I've just released an EP called "Profound" and I am just finishing off another EP which I will release in a month or so. After that I plan to start writing some new songs for an album to be released sometime in 2014."

 

8 - Any live dates coming up?

 

"Nothing planned at the moment. I have been living in the Czech Republic for the last year but I will be moving back to London in a couple of weeks, so after that I will start looking at some new live dates."

 

9 - Who would be in your dream super group?

 

"Drums - John Bonham, guitar - Tom Morello, bass - Bootsy Collins and vocals - Chino Moreno. Not sure how well it would work in reality, though it would be interesting to see."

 

PART 2 - THE 'QUICKFIRE ROUND'

 

1 - Favourite Beatle?

 

"Ringo."

 

2 - Favourite band?

 

"Impossible to pick one, so here's the first five bands that come into my head: Tool, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Who and The Doors."

 

3 - Favourite new band?

 

"Not technically a band, but really liking a solo artist called Matt Corby at the moment."

 

4 - Favourite song?

 

"Again impossible to pick one, but the first song that comes to my head right now is Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over."

 

5 - Favourite album?

 

"Hmmm, again hard to answer...The Who - Quadrophenia or maybe Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks or...I could easily list my top 100 "favourite" but I'll just stop there."

 

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"In an ideal world I would say vinyl, but in reality I have to go with download for convenience."

 

7 - Style icon?

 

"Don't have one."

 

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

 

"Don't care for brands, any good quality clothes at a reasonable price not made in sweat shops is ideal though."

 

9 - Favourite film?

 

"Momento."

 

10 - Favourite TV show?

 

"At the moment, Breaking Bad."

 

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

"I've been told that I look a bit like Jack Gyllenhaal, so I'll say him."

 

12 - Favourite food?

 

"Anything cooked for me by someone else."

 

13 - Football team?

 

"Whoever's losing, I'm a fan of the underdog."

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Martin J. Sandom! Check out our previous feature on Shannon Wardrop!

 

Buy Martin's latest EP here - https://itunes.apple.com/album/profound-single/id676315892

 

Listen to "Lover, You Should've Come Over" by Jeff Buckley here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXe1jpHPnUs

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB Records

MEDICINE: We have a chat to Shannon Wardrop!

 

PART 1: THE 'INTERVIEW'

1 - What are your earliest musical memories and when did you first decide you wanted to make a career out of music?

"The earliest musical memory was spinning round in a circle on holiday until I was dizzy and making up funny words to accompany a funny tune when I was about 3 ha-ha!"

 

2 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to becoming a solo artist?

 

"I was in an all-girl band at school for years which was a bit of fun with some friends which I think taught me a lot about the kind of music that I enjoy playing!"

 

3 - Why did you choose to go solo instead of forming a band?

 

"The band that I was in at school broke up when everyone went off to University so I just carried on making music which just so happened to be alone for a while. I now have a lovely backing band with me though and I have to say that I much prefer having a band with me as opposed to being solo. I don't know if it's just because I have always been used to having a band around, but I think it's a much healthier and creative environment when you're working with other musicians."

 

4 - How would you describe the sound of Shannon Wardrop?

 

"I get asked this a lot and I never know what to say! I would say that my sound is strongly inspired by 60's and 70's music, in particular bands like the Stones, The Small Faces etc. so I'd like to be able to say that my 'sound' is a big mix up of British rock n roll but with a modern twist!"

5 - Your debut EP is called 'Medicine'. Why?

 

"Medicine is the name of the song that we felt was the strongest of the bunch on that EP so I felt to go with that and make 'Medicine' the statement as such!"

6 - What influenced this EP and the songs on it?

 

"I was writing these songs at a time when I was stuck in a bit of a rut musically after my old band separated, so I think I have come from a different angle on each of the songs which was reflective of how I was feeling at the time. 'Medicine' in particular came about through boredom and trying to find a cure/remedy for it, so I just sort of played around on that idea."

7 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

"What a question! It would have to be the Stones! I mean, who wouldn't want to play with them?!"

8 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

"Always!"

