Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Personally I did not grow up with very musical parents so a lot of what I absorbed was recommended through friends. I remember Arctic Monkeys having a particular impact on me as they all started playing their instruments later on in life and this definitely acted as a catalyst for me picking up the guitar.(max)
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Strangeways”?
A: We always hope that the music and live shows will be enough, however it is clear that the music landscape is changing constantly and there is no denying that social media has a huge impact, we do not intend to be ignorant to this however we are also not willing to sell our souls to the algorithm, so finding a way we can remain true to ourselves within that is important. (max)
For anyone about to discover Strangeways, stay tuned in as we haven’t even released half of our catalogue yet and we are still writing more.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: For me it would be Geese. I really enjoy the way they don’t abide by any genre constraints and somehow seem to make music that sounds like an old band you love and something completely modern and original. (max)
Musically we tend to be inspired by each other, a lot of what we make is in reaction to what someone else is playing at the time and that usually makes the final cut. Instead of trying to force anything we like to enter the writing process with one idea and build upon that.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “B.P.R.S.”?
A: BPRS has ended up being a catchy summer song. It first came about through jamming in my shed. The lyrics themselves are fun, I don’t think they’re very serious. The story that plays out within the song makes for a strange fairytale filled with odd characters. I don’t want to state what any of it means indefinitely, I don’t think I have to, and it would take away from them, and any meaning that anyone had inserted in themselves. (tom)
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Cathartic (max)
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “B.P.R.S”?
A: I had the riff for a couple of months and was really struggling to add lyrics of any substance or that made an impact. It was only when I showed it to Tom and he improvised some lyrics over it, in his shed, that it started to make sense. Everything started to fall into place quite naturally once we played it with the band. (max)
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: The songs typically are some sort of sneer or observation of society and the characters you find within it. Truthfully I just hope that people recognise something in the song from their own life. I think we are very passionate about our songs and we back ourselves, we just want to have a chance to connect with as many people as possible through the music and gigs. (max)
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: It would be cool to see how a DJ/producer artist would utilise a Strangeways collaboration, maybe someone like Fred again or Nia Archives. Even a psychedelic song with Kevin Parker would be cool. (harry)
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Stay true to yourself and your Music, there may be areas along the way where you will need to compromise like inconvenient performance dates or times for example, but always make what you want to make, my favourite bands that we have played with always seemed to have something completely unique to them. (max)
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: I spent too much time thinking about performing music rather than actually acting on it. It’s amazing how many opportunities will find you as soon as you start to do so. You never stop learning and picking lessons up so just get started now and put yourself out there. (max)
