Hiya lads, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today, grab a brew and take a seat.
What made you decide to start the band?
To be honest it’s just something we’ve always wanted to do. Dan and Andy have been best mates from being kids and always into music so it was just a natural progression to start a band.
You look like you are on a bit of a roll with the band, talk me through how you think the band is progressing?
Nicely. with each release we seem to be building a wider and more loyal fan base, as well as getting our tunes out to wider audiences. it’s always nice to see new faces at gigs that have come to see us too, we must be doing something reyt!
What advice would you give other bands coming our Barnsley way starting out?
Grind for it, I think too many bands call it quits before they’ve given themselves chance to get going. If it was easy, everyone would do it, wouldn’t they? Also, (most importantly) when you tell someone where you’re from and they go ‘BAAAAARNSLEH’, please do us all a favour and tell them to fuck off.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories?
Nah, I wouldn’t wanna annoy our reptilian overlords.
What was the most fun you have had on stage?
That’s a tough one, generally, every gig is a proper laugh. If it wasn’t then I don’t think any of us would be in the band. Playing Leadmill was a proper laugh though, but we love the hot sweaty venues, Cafe Totum was the best about that.
What was the worst experience on stage?
That would probably be the Polish Club in Barnsley back in the day. we played in front of 4 people (including the sound man) and someone launched a chair through the window mid-set, we also got the timings wrong for an acoustic tune, andy and the drummer back then were still at the bar when the song finished, leading to a lovely awkward silence. Live and learn though, don’t you?
Tell us a funny story from backstage?
There are a few of these. I reckon the highlight has to be Danny launching breadcakes about from the balcony where our dressing room was (not as posh as it sounds) and nearly being decapitated by a kickboxer for it.
Which one of the band is the most unpredictable and why?
I reckon that’s Matty, the bloke is a walking enigma and frankly, it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll still be alive from one week to the next.
Which one of the band is the biggest nightmare? (Just a bit of fun)
To be fair I think we’ve all got the ability to be a nightmare
You have one phone call and you have been locked up for a crime you didn’t commit? Which member would you call first?
Definitely, not Matty, he replies in 3-5 working days. I’d probably say Danny, he’s got a phone from 1997 and only needs charging once per week, that’s a safe bet innit?
What makes you stand out as a band?
I think our sound is quite different from anything else that’s out there at the moment. I think a lot of indie/ rocknroll bands tend to either go more towards the courteeners style sound or more recently, like a new wave punk sound. I think we’ve got a sound that’s unique enough to make us stand out but relatable enough to appeal to a pretty wide audience.
Tell us about a time when you had a proper reyt laugh while you were all together?
There have been loads, but I’d say the most recent was when we were in Birmingham to record our EP. We’d been playing FIFA all night (Danny/Andy vs Gav/Matty) and it got to about 3am without Danny and Andy winning a single game but they refused to let anyone go to bed until they’d won one. it ended up Grimsby 2-6 Romania at halftime, before a 4 goal come back and Grimsby (Dan/Andy) winning on pens. beer flying everywhere and some pissed-off neighbours in the next flat. (probably had to be there)
What’s your favourite song to play live and why?
This varies from gig to gig, at the minute I’d say city streets. it’s just got raw energy which I think everyone needs a bit of at the minute.
We recently reviewed your last single. How did you feel the review went?
I think we were all pretty chuffed about it to be honest. Obviously, RGM is well known for the bullshit free approach to reviewing so it meant a lot to get that kind of feedback.
I hear you have a new single brewing, what can you tell us about it?
Basically, it’s fucking mint. we feel that we’ve matured as a band since we recorded our first singles and I think that the latest single reflects that. we had some amazing session musicians lay some strings down for us and it’s worked a treat. I think it adds more than even we imagined it would.
Talk me through the thought process of the single?
The thought process for the single was the same as it always is. Try and write a great fucking song, then take it in to the studio and nail it. We think we’ve done a good job, and as above – big shout out to the unreal musicians that we had the pleasure to work with as they really did a great job taking it to that next level.
What was the recording process like?
That depends on who you ask. From our point of view, it was class, from Matt’s (producer) point of view, it was probably fucking torture. we spent the week trying to keep matty relatively sober in case he needed to do anything, Gav had a bit of a breakdown and ended up playing with a towel over his head and Andy and Danny spent every available minute playing football or pissing about.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the single?
The biggest learning curve from this single is that if you’re going to write a song with naughty words in it, you shouldn’t send that version out to radio stations.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Honestly, I don’t think so. that’s not to say that we won’t look back in a few years and think maybe there’s some things we could’ve done differently, but for right now I think it represents where we are as a band and the direction that we’re trying to go in.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
We’ve got another couple of singles to drop before our debut EP comes out, so it’s very much a case of getting them out there and getting them heard as much as possible, and hopefully get a tour sorted in the new year.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Yeah. Buy a t-shirt.
Thanks for doing us today folks, all the best and keep in touch.