9 - When can fans be expecting a new single, EP or album?

 

"We are currently in the process of mastering my 2nd EP which I'm really excited about! We recorded it at RAK Studios in St John's Wood a couple of months ago which was an incredible experience and I'm really excited for people to hear what we did! Keep your eyes peeled on my facebook and twitter for a release date!"

10 - Any live dates coming up?

 

"Our next gigs are the 17th September at The Notting Hill Arts Club, 28th September at The Spice of Life in Soho and The Old Queen's Head on the 16th October. We will be booking some more very shortly as well as hopefully going over to Germany in the autumn to play some shows over there."

11 - Who would be in your dream super group?

 

"You're teasing me! I don't think I could choose a small enough group of people - I would put together an eclectic choir filled with nutters like Keith Moon and Janis Joplin and see what miraculous noise they could create haha!"

PART 2: THE "QUICKFIRE ROUND" 

1 - Favourite Beatle?

 

"John."

 2 - Favourite band?

 

"The Stones."

 3 - Favourite new band?

 

"Temples."
 

 4 - Favourite song?

 

"Time Is On My Side."

 5 - Favourite album?

 

"Sticky Fingers."

 6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"Vinyl - nothing beats that crackle unless you're opening a bag of crisps! Teehee."

7 - Style icon?

 

"I love the style of ladies like Marianne Faithful, Pattie Boyd, Anita Pallenberg etc!"

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

 

"For affordability and a good range of styles, my go-to's tend to be ASOS, Topshop and Zara!"

 9 - Favourite film?

 

"The Boat That Rocked is my all time favourite! I just love the music, the humour, the fashion and feel like a kid in a sweet shop every time I watch it!"

 10 - Favourite TV show?

 

"Scooby Doo."

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

"I suppose I would have to say Kirsten Dunst as a lot of people say I look like her!"

12 - Favourite food?

 

"Potato."

 13 - Football team?

 

"If I'm honest, I don't know enough about football to say that I support a team. But as my dad will probably be reading this I'd better say QPR! Haha!"

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Shannon Wardrop! Check out our previous feature on Jane James!

 

Buy Shannon's EP 'Medicine' here - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/medicine-ep/id632783666?ign-mpt=uo%3D4&affId=1930871

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB Records

LULLABIES: Check out our latest interview with the brilliant Jane James!

 

PART 1 - THE 'INTERVIEW'

 

1 - What was your first musical memory and what pushed you towards perusing a career in the record industry?

 

"My first musical memory would probably be singing into my granddad's microphone and speakers when I was very young! What pushed me was the feeling of being on stage and having more confidence than I would when I'm off stage as I can be quite reserved and quiet, I tend not to hold back on stage and the real me comes out."

 

2 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to becoming a solo artist as Jane James?

 

"Yes, I played bass for a solo artist called Becca Lancina."

 

3 - Why did you choose to become a solo artist instead of forming a band?

 

"I tend to write music better when I'm on my own, I tend to hold back a lot when I'm with other people, when I'm on my own I can fully express myself without worrying about what a band member thinks about it."

 

4 - How would you describe the sound of Jane James?

 

"I personally would describe the sound as melancholic, soulful and occasionally smooth."

 

5 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

"I would love to do a song with either Laura Mvula or Morrissey."

 

6 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

"I'm currently in the process of writing one, should be done in the next week or so!"

 

7 - When can fans be expecting a new single, EP or album?

 

"I can't promise this but maybe mid next year, I am yet to start recording!"

 

8 - Any live dates coming up?

 

"Unfortunately not."

 

9 - Who would be in your dream super group?

 

"Ian Curtis, Johnny Marr, Paul Banks, Graham Coxon, JJ Burnell, Julien Barbagallo and Souxsie Soux."

 

PART 2 - THE 'QUICKFIRE ROUND'

 

1 - Favourite Beatle?

 

"George Harrison."

 

2 - Favourite band?

 

"The Smiths."

 

3 - Favourite new band?

 

"Pylo."

 

4 - Favourite song?

 

"Mercy, Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye."

