The Cut Ups – Interview

I’ve been lucky enough to have known The Cut Ups since about 2006 when an old band of mine played with them.  Since then I’ve been in three more bands and they’ve kept on trucking, getting better and better with every album.  They’ve gone from being the new band on the block to the old hands.  Reliable but always progressing The Cut Ups really are a constant ray of sunshine and a source of hope and inspiration to everyone who knows them.  I really can’t praise this band enough as people and artists.  You are in for one heck of a treat.  If you get the time please talk to them too as they really are the nicest bunch around.  If you haven’t heard or seen The Cut Ups before then it really is a joy and an honour to introduce them to you so without further ado here is the one and only Jon Curtis…

Let’s start with a generic one for those who aren’t in the know – who are The Cut Ups and where did it all begin for you?

That’s not as easy a question as one might imagine! The Cut Ups are Dan, Pippa, Jack, Reza and Jon (that’s me). However, for these shows our friend Robin is playing the drums instead of Rez. It all began nearly 12 years ago at The Cavern in Exeter. We played our first show on December the 23rd, 2004, which was my 22nd birthday. I wanted to pump up the jams in new and extraordinary ways, so Rez and I set up with a fella called Adam. The lineup that made our new LP (“The Nerves”) has been solid for about 4 years I believe.

How do you think coming from Exeter has influenced the band’s development and sound and do you see this impact on other band’s from the area?

Well, Exeter is quite isolated actually. If you live there, its the main place where everything happens for you, you don’t often go elsewhere – so i guess this means that lots of us get the same influences in similar ways. Everything is centred on the Cavern (which Pippa runs with Dave from Exeter punks Annalise (from No Idea Records, fact fans)) which operates as an alternative venue, but its actually way more than that. As such, there’s been twenty years of community built there around a mix of UK indie and DC punk rock kinds of things, which loads of bands have imbibed to varying degrees. Those bands include and have included Muncie Girls, Annalise, The Computers, Kids Near Water, Tyler, An Emergency, OK Pilot, Shit Present, Some Sort of Threat. For me, the big thing i took from Annalise (around whom the best ideas revolve, and who i got to play guitar for on their last LP) was that there’s no value in pretending that you’re from anywhere else. I’d be a terrible Liverpudlian, or Leedsy, but no-one can doubt my legitimate Exetertonian (that’s the real term!) status. If punk rock is about honesty, then I’d be daft to act otherwise.

What have your previous impressions of Leeds been and what might you be expecting this time?

I really like Leeds, and have always enjoyed playing here. When we played here with Franz Nicolay (from The Hold Steady) as his backing band we got to stay in a Hold Steady mega-fan’s mansion. So i have had very high expectations since then. I’m expecting a butler to serve me lunch, and to have to wear a top hat on stage.

We get a lot of younger people at our gigs and therefore always ask bands if they have any advice or tips for young people thinking of starting out playing music.  What would yours be?

Go and watch as many bands as possible – It’s the best education possible. And listen to Fugazi every day.

Seeing as we have a fair few miles between Exeter and Leeds are there any bands from the South West we might be missing out on that we should investigate?

There’s loads but you’ve probably heard of most. You can have a look at that list up the page a bit, but Woahnows from Saltash are a really really great quirky post hardcore band (you’ve probably heard of them), and I love a hardcore band from Exeter called Fall Children. They are very noisy.

You’ve been going now for over ten years, how do you find managing the changing pressures of life (work, family, friends etc.) that can impact on being in a band?

I just plough on regardless.

If you could recommend one book, film and record to people that has had an impact on your growing up, what would they be?

Yeah, a book would be Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – your friends might get embarrassed by you, and shift on, but you’re alright. keep going.

 A film – I watched La Vita E Bella (Life is Beautiful) when i was 15 and was overwhelmed by the idea that goodness can overcome the effects of the bad things in the world. That hope is more powerful than anything else.

 A record – an impossible question! Today i’ll say Billy Bragg’s first EP – “Life’s A Riot with Spy Vs Spy”, which always sounds like the voice of a young person not settling for what they’re given.

I’m aware that you have had a huge role to play in Exeter with regard to food banks.  Could you tell us a bit more about how you became involved with this area and your thoughts on the huge increase in the use of Food Banks over the past 2-3 years and where you see this going moving forward?

