Ahead of their gig at Saint Lukes in Glasgow on the 28th of April, I managed to catch up with one of the hottest bands in the UK music scene and fresh off the back of their trip to the USA for SXSW, The Blinders. Hailing from the coalfields of South Yorkshire, the Doncaster born trio have taken the UK live circuit by storm in 2017 and continue to go from strength to strength. What was it like over in the USA for SXSW?
Perception bending. A lot of fun. Something we will not be forgetting in a hurry.
You have released Rat In A Cage as a single, why this song?
Rat felt like a suitable single to bring Columbia to a close. The narrative is a glimmer of hope offered despite the rest of the album being heavily infused with anger and contempt.
You seem to enjoy coming back to Scotland, what do you like about playing up here so much?
We have never felt unwelcome or certainly unwanted whilst playing in Scotland. We also have a tendency to hit it hard whilst we're up there and magnetise to a bunch of people who will take us out on the town, much to the displeasure of our road manager.
Two great support bands for the gig in Glasgow,Bad Hombres and The Ninth Wave. Why them?
The Ninth Wave are a group we've followed for sometime now. We had the chance to become good friends in America, spending every other night with them. I think what they're doing is both exciting and innovative. Bad Hombres are a band which came to our attention when we found out Kieren Webster of The View was producing their EP. It's nice to see a band who have something to say.
What festivals do you have lined up this summer?
I have no idea.
Most bizarre moment on stage?
I'm not sure about most bizzare, but recently during SXSW we were told if we climbed upon the speakers during the show we'd be cut off. Naturally we tried this out. We were cut off... lights and everything. I think we plugged into a set of Vox amplifiers that were lying on the stage whilst our manager was arguing with the sound guy and took the volume as high as we could. The audience enjoyed it at least.
If you could play anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Los Angeles, California.
Whats the inspirations behind your songs?
It varies. It can be a simple phrase we've picked up or overheard, or it can be the entire works of a novel. With Columbia, there was heavy influence from the works of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley which gives the album quite a dystopian feel to it.
If you could cover one song, what would it be and why?
Dogs by Pink Floyd. Why not?
Do we expect any brand new music in the near future?
We're currently working on our second and even possibly third album. We're always writing and sometimes we'll throw a 'new' song into the live shows, but unfortunately we are at the mercy of the powers that be in terms of releasing new music.
What current Scottish bands do you listen to in the van when travelling to gigs?
The Amazing Snakeheads have an eternal slot in our van/pre-gig playlist. We sometimes will put The View on for a laugh, it gives us fond memories of our time on tour with them. Our road manager has been swept up by the Gerry Cinnamon surge. Unfortunately, we can't say the same.
If you could play each others instrument, what would you play?
I think we'll stay right where we are for the time being. It's messy enough as it is.
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