 

5 - Favourite album?

 

"Meat Is Murder - The Smiths."

 

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"CD."

 

7 - Style icon?

 

"Audrey Hepburn."

 

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

 

"Merc Clothing."

 

9 - Favourite film?

 

"Toy Story."

 

10 - Favourite TV show?

 

"Trollied."

 

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

"A young Diana Ross."

 

12 - Favourite food?

 

"Leek and potato soup."

 

13 - Football team?

 

"I cannot stand football!" 



 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Jane James! Check out our previous feature on Bel Esprit!

Check out Jane James here - https://www.facebook.com/JaneJamesUk?directed_target_id=0

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabrittonrecords

 

AB Records

MIDNIGHT, MIDNIGHT: We review Bel Esprit's new single and have a chat to the boys about lots of stuff!

PART 1 - THE REVIEW

 

'Midnight, Midnight' - any Velvet Underground fans out there? For this song is a superb slice of art rock induced modern indie, what more can we say? The song gradually builds up into a crescendo like chorus in which the brooding Lou Reed-esque vocals are most prominent. The emotions in the vocals are incredible throughout the song as well, as if the singer is pouring his heart out. Eventually, the song turns into a cacophony of yelling and shouting, while still keeping the melody going strong, as if the singer has finally let go to these emotions. An outstanding piece of musical genius. Ten out of ten. Meanwhile, the b-side, 'The Mad Ones', is a slightly more uplifting affair with an almost danceable beat, while it does not reach the same heights as 'Midnight, Midnight' it does capture the frustration which the band talk off below. In conclusion, based on this momentous debut single, Bel Esprit are definitely one to watch for the future and with more experience under their belts they'll only get bigger and better!

 

PART 2 - THE BAND ON THE SINGLE

 

The A-Side

 

Bill: "If the song were to be inspired by any singular piece of work, it’d be a poem by Sylvia Plath called Lady Lazarus. The song attempts to understand why Plath from such a young age constantly tried to commit suicide and does this by combining physical love and her tormented relationship with Ted Heath with her infatuation with death. Midnight represents not only death, but her lover also. Musically we were trying to get a sense of this mad energy so we were modelling it on what Velvet Underground did in Heroin."

 

The B-Side

 

Bill: "'The Mad Ones' first came about by wanting to get the energy and spirit of the Beat Generation into a song. ‘The Mad Ones’, though never used as a line in the actual song is a quote from Kerouac - “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars”. This is the principal reason this song exists. Yet as I wrote the song, the lyrics were no longer just capturing this energy but became an outpour of frustration, that this crazy time in the fifties had passed and we had all missed it."

 

PART 3 - THE INTERVIEW

 

1 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to Bel Esprit? 

Bill: "Yeah, I was in a blues band with Sachin called The Rusty Blues."

George – "I'd been a lone wolf up until the band formed, playing my trade on the mean streets of Upper Shirley."

Sachin – "Bill and I had torn it up in The Rusty Blues and I sneaked away to rock with The Slates occasionally, who I also drum for."

Fahad – "I was in a band called Sonic Ambulance from when I was about 14 to 16. We played a fair few gigs and supported Delays once at an outdoor festival. In college I was in an experimental band called Arteks, which took a lot more inspiration from electronic music."

2 - How did Bel Esprit begin?

Fahad – "Bill and I jammed a couple of times at college, but we didn’t do anything. Then all four of us drunkenly decided to start the band up at Reading 2012. We didn’t pursue it but then Bill, Sachin and I went to a Palma Violets gig at the Joiners and after that night we decided to start the band. Nothing happened again, until Bill booked a gig at the Talking Heads in March this year and we all got our acts together and got a few songs down."

 

3 - Where did the name Bel Esprit come from?

Bill - "I was reading a Hemingway novel and he mentions this fund Ezra Pound made for T.S Eliot called Bel Esprit. Saw that and it just hung in my mind."

George - "Our first incarnation, the "Bhaji Boys" met with limited success and some racial hatred so we decided to go with something literary and pretentious that no one had heard because we're edgy like that."

