Manchester based garage pop band Spring King have been taking the indie music scene by storm since they played Liverpool’s sound city earlier this year. I had the chance to catch up with the band before they played a show at Liverpool’s shipping forecast, for fans of Wavves and Black Lips Spring King are one of the most talked about up and coming band at the moment. With a huge backing from DIY, they’re due to play the ‘London All Dayer’ with other new bands like the Magic Gang and Bloody Knees.

So firstly, how did you all meet?

Tarek: Well I met Pete and Andy when I was about 14, we all used to hang out at the skate park and then I met James on Facebook! We needed a bass player and I put out a status, and James responded saying he’ll play bass but he didn’t even play bass at the time. So he bought a bass guitar and got everything else.

James: Except an amp

As a band what influences do you all have?

James: Plenty of garage rock, Butt Lips, Ty Segal, the OC’s and then Arcade Fire’s a big one! A big one one of Tareks, and Brian Wilson as well. He’s got a classic song. None of us went to Glastonbury unfortunately tough to see Arcade Fire, I think we’ve all seen them twice or three times. I mean I saw them at Leeds fest a few years ago and they were really cool, and after that just psych bands I guess like Tame Impala and POND. Well, all sorts really and anything 60’s.

Andy- Anything Jazz, and stuff from the 60’s I love that sort of stuff and all the teenage angst! Metal music from a young age and growing up

James: Those are his own personal views and not those of the band!

When you’ve been playing different shows across the country what’s on your playlist?

Tarek: We’ve been listening to a lot of Cody Chestnut in the car and Mustafa Ozkent, a lot of hot sugar and quite a bit of Kendrik Lamar

James: Did we?

Tarek : One or two tunes! We’ve been blitzing the radio head album in rainbows, I’ve been playing that on the drive down to London which was really good. What else did we listen to?

James: Nigerian Funk

Tarek: Basically a lot of stuff to calm the journey, nothing too aggressive because when we get on stage we’re pretty aggressive anyway! So it’s all pretty chilled in the care, we just sorta’ take it slow.

Any album plans for next year?

Pete: We haven’t quite worked it out yet, we’ve got plenty of songs but we haven’t quite decided on how we want to put it together yet. I personally don’t feel we’re quite ready for an album just because I think we’ll benefit from spending more time writing together and playing more shows. We have quite a few coming up though, this tour we’ve played Hamburg and London and Liverpool tonight, then Manchester and a few other dates. We’re playing New York in a few weeks! A festival called CMJ which is like is for sure a personal highlight because when we started the band that was the one thing I wanted to achieve. I just to live there four years ago in long island city with some friends because at the time I was interning for a record label so just going out to shows all the time and when that festival was on it was like the best week of my life it was just so crazy. So yeah I personally feel like we’re not quite ready to do an album, I think in a way it would be more creatively satisfying to do another EP and see where that takes us.

 

How was your summer playing festivals?

Tarek: We did Latitude, Sound City which were both fun to play, loads of good bands!

James: We did great escape in Brighton which was really good, we didn’t really catch many new bands, we just got really drunk which was equally good! We did Live at Leeds too and a few other city festivals. We also did a show in London, own actual show in Hoxton Bar and Grill!

Tarek: As you can tell we kinda just go with the wind… We’re just hoping to play a lot more shows but it’s winding down a little bit.

For you, what makes the perfect gig?

Andy: The perfect gig has to be in a small venue, it can’t be too large and preferably indoors and it’s a lot to do with the crowd too, the people make a big difference because I think the band is only 50% of the performance really, because unless the crowd is into it, the band really can’t get into it. So hopefully someone who’s coming down to see us is just part of a nice crowd and that’s just perfect for me.

James: When we played London the other day a lot of our friends were there so it was really nice to have a receptive crowd. And Pete’s dad played, that was equally nice.

Tarek: We’re excited to play here tonight as me and Pete have a history with Liverpool we’ve got a load of mates coming round. We studied here and spent a lot of time here partying so we love this city, it’s like a second home. And also what makes a good gig for me is just good sound as well, just so I can hear everyone and then we can all have a good time then we’re all in a good mood and ready to go.

If you had full control over your merch what would you do?

Tarek: Andy wants to sell matches!

Andy: And PEZ dispensers with our faces on

James: Didn’t JLS do condoms?

Pete: There’s a guy who does really cool lo-fi pop stuff and when he put out his last record to promote his last album he sent out his own lip gloss with a picture of him on the side and he sent that to a load of journalists and well ever since then I’ve been like man, I’d love to make some lip gloss.

James: What flavour would it be?

Pete: Oh yeah what flavour would it be? I would have something that’s kinda tangy maybe, like a citrus fruit. I’d work on the flavour for a little while,

Tarek: I don’t know if you can sell alcohol but if I could it would be spring king rum and cokes, with our own flavour. I’d love to make my own drink in a can, but you’ve got to add lime to it.

Andy: You need to have a playlist on the back!

 

Twitter : https://twitter.com/springkingband

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/springking

By Sophie Jones