I recently caught up with Felix from the band for a quick chat!
How would you sum up your 2018?
Pretty class. We played our first ever gig together at one of Edinburgh's top venues The Liquid Rooms thanks to Edinburgh band DMS, which was an amazing experience. And we brought out our EP 'Don't Sleep' which we had recorded with Alan Moffat at Leith Recording Company. It was a lot of fun.
Plans for 2019?
We're going to be gigging really regularly and connect with as many audiences as possible, particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow to begin with, but also getting out to Dundee, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Manchester and other places by the end of the year. And we've been super prolific with our songwriting, so keep your ears open for lots of new music.
Any new music in the pipeline?
To follow up on our new single Déjà Vu, (which you can listen to here - ffm.to/y1n2y02) we've got our next single coming in April called 'Whose Happiness Is This?' and two more singles currently being mixed. We recorded all of them with Dave, from Edinburgh band Stillhound, and his recording company Lost Oscillation which is based in Musicbase in Leith. We are gonna go back in and record two or three or four more tracks in early summer/late spring too. We've been so prolific and we want to put out as much music as possible this year to show what we can do.
What are your influences for song writing?
I try to make our songs unpredictable and honest in their emotion. I also like the lyrics to be dreamlike but sharp, even when I'm writing from real experience. I can't stand when songs use clichés, it's so lazy and insults your audience that you couldn't even be arsed to express an original way of saying something. I think if you're gonna get on stage and ask for your audiences time and attention then you need to have new things to offer them. Your song really needs to go somewhere and give people something they've never heard articulated before, but that they recognise deep down as being true. I think songwriting is the key ingredient you can't do without but you also need amazing musicians to bring the songs to life to be the best they can be. Luckily I've got Lukas and Jonnie who perfectly get what what I write and add their own styles in the best way to make what we are and how we sound.
Thoughts on the Scottish Music Scene?
The Scottish scene is incredible right now. The talent about is insane. In particular I'm buzzing to see the amount of punk and punk influenced music, with a lot of it being focussed in Glasgow, but there's amazing stuff in every genre. Shout out to The Snuts boys and the success they're having, getting to travel the world and all. Tis inspiring to see.
Favourite Scottish bands or artists?
Nasari for their live show energy, soundness and realness. Callum Easter for his artistry and weirdness. Paris Street Rebels have rocking tunes and a class vibe. Rascalton and Declan Welsh and The Decadent West are both turning out the goods too.
If you could cover a song, what would it be and why?
I cover songs all the time, we did a cover of Sweet Jane by The Velvet Underground for our EP as I love the vibe and lyrics of it, though we made it faster and more rocking. It's still in our setlist but we're probably going have to bump it soon as we've got so much new original material Would like to cover some reggae and dub sometime soon and see what would happen if we punk it up.
What's the most bizarre thing to happen while you were onstage?
In my previous bands early years we once played a pointless show where the audience consisted of about three Americans talking loudly. So in between songs I asked if we had any Americans in, to be friendly and get some chat going. But they just looked over and ignored me, so I automatically blurted out "good, cos I fucking hate Americans." I suppose that was pretty bizarre. Insulting your only audience, suppose it's pretty punk rock but.
If you only had one album to listen to, what would it be?
Right now what comes to mind is Gorillaz' Demon Days. To me it pretty much reaches the absolute peak of what an album can be. So much power and different vibes and stories all combining to create a dark dystopian world you can get lost in and dance to. Or Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland. It takes me to another world, especially the 14 minute long Voodoo Chile which sums up to me everything about what you can do with music. Both of those albums were some of my earliest musical influences.
What is your guilty pleasure song?
I don't have guilty pleasures, if I like something I don't feel guilty about it. But I suppose when my college band had to cover Ariana Grande's song Side To Side I was very surprised how much I liked it. It's got a reggae vibe.
If you had your own festival, who would be your 3 headliners? If we're talking some time travelling shenanigans I'd get Bob Marley and The Wailers around '76, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band from around '78 and Iggy Pop and The Stooges at their degenerate peak. Catch their upcoming show with This Feeling on Saturday the 23rd of March at Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh, where they support The Van T's. Get your tickets here: https://bit.ly/2W7OyEU
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