 

4 - How would you describe the sound of Bel Esprit? 

Bill - "Indie Blues Garage Rock Poetry."

 George - "A steaming casserole of indie blues with a side of order of hyperliteracy."

Sachin - "We sound like the last band in Andy Warhol's factory."

Fahad – "Pretty much all of that."

 

5 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

Bill - "I’d say Bob Dylan or Pete Doherty but not sure how that’d actually go down. So…. ah Christ it’d definitely be Bob Dylan who am I kidding."

George – "Josh Homme or the Cribs."

Sachin – "Patti Smith, crazy poetry going on."

 Fahad – "I’d love to write something with Julian Casablancas or Thom Yorke at the moment."

 

6 - Any new songs in the pipeline? 

 Bill - "Got a couple of little trinkets under my sleeve. The lyrics have been nailed at least down in South East Asia."

 

George - "We've been on hiatus the past couple of months so I'd hope so."

Sachin - "New songs are in the build stage at the moment."

Fahad – "I’ve recorded a few arrangements and Bill sent me loads of lyrics so it should be happening soon."

 

7 - When can fans expect the next single/EP? 

 "Not too long. We’ve got a few songs we want to get down on record so we’ll see to that once the band all get back to England and stop messing about around the world."

8 - Any live dates coming up? 

 George - "Supporting Crowns at the Joiners (Britain's best small venue) on the 14th September. Be there and be square."

 

9 - Who would be in your dream supergroup (alive or dead)?

 

 Bill - "Blind Lemon Jefferson, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder."

 George - "Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Page, Bootsy Collins and Keith Moon."

 Sachin - "Tom Verlaine, Flea, Keith Moon, Eddie Vedder and Patti Smith."

 Fahad - "Lou Reed or Julian Casablancas, Guy Pratt, Bernard Butler, John Frusciante and Matt Tong (I didn’t include dead people)."

 

PART 4 - THE QUICKFIRE ROUND

1 - Favourite Beatle?

Bill – "George."
George – "George."
Sachin – "Lennon."
Fahad – "Lennon."

 

2 - Favourite band?

Bill - "Uh...The Libertines."

 

George - "Queens of the Stone Age."

Sachin - "Pearl Jam."

Fahad – "The Beatles. Most of the time I have a different favourite band, but always come back to The Beatles."

3 - Favourite new band?

Bill - "Palma Violets."

George - "Palma Violets."

Sachin - "Savages."

Fahad - "The Orwells."

 

4 - Favourite song?

Bill - "Christ… Heroin I guess."

George - "Here's Looking at You, Kid" - The Gaslight Anthem."

Sachin - "Sparklehorse & PJ Harvey - Piano Fire."

Fahad - "I have a top ten for each decade in no order, this is too hard to pick."

 

5 - Favourite album?

 

Bill - "Highway 61 Revisited."

 

George - "Handwritten - The Gaslight Anthem."

 

Sachin - "Patti Smith - Horses."

 

Fahad - "Same as the last answer."

 

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

 

Bill - "CD.''

 

George - "We do like vinyl but it was expensive."

 

Sachin - "Vinyl."

 

Fahad - "Vinyl sounds nicest, but I've only got a handful of records and my CD collection is pretty extensive so I'm torn between the two."

 

7 - Style icon?

 

Bill - "Dylan."

 

George - "Johnny Cash."

 

Sachin - "Lou Reed."

 

Fahad - "Serge Pizzorno, Noel Fielding and Pete Doherty."

 

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

 

Bill - "I don't do brands yo."

 

George - "I only dress in clothes I find in car boot sales or in skips because you don't want to, like, give power to the man, you know?"

 

Sachin - "Hell nope."

 

Fahad - "Apart from a few Fred Perry polos, I mostly dress like a tramp so none really."

 

9 - Favourite film?

 

Bill - "The Big Lebowski."

 

George - "In Bruges."

 

Sachin - "Akira."

 

Fahad - "Pulp Fiction / Good Will Hunting."

 

10 - Favourite TV show?