I started a food redistribution project with my friend Martyn – we take “excess” food from supermarkets/wholesalers/manufacturers (the stuff they’re throwing away, even though its still good and tasty) and share it with organisations that feed people, including Food Banks, Hostels, community cafes, school breakfast clubs and soup kitchens. I got involved cos i thought it might be possible, and if it was, then we should at least try. Obviously there have been mistakes made within the welfare state as to how people are given what they need to survive when they’re struggling. So those errors have led to a lot of hungry and desperate people – hence food banks have done brilliant work in making sure that they are fed.

 What has struck me in the five years I’ve been doing this is that actually there is much more waste food than there are hungry people. We completely overproduce in order to give very wide consumer choice. There needs to be an acknowledgement, either corporately or individually, that this can’t continue if we expect the global situation to improve regarding resources (energy, water, oxygen, not just food). So, our style of living on ready meals, every kind of fruit you could imagine, and no planning or preparation can’t last, if we want to see changes to food waste.

Cakes play a pivotal role at Youth Anthems so what’s the dessert of choice for each Cut Up? 

I like anything with chocolate and cream. Pip would choose lemon drizzle. In truth, we’re all obsessed with Krispy Kremes, and its a constant struggle not to eat three a day.

What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?

Was it Plato or Aristotle who said “Pick up your head, get off the ground. These High Hopes that I have keep me from getting down.”?

Nervous Twitch Interview

I’ve been a massive fan of Nervous Twitch since my band played a rather odd but lovely gig with them at The Fenton where we bonded over a love of Dan Electro basses.  They’ve just got better and better (evidenced by their incredible album and 7″ released last year) and they harness a wonderful and unique blend of ’70’s New York punk with Dick Dale guitars and a lovely layer of New Wave.   Believe me when I say you’re in for one heck of a treat at the February 7th gig.  Here’s a few words with singer/bassist/keyboardist Erin:

How would you describe Nervous Twitch in five words?

New-wave-punky-pop-songs

How did the band form and what changes have there been since?

Well, it would be hard for me to answer that without writing an essay, but in brief; Jay is the only original member, I used to be the drummer, Ash has been with us a long while and Emma a short while. We’ve had a few line-up changes in the past, however, it’s meant that we have met lots of awesome people and had the opportunity to play with loads of great musicians, but it works really well at the moment and I personally would love it to stay that way!

What’s being a band in Leeds like?

Having Jumbo Records in your bands’ hometown is great; they have always supported us with new releases. Leeds has a wide variety of different venues or promoters that has given us the opportunity to play with loads of awesome bands. It’s also handy being central in your own country when it comes to playing out of town.

What would your ideal gig line-up be?

We’d like to say Ramones, The Beatles and Nirvana, but with the majority of members being dead: a super group of the left overs maybe? But that would mean 3 drummers and a bassist. Emma suggested that maybe they could be put in a big brother style house and forced to write an album. Would it be any good? Have I answered the question?

Favourite cake of each member?

Ash: Battenberg

Emma: Victoria Sponge

Jay: Cheese Cake

Erin: Jaffa cakes.

What can people coming on Feb 7th expect?

Pop-y, Girl Group esq songs with a punk, Eddie Cochran rock ‘n’ roll vibe. Also the pre-sale of our new single! (Out on Punkfox records).

Sonic The Comic Interview

Sonic The Comic will be headlining the next Youth Anthems gig and I couldn’t be happier about it.  The duo play computer game influenced indie-pop/punk and will get you dancing and thinking in equal measure.  Lovely music played by lovely people!  Here’s a little bit information about them, so get familiar and then get down the front when they play.

What are your names and where do you come from?

I’m Stef, from Wolverhampton, and she is Sarah, from Northampton.

What’s the history of Sonic The Comic and what’s with the name?

We started writing little cute twee indie-pop songs together when we starting hanging out in a romantic capacity, and over time we’ve gotten a tiny bit less twee and now we sound like a bit of a shouty indie-pop videogame band! We’ve just finished our second album Atoms, and it’s actually really good!

The name came from finding out that we were both huge fans of the UK Sonic the Comic comic in our separate childhoods, and it just seemed like a good name to have as our band name. I’m secretly wondering whether we’ll ever be told to stop using the name.

Making music, making computer games, making comics, making videos, making drawings. What came first for you two and how do you actually find any time to play computer games??

