Hiya folks 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?
The Perps evolved from the dreaded, but mandatory school band journey. After Uni, we decided to give it a serious and organised go.. We built the team, found a bass player and locked ourselves away in rehearsals and writing for 18 months, while we figured out songs for recording and the craft for future live performances.
Introduce us all to the members?
The Perps (in Alphabetical order);
Alex Visinoni (drums / Percussion & writing).
Arik Ross / Bass Guitar / Guitar / Vocals & Harmonies / Writing.
Seb Smith / Frontman / Lyricist / Vocals & Harmonies / Guitars / Writing.
Tom Burns / Rhythm – Lead Guitars / Vocals & Harmonies / Writing.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received?
Swap the warm beer given to support bands for the cold beer in the headline act’s fridge
(while they are sound checking obvs).
Remember to carry ‘spare’ spares!!
What’s your favourite song right now from another band currently on your local circuit?
We’re actually from Macclesfield just outside Manchester so Meds by Virginmarys & we’re loving Queen Cult. The are both Macc bands.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories?
It’s difficult to pinpoint one conspiracy theory from everyone in The
Perps, however no one wears a man bag nor refers to each other as ‘Brrrro’.
If you could choose, would you prefer to time travel to the past or go forward in time?
If we could go back in time, then we could find all the bank cards Seb has lost.. This would improve his carbon footprint, reduce global bank charges and recover those lost minutes on our travels, (generally) standing at the bar – while Seb searches for lost cards and condemns banks for conspiring against him – by designing such a losable product.
What support is out there for new artists in Manchester?
There is a great network of venues, promoters and fellow rising bands. It works when bands collaborate and share gigs etc. We’re all recovering from lost time (C19) & the audiences want good live gigs too. There are some bands out there that don’t get this and try to compete, while forgetting to check and balance their Liamometer, be original and wind it in until they’ve developed their own sound, image and persona.
What useless party trick/talent do you have/?
Arik is a ‘mean’ player of the wood saw. We have it on video.
What was the most fun you have had on stage?
Great gig in Leeds when the audience were on the stage and one of our
‘party animal photographer’ friends Matty – fell backward into Seb (mid tune) and still
managed to keep most of his beer. We have it on our socials on video!!
What was the worst experience on stage?
(earlier days) a mysterious ‘missing guitar’ needed to perform one song just never made it to the stage (conspiracy??).: Took about five minutes to sort it out – mid set. Yep embarrassing!
Tell us something about each member that you think people would be surprised about?
Arik has a Lizzard, a snake, a dog and once had a pet squirrel. He’s the only non-Mancunian in The Perps. He loves a piece of wood and can make you a mean sash window while playing tunes on his saw.
Alex has a degree in Geology and knows every fact and word from the whole Lord of the Rings stories, books, films etc. He is also doing a master’s degree, has a brother who used to be in Coronation St, and secretly admits to working as an estate agent, by day, to fund his
musicianship.
Seb is a five dimensional spirit from a different Omniverse. He often receives signals from space and sometimes wears odd socks. He has managed to learn how to play guitar (self taught on a five string) but still can’t cope with the workings of a mic stand, cables, nor contactless payment systems.
Tom has a degree in Music but manages a restaurant to fund his musicianship. He’s the only one in the band who knows how ‘everything’ works. He also plays piano and often tunes Seb’s guitar while explaining banking Apps to him and how they work on a charged-up phone!
Which one of the band is the most unpredictable and why?
Toss up between Arik & Seb .:. You never know what to expect. Expect
trouble if cooking wine or intergalactic auroras are in play.
Which one of the band is the biggest nightmare? (Just a bit of fun)
We’ve got an unofficial non-disclosure agreement in place, however the manager (SB) is always late, invariably lets us down, never carries spares, forces us to get to gigs on the bus and agrees to warm beer at gigs.
You have one phone call and you have been locked up for a crime you didn’t commit? Which member would you call first?
It would have to be Alex .: He’s half Italian so knows how to charm the
authorities with his calm and subtle approach to problems.
Name a four piece band made up of legends – who would be in it? (drummer, bass, lead singer etc)
Taylor Hawkins / Drums, Bernard Edwards / Bass, Joe Bonamassa /
Guitar, Myles Kennedy / Vox .:
If you could play any music festival which would it be?
Glastonbury
Best gig you’ve been to that you weren’t playing?
Virginmarys Academy 2 Manchester
What advice would you give someone going into the music industry?
Work hard, hone your talent, get organised, get a manager, and don’t be a dick with
other bands, promoters & or venues. Make sure you’re good enough before you go out.
What’s your biggest achievement as a band?
Remaining independent and owning all of our content. Equitable splits and a democratic business process.
I hear you have a new single out, what can you tell us about it?
(Wake Up On Saturday) .: A power ballad about unrequited love.It: Definitely one
for the sing-along and air guitarists out there.
Talk me through the thought process of the single?
Thought processes of the single: It’s just such a banging tune, we couldn’t wait to finish it, so it jumped the queue of six others in production .. Albeit about an unhappy aspect of life, it’s still there with a rousing melody and chorus. We had to provide a radio edit, but the full version does the song real justice.
What was the recording process like?
Process for recording has become interesting, due to lock down (Covid). We carried on working throughout and recorded drums and guide vocals / guitars at our rehearsal studio in Manchester, Then our producer/engineer (with his portable studio) completed the remaining vocals & Guitars etc in various different locations, such as; The live room at one our favourite venues ~ Mash in Macclesfield, our manager and drummers houses and so on..
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the single?
The biggest learning curve in writing is to make sure the music is ready to be recorded prior to paying expensive fees. Allow the initial bounce mixes to land and expand before tweaking.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
There’s always a number of things you want to change and we can hear the odd noise we don’t like, but there comes a point where you have to let it go
and get it mastered and out.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
Moving our home rehearsal space, Finishing off more recordings, working towards our debut album, using a PR agency to re-launch our EP ~as it was released when we couldn’t promote it with live shows. We have loads of new material too, so finishing off and putting together some really interesting new sets live shows. We’re going to promote a previously released ballsy rock tune [Megalomaniac] into the neighbourhoods who’d rate a rant at vile billionaire offenders who think they can buy their way out of justice!! And we have a next gen (Unreal Engine)TV studio video of our first single [Cut It] to promote along with a live video filmed (without an audience / C19!) of a previously and as yet unreleased tune named Le Clique.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Use your ears, your eyes and your soul. Music transcends all boundaries. Don’t be a nuisance .: The Perps. May 2022.