 

Bill - "Mad Men / Breaking Bad."

 

George - "Breaking Bad."

 

Sachin - "Breaking Bad."

 

Fahad - "Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. Starting to wonder why we don't all watch Breaking Bad together."

 

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

Bill - "Ryan Gosling."

 

George - "Paul Rudd."

 

Sachin - "Animal from the Muppets."

 

Fahad - "If Faris Badwan ever went into acting..."

 

12 - Favourite food?

 

Bill - "Curry."

 

George - "Banoffee pie."

 

Sachin - "Onion bhajis."

 

Fahad - "Curry."

 

13 - Football team?

 

Bill - "Southampton FC."

 

George - "Southampton FC."

 

Sachin - Chelsea."

 

Fahad - "Highfield Primary Under 11s, I was first substitute..." 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Bel Esprit! Check out our previous feature on Point Inaudible!

 

Download "Midnight, Midnight" for free here - https://soundcloud.com/bel-esprit-uk

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabrittonrecords

 

AB Records

CONDIMENT KILLER: We have a chat with Mark from funk rockers Point Inaudible!

 

PART 1: THE 'INTERVIEW'

1 - Had you been involved with any other bands prior to Point Inaudible?

"Yes, we have all been in previous bands that played gigs on the odd weekend, and didn't really go far, but we gained some good experience from it."

2 - How did Point Inaudible begin?

"Mark moved down from Scotland a year ago and put an add on to join my band as 'Guitarist influenced by John Frusciante looking for band'. Alex then got in contact and we met in a pub for a few drinks, and just started jamming."

 

3 - Where did the name Point Inaudible come from?

"I really cant remember, I think we were playing around with the Inaudible idea, then just decided to stick point in front of it, we aren't really big on band names, every band name is pretty awful! I think Dean liked the name punching kids!"

 

4 - How would you descibe the sound of Point Inaudible?

"Heavy, Drunk, Funk."

5 - Have you released any music to date? Is so, what?

"We have just recorded 3 singles with Animal Farm Records in London and the first one is set to be released in late September. Also, we recorded a quick live demo and put it on some cassettes and handed them out for free."

 

6 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

"Dream collaboration? I have no idea, maybe Prince!"

 

7 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

"Yes, we are working on a new tune at the moment and I cant wait to play it live! Best song we have written."

 

8 - When can fans be expecting a new single, EP or album?

"First single comes out through Animal Farm records in late September, will be available from all good download stores."

9 - Any live dates coming up?

"We have a lot of gigs coming up, all that can be found on our Facebook, Bandsintown and Songkick pages, but the one we are looking forward to is the O2 Academy in Islington on the 27th Sept. It's in front of RCA Records/Song BMG and Rocket Management so we are really excited."

10 - Who would be in your dream super group?

"ABBA, they are already a super group!"

PART 2: THE QUICKFIRE ROUND

1 - Favourite Beatle?

"Gotta be John Lennon."

2 - Favourite band?

"Aqua."

3 - Favourite new band?

"Aqua."

4 - Favourite song?

"Aqua DR Jones."

5 - Favourite album?

"Aqua Aquarium."

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

"Vinyl - mp3 carries no good  quality. “Steve Jobs was a digital pioneer, but when he went home, he listened to vinyl.” - Neil Young."

7 - Style icon?

"Norris Coronation Street."

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

"George ASDA!"

9 - Favourite film?

"Aaah man so many, basketball diaries is up there!"

10 - Favourite TV show?

 

"Got to be Breaking Bad."

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life?

"Louie Spence."

12 - Favourite food?

"Lasagne."

13 - Football team?

 

"Hearts FC."

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on Point Inaudible! Check out our previous feature on The Broxton Hundred!

 

Check out the Point Inaudible website here - http://pointinaudible.com/

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabrittonrecords

 

AB Records

HIGHER SURROUNDINGS: We talk to Rich from The Broxton Hundred!

 

PART 1 - THE 'INTERVIEW'

 

1 - Have you been involved with any bands prior to The Broxton Hundred?