Sarah is arty through and through, she arts all the time. She is an artist first and when I can get her away from her desk we occasionally manage to write songs. I’ve always been music first and make computer game-y music in my spare time. We started making a videogame but really didn’t get far – it’s still on our to-do list!

Sarah always has her PS Vita close by so she plays loads of quick games on Binding of Isaac, which she is basically obsessed with. I play loads of different things but I got really into Dragon Age Inquisition recently which was a really nice big RPG game. I guess we fit videogames into all the spare slivers of time that we get!

What sort of bands do you normally play with and what sort of places do you usually play?

We play with indie-pop bands mainly! In little cool venues and living rooms and bars. One day I’d like to play an outdoor festival stage maybe!

What bands would you consider an influence?

We’re both really into a guy called Fishboy from Denton, Texas. He writes really great songs with great overarching storylines and really good lyrics. I’ve always been a big fan of Los Campesinos and Johnny Foreigner and I think that definitely shows up in places – Los Campesinos especially ignited my love for shouty vocals and bleepy synths. I really like Hop Along and would love to write stuff like them – they’re pretty special. I got into Ted Leo and the Pharmacists recently too, let’s say those as well. Oh! I really love Trust Fund too at the moment, Ellis writes the best choruses.

OK tops… Top three bands, cakes and computer games?

Stef Bands – Hop Along, Brand New, Johnny Foreigner Cake – Jaffa, French Fancies, Chocolate Fudge Games – Dragon Age Inquisition, Final Fantasy IX, WWE 2K15

Sarah Bands – The Mountain Goats, Barenaked Ladies, Alkaline Trio Cake – Sarah’s Mum’s Chocolate Cake x 3 Games – Binding of Isaac Rebirth, Digimon World, Borderlands 2

Patrick Craig Interview

On May 10th we have Leeds via Kingston’s Patrick Craig opening proceedings for us so I thought we should find out a bit more about this chap before he brings his folk-punk sound to our ears…

Could you introduce yourself and tell us how you ended up playing guitar in Leeds?

Hello. I’m Patrick. I’ve been playing guitar since I was a kid, and gigging since I was 16. In 2012 I moved to Leeds to start a degree at Leeds College of Music, and thats how I’m here.

What are the positives and negatives of being a solo performer rather than being in a band?

Positives – I can take gigs without having to check stuff. I don’t have to split the rider with anyone. I don’t argue with bandmates.

Negatives – it’s quite lonely. You make friends on the road touring and that but sitting on the last train at Manchester Airport at 2am with broken headphones isn’t that fun. And my brain is dull, so i just argue with myself…

How does being an artist in Leeds compare to other places you might have lived?

I’m from south west London, and there is a cool local scene there, but its a little limited, because its not too hard to head into town or anywhere else for shows, so there isn’t the diversity in the concentrated area that there is in Leeds. I think in Leeds there is much more of a DIY ethic in that bands just want to play, rather than have moved to London to find management. I’ve never had a bad show in Leeds either, the audience has always been lovely, whereas I’ve had a few rude people in the past in other venues.

What would you recommendations be for other bands/performers both in Leeds and the rest of the UK be right now?

My favourite local bands at the moment are Trudy and Irish Boxing. They’re some friends from Uni so I’ve seen them from the beginning, but they’re both great bands. Another recommendation would be Sanchez vs. Fighter Pilot, who are an amazing band in Kingston. They’ve got a great local fancies, but as soon as they hit they’re going to hit hard, so make sure you check them out.

What advice would you give to people who wanted to pick up an instrument and start off as a musician?

Start. Just do it. It’s going to be tough, you’re going to get frustrated, but do it. And do whatever makes you happy with it. You want to play Bach sonatas on piano? Put the work in and it’ll pay off. You want to write punk songs on two strings of an acoustic guitar? Exactly the same. There’s no trick to getting into it, or a secret thing to do that makes it easier, you just have to do it.

Best gig you’ve been to in the last six months?

I went to see Tiny Moving Parts, Into It. Over It. and Modern Baseball not that long ago at the Brudenell. That was a crazy show, some amazing musicians playing some great songs.

Top three gigs attended?

My top three gigs where I just sat and watched the headliner with awe:

Get Cape Wear Cape Fly – Final tour, Brudenell Social Club September 2014 – I cried, I’m not going to lie. Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager is an album that hit me at the right time, and was one of my first major influences.

 

Andrew Jackson Jihad – The Fighting Cocks October 2014 – I’d only heard a little bit of them before I got booked for the show. So I listened to a bit more, and actually managed to catch an in-store from the frontman Sean before the show. Acoustic he was great, but as a band they were incredible. It was a tiny room, and the perfect atmosphere for an amazing show.

 

Beans On Toast – New Slang July 2014 – An education in crowd control. A perfect showman completely owning the room, and getting everyone involved.

So that was 2014..!

Thank you so much to everyone who came to the gig last week, I think we can agree that a good time was had by all?  I was blown away by all of the bands, they are all at the top of their game at the moment so to have them all on one bill was a real treat (as were the cakes as ever – good link?).  It was great to have Christine from PAFRAS with us and she seemed to be getting in the spirit of the gig too!  We raised just under £160 for the charity once Gift Aid was included so give yourselves a good pat on the back.  Our next gig will be in February and once again I’m really happy with the line up.  There’s more information on our gigs page but here’s the poster.  Any questions or thoughts for how we can improve in 2015 or what we should continue with then just get in touch.

 

The Amistad – Interviewed!

I’m so happy we’ve got The Amistad playing our next gig; they’ve been a mainstay of the UK DIY punk scene for quite some time and are lovely folk too.  Here’s a few words from them before they rock up to our PAFRAS benefit on November 23rd. There’s more information on the gig on our Facebook page here

YA: Could you give us a potted history of The Amistad? I’m aware you’re seen as a Leeds band but I know you’re spread a bit further now?

A:   We formed in 2007, originally a four piece but we’ve been a three piece since late 2009. The plan was to make rough-around-the-edges DIY pop music that was hopeful in a sort of bitter and cynical way. Well that’s the heavily revisionist/post-hoc rationalised version of the story anyway. We’ve done three split 7″s and an album since then, but it’s a good three years since we’ve recorded anything, and we probably don’t play as many gigs as we’d like. We’ve always been a band with no fixed abode really: when we started two of us lived in Sheffield and two in Leamington Spa. Now we’re split between Liverpool, London and Sheffield.

YA: How did your relationship with Bombed Out Records form and have you been involved with any other labels?

A:    Me (Mike) and Rob used to be in a band called Four Dumb Kids. Terrible name. Anyway, we were big fans of a lot of Bombed Out bands and we used to send Steve a lot of our (embarrassingly bad) recordings in the early days. Hopefully they were on sufficiently low quality CD-Rs to have not survived the aging process. By the time The Amistad got going we’d worn him down, he very kindly offered to put out our album and has been dead encouraging throughout. ROIDH and Disillusioned Records co-released the vinyl version of the album – Wayne is a lovely bloke and a fellow Wednesdayite so always a pleasure to work with – and we’ve had splits out on ROIDH, Document, Disillusioned and All In Vinyl, all of which are basically our friends’ labels and very nice people.

YA: Am I right in thinking your last release was the (rather incredible) “Kept Under by a Generation of Ghosts”? It feels like that might have been a little whilst ago, so what’s next?

A:   That’s very kind. We actually did a split 7″ with New Bruises in 2011, a year or so after the album came out, but that’s all. We’ve just booked some studio time to record album number two, which has felt like a long time coming from our point of view, so hopefully it’ll be worth the wait!

YA: What have you been up to since that album came out? Inside the band and outside!

A:    Well we did the split with New Bruises, and we’ve done a few tours, but other than that not a great deal to report band-wise. That sounds much more negative than it’s supposed to. We’ve really enjoyed playing gigs in various different places, got to play with some amazing bands and made friends with some really great people. The spending time with people bit is always the best bit, even though we might seem a socially awkward bunch at first. We played some gigs around Europe in 2012, including all the way up to Finland, which was definitely a high point. We’d love to do something like that again. Outside the band: I’ve been trying to do a PhD (was meant to take three years, just started my fifth), Rob’s moved to Liverpool, done a master’s, is now starting his PhD and expecting his first child, Frank’s moved to London, done some travelling, played in a couple of different bands and has just started a new job.

YA: What bands have been floating your boat recently?