"Yeah, we've all played in various bands. Myself and Gaz are both originally from Chester and were in a band together before this one. Rich O has been in a couple of bands round London, so we've all done stuff before this band."

2 - How did The Broxton Hundred begin?

"As I mentioned before, me and Gaz were originally in a band from Chester that came down to London. When that band split up myself and Gaz wanted to carry on and recruited Rich O to play the drums."

3 - Where did the name The Broxton Hundred come from?

"That actually comes from Chester again. It's an old way of splitting up counties into these things called 'Hundreds'. And Chester would have fell into that Hundred."

 

4 - How would you describe the sound of The Broxton Hundred?

 

"I guess all three of us bring a certain style to the sound. There's elements of psychedelia in the guitar lines. The rhythm section is quite dancy/funky and the melody lines are quite poppy. We want to bring that all together in good quality pop songs."  

5 - Your debut EP 'Higher Surroundings' is pressed in a vinyl sleeve and the CD has a vinyl effect about it. Do you consider yourself to be a retro band and are you inspired more by the vinyl age than the digital age of today?

 "I wouldn't class ourselves as a retro band necessarily. I personally still love to listen to music on vinyl, but I think vinyl sales are quite high now so that makes it modern as well. We made the CD like that because we thought it looked pretty cool. I think both formats have their place, and good music is good music whatever era it comes from."

 

6 - The EP itself is based around four incredibly catchy pop songs with hints of psychedelia. How did these four songs come about and what inspired the EP?

"I had three of the songs written on an acoustic at a time just before the band started. So Gaz had some of his guitar lines done, then when Rich joined we worked on them as a band. The other tune 'She Brings the Light' just came out of a jam in our rehearsal studio."

 

7 - The EP as a whole is a fine snapshot as you as a band, however, the title track 'Higher Surroundings' is definitely a highlight for me personally. What is the song itself about?
 

"Thanks! Its a sort of bit of a riposte to a falling out I had with someone. I'll leave it up to the listener to go over the lyrics though."

8 - You supported Folks last year. Folks themselves have already been on a bill with the likes of Noel Gallagher and Miles Kane. How did it feel being asked to support an already well-established act?

 

"It was great to be asked to support Folks especially after the band hadn't been together long. It was a good night and feels like we're on the right track getting asked to do gigs like that."

9 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

"Not really sure about a dream collaboration, as long as the music sounds good at the end of it. I think most of these collaborations are a bit of a disaster now, I associate them with people like Katy Perry getting Snoop Dogg on one of her tunes that sounds like he just rapped into his iPhone and sent it over."

10 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

"Yeah we're always working on new stuff and there's plenty of new songs on the horizon."

11 - When can fans expect the next EP or single?

 

"We're going to release a single in October, which will probably be digitally first and then have a physical release party sometime in November."

12 - Any live dates coming up?

"Were playing the purple turtle in Camden on 5th October. And 229 in Great Portland Street on 18th October"

PART 2 - THE 'QUICKFIRE ROUND'

 

1 - Favourite band?

"The La's."

 

2 - Favourite new band?

"The Broxton Hundred."

 

3 - Favourite song?

"Very difficult to answer but if I had to plump for a tune - Timeless Melody by The La's."

 

4 - Favourite album?

"A Storm In Heaven - Verve."

 

5 - Vinyl, CD or download?

"Vinyl."

6 - Style icon?

"Don't really have one."

7 - Favourite clothing brand?

"Adidas for trainers, not bothered about other brands as long as it looks good."

8 - Favourite film?

"Might Ducks 2."

9 - Favourite TV show?

"American Dad."

10 - Who would you like to play you in a film of your life?

"Don't know enough actors to make a choice for that."

 

11 - Favourite food?

"Roast dinner."

12 - Favourite sport?

"Football."

 

13 - Football team?

"Chester FC."

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on The Broxton Hundred! Check out our previous feature on Memory Clinic!

 

You can listen to The Broxton Hundred here - https://soundcloud.com/thebroxtonhundred

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabrittonrecords

 

AB Records