A:   We’ve really enjoyed playing with Austeros from Cheltenham and Guerrilla Monsoon from Birmingham. I know they’re not that new but I really like Good Grief from Liverpool. There’s usually some Weakerthans and Lemuria on the go in my house. And some 90s guitar pop.

YA: Youth Anthems are strident supporters of cake at gigs so what’s The Amistad’s top three cakes?

Mike: the lemony one, the carroty one and the walnutty one
Frank: coffee, lemon drizzle, (vegan) cheesecake
Rob: cheesecake, carrot cake and, assuming it qualifies as a cake, croquembouche. I suppose that makes cheesecake, lemon drizzle and carrot cake the Amistad’s top 3!

Jesus & His Judgemental Father Interview

Before our rather amazing (if I do say so myself) line-up on November 23rd, here’s a lovely little interview with our headliners.  So get yourselves acquainted and come have a great time.  There’s more information on the gig on our Facebook page here

YA:      How did J&HJF form?

J&HJF:  Danny and Sof were in a Riot Grrl band called Amazon Molly and Danger and Liz were in an Ani Difranco covers band that Danny had been roadie and engineer for when we all met. We were all also involved in running a monthly open mic and gig night/vegan cafe called Riot Grill which only featured Women and Queer performers. We bonded over a love of pop-punk music, veganism and Queer and Feminist politics. Most Women and Queer people our age have noticed that most of the lyrics from the bands in the pop-punk genre that us and our friends grew up listening to (Blink 182, Green Day etc.) are full of misogyny and homophobia and so we thought it be great to mimic the style of those bands but be about the opposite of what they were about.

YA:  What would you say your influences (musical and otherwise) are?

J&HJF: Our songs are about our experiences…some are love songs but not your usual hetero narrative. Some are about oppressions we face for being who we are, some about our interesting friends. So we are influenced by everything I guess.  We are all mega music enthusiasts so individually we are probably influenced by thousands of different artists and bands but a little list might look like: Fleetwood Mac, Prince, Dolly Parton, Rilo Kiley, Dixie Chicks, Nirvana, Ani Difranco Beyonce, The Beatles, ABBA, Kate Bush.

YA:  What do you all do outside of the band?

J&HJF:  We all have Jobs, and everyone except Danny is studying as well.

YA:  What does DIY mean to you as a band and what message/s for young people trying to get involved with their local DIY scene would you have?

J&HJF:  DIY means everything to us. It’s how we do what we do. The music industry as it is, is set up so that success is measured as part of a capitalist agenda and you’re winning if your making money and everybody knows your name. If you work outside of that and make your own ambitions like, meeting exciting people, playing music with your friends and travelling to places you haven’t been then you feel a lot more satisfied with yourself than if you have a grand at the end of a show that you played to people you don’t really like. It means that things don’t fall into place without your hard work and it’s about having/gaining the confidence to keep pursuing your particular interest despite obstacles and boundaries. My message would be to make whatever music or art you feel like making just for the sake of making it. Make it for yourself and/or share it with your friends. You don’t really need more from it than that.

YA:  What other bands would you recommend?

J&HJF:  Esper Scout and Commiserations from Leeds. Not Right from Coventry, Ill from Manchester, No Ditching, Martha and ONSIND from Durham, Trash Kit and Shopping from London

YA:  What’s the bands connection with Wharf Chambers?

J&HJF:  Danny works there doing sound engineering and stuff. It’s the best venue in Leeds.

YA:  What can people expect from the J&HJF set at Youth Anthems’ November gig?

J&HJF:  Energetic and excellent as usual, but a little quieter. No swearing, more covers.

Nice work Team!

Woooow!  What a gig, not only did we manage to wrangle 65 people away from a lovely hot day into Wharf Chambers but due to the generosity of all of those people (and especially the bands) we also managed to raise £170 for St. Gemma’s Hospice.  If you weren’t able to attend or would like to give them even more money then feel free to visit the Just Giving page that this cash has gone to and make a donation: https://www.justgiving.com/TobyChelms/

Once again a HUGE thanks to the bands, The Three Amigos who were just sheer magnificence, their choice of covers were inspired (Iron Maiden never sounded so beautiful), Get Human (who managed to empty the room of toddlers but had the 6-9 year olds dancing down the front) and of course the phenomenal Esper Scout who just blew the roof off the place and I imagine there will be a ton of new young bands inspired to start from them.  A huge shout out to Danny who made the sound levels just perfect this time too!

Right onwards and upwards!  Our next gig will be a benefit for the amazing local charity that is PAFRAS, there is a Facebook event HERE or head over to our GIGS PAGE to find out more.

Esper Scout Interview!

We are very very happy to have the wonderful Esper Scout headlining our gig this coming Sunday and thought you might like to pour yourself a brew and have a little read about them (answers by Sarah)…

YA: What on Earth is an Esper Scout?

ES: An ‘Esper’ is someone with ‘extra sensory perception’, first written down in Alfred Bester’s ‘Oddy and Id’ short story and since used in Blade Runner, Akira and Final Fantasy I believe. There’s an 80s TV show called ‘Espers’ too – want to find a copy of that! With the ‘Scouts’ being a group of people, the full name refers to a gang who are connected through something you can’t quite put your finger on – this includes audiences and people who follow the band. Especially at gigs there’s a feeling between people which goes beyond sight and sound – an ‘Esper Scout’ is our term for somebody who’s part of that, or is looking for it.

YA: How did you four originally get together?

ES: Me, Kirsty and Rebecca met in Manchester when we were teenagers and formed a punk band from school into college. Kirsty and I played sport together and bonded over our mix tapes on a year 9 trip to Germany! With Rebecca we moved up to Leeds around seven years ago and kept making music – finding Lou on the Internet. The four of us have been together six years but Esper Scout I think for four.

YA: How do you think being based in Leeds shapes the band?

ES: We left Manchester after getting the feeling that it wasn’t a comfortable creative  and productive place for us. The promoters in Leeds are supportive and it’s easy to put on your own gigs, especially at Wharf Chambers, The Fox and Newt and The Packhorse. Jonny Strangeways, Nathan Brudenell, Adam British Wildlife and Nick Dead Young are all doing good things for the local music scene. There’s also other  promoters such as Third Eye and Destroy All Monsters bringing artists from outside the city as well as giving due line up spots for local acts. For youngsters  and elder, aspiring artists there’s the Leeds Music Hub, who provide lessons, workshops and seminars. I’ve seen it grow and develop since blobbing a few strokes of paint on their walls before opening-up and myself and Rebecca recently helped with their zine club as Bomb the Twist.

YA: Can you tell us a little bit more about the Bomb The Twist, the collective that you’re a part of?  What can we expect next from it?

ES: It started out just as a small label to release some of our stuff on and arrange gigs. After realising that we were surrounded by some really passionate and talented people we decided to start a zine with Antonia who runs Sticky Shoes all-ages events. We encourage anyone to contribute, somebody has moments, words, pictures etc. which are important to them, meaning anyone has value and we like being a part of sharing that expression out.

YA: One of the hopes of our gigs is to show some younger people who might be getting their first taste of DIY music what’s out there and what is available to them, so what lessons have you learnt that you’d like to pass on?

ES: You can do more for yourself than it might seem at first. Putting a band together, organising gigs and meeting people can feel like a big job but if you care enough  you’ll see it start to happen. It might not be overnight but you’ll find people to help you make music, express yourself, reach an audience and have fun. Ed Heaton and ELFM are really passionate about helping young people to play their first gigs and find their feet with opportunities and advice.

YA: How do you find all-ages gigs compared to your average 18+ evening gig?

ES: Youth Anthems will be our third and we love playing to kids so much. This summer we’ve played with Jeffrey Lewis and at Sticky Shoes festival in Wakefield, making  young friends and fans. One six year old girl wears our t-shirt to bed, her Dad sent me a photo of it this week. Feels so good that parents bring their children out to music events, in search of positive role models which they can look up to.

YA: Top three bands that have influenced Esper Scout and your favourite three cakes?

ES: That’s quite tricky because it’s not often all four of us will agree on anything! The yoga class we go to plays Bonobo, so we can probably settle on that at least. If there’s ever tension in the tour van I’ll be sure to put that on, calm by associated memories of stretching out. Someone said recently that we’re a mix of Pearl Jam and All Saints, so there’s something to go on!

We’re yet to try any of That Old Chesnut’s cakes but will be on to sorting that straight away! Rebecca (bass) makes a great gluten-free chocolate cake – as Lou (drums) can’t eat wheat. Banana bread is good too…and vanilla slice!

YA: Any parting words?!

ES: Mainly a big thanks for having us play for you! I first heard of Youth Anthems through your Post War Glamour Girls line-up; all-ages events really are worthwhile. To see kids dancing with no self-consciousness, just giving their bodies up to music is a wonderful thing. The joy of seeing that can distract me from playing because I want to watch them and their expressions rather my guitar fretboard!

Thank you Esper Scout!  Come see them play at our next gig.  More info HERE if you’re on Facebook or HERE if you want to look on this here website.

Interview – The Three Amigos!

Seeing as we have The Three Amigos playing at our next gig it seemed like a good idea to get to know them better.  So a few questions were slung their way and here are the answers.  Be prepared for some serious controversy if you’re a fan of the incredible film that they share their name with..!

 

YA: OK important questions out of the way first…Best Three Amigo?  Steve Martin, Chevy Chase or Martin Short? Show your working.

Sarah: A further twist to the name is that I’ve never seen the film the 3 Amigos. But based on his work as National Lampoon, I’d have to say Chevy Chase. 

Carrie: This is a very difficult question for me! I think I would have to say Steve Martin, because Lucky Day is probably the most sophisticated of the group. He’s pretty suave.  But honestly i think El Guapo is my favourite character, purely for the line ‘a plethora of piñatas’, which is fun to say. I really have to get Sarah to watch the film! The third amigo would pick Martin Short, so he doesn’t feel bad. (I prefer him in Inner Space.) 

 

YA: For people expecting three of you, how come there are only two in The Three Amigos?

Carrie: When we were first discussing the idea of a ukulele band, our friend Sam was also going to play with us. On a drunken night out we decided that we could be ‘the three amigos’. But a few weeks later, Sam’s wife had a baby, so he’s on long-term (permanent) paternity leave.

 

YA: Approximately how often are you asked that question?

Every time we play. And sometimes more often than that. But that is the joy of the Three Amigos. We’re like Ben Folds Five and Electric Six – technically a breach of the trade descriptions act. But we do like to say that the audience is the third Amigo.

YA: Give us the history lesson about you two!  How did the Three Amigos come to be? 

Sarah:  It was all cooked up over several margeritas. Carrie, inspired by Tom from McFly, decided to purchase a ukulele and figure out how to play it. I already knew how to play the ukulele, so I suggested we play a bit together. We found some songs we liked online, like Weezer, and hey presto! the Three Amigos was born.

YA: How do you pick the songs that you cover?

Sarah: We just think of things! Do we like it? Can we play it? Does it sound good on a ukulele? For the record, and just so you know, I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston does NOT sound good on a ukulele. We were as disappointed by this news as you are. 

Carrie: It often comes from something we’ve heard on tv or in the office that week and if it pops into my head that that song would be awesome to play on a ukulele, then we get to work!

YA: When you started was it always the plan to do covers or were any originals floated?

Carrie: It started off with us messing about doing covers. It’s a lot of fun and we still haven’t got to the end of all the songs we would like to play. We haven’t got around to writing anything yet, but it’s a future possibility.

YA: What sort of gigs do you generally play and do different people/places affect the responses you get?  How do you find more family friendly events?

Carrie: It’s fun to see people’s faces when they realise what the song is we’re playing and they start singing along but there’s also a lot of laughter at our gigs because the kinds of songs we play sound very different on a ukulele and i love that!

Sarah: I like playing songs that sound funny on a ukulele – songs that weren’t designed for ukulele, like Run to the Hills. People get a kick out of it. We seem to go down well in all age groups, but especially children in the 3-11 age group. We got called ‘epic’ by an 11 year old last week. That was a high point.

 

YA: Top three bands and top three cakes?

Sarah: Top three bands – Weezer, Erasure, Madonna. Top three cakes: Bakewell, Chocolate, Lemon Drizzle Cake.

Carrie: Top three bands are AFI, Iron Maiden and McFly and top three cakes are the cherry bakewell cupcake from Love Rouge in Headingley, then maybe a salted caramel cake and carrot cake.

 

YA: Any parting words?!

Sarah: Get a ukulele, they’re fun and really easy to learn to play.

Carrie: and a plethora of piñatas.

 

Thank you The Three Amigos!  Come see them play at our next gig.  More info HERE if you’re on Facebook or HERE if you want to look on this here website.