Introducing Interview: MOHIT - GigslutzGigslutz

In Hoxton’s The Macbeth, with their seemingly signature meal of pizza and beer, Gigslutz caught up with Bognor Regis’ top scuzz-rockers, MOHIT, before they played their debut single launch show.

So I guess we’ll start with the obvious… You’ve got a single out!
YEAH!

Has it been a long time coming?
Danny: We actually recorded it at the end of June last year, so you could say it’s been a while… We got all the tracking done in like two days, but because it was our friend’s studio it was very low pressure – it took about six months to get it finished.

But it’s here! Have you got other releases lined up, or will we have to wait another year?
Jack: We’ve got a 7” coming out with a band called Flash Bang Band in… May?
D: Let’s say June.

June it is. What’s the reception been like for ‘Southern Seed’ so far?
D: It’s been great! I mean, we’ve been around for a while keeping ourselves to just our friendship group and doing gigs between us; this is our first thing to properly go out to anyone. We’ve had all sorts of people from everywhere telling us they really like it. Before we’d even put it on any social media some guy found it on Bandcamp and invited us to his studio where Primal Scream have recored – that was pretty cool.

Sounds it! And, being from Bognor Regis, do you gig there much?
D: When we first started out we played a few gigs in Chichester, which is the nearest town, but other than that not really.
Toby: My stepdad’s birthday!

I suppose you’re spoilt for choice for venues now. Do you find it a lot easier in London?
D: Yeah there’s more bands, more venues, more studios… Everyone’s in everyone’s band.

It’s true. Everyone knows everyone. And how do you know each other?
D: Toby and I have known each other since we were about 7. We got into music together, just from listening to Nirvana and stuff. Then, 10 years later we met Jack. We were kind of on the same gig circuit. Everyone would play the same pub where they didn’t care if the bands were a bunch of 15 year olds drinking. It built up a sort of scene.

And did the band come about fairly easily? No disputes over musical differences?
D: I was playing in a two-piece, so I got a sort of feel for it. Toby taught himself guitar, so I took my drums to his house and we just jammed. It came really easily in that sense.
T: The bands we were all in split up around the same time. We had stuff recorded, so all it needed was a name.
J: I think we work with our differences. Also we write songs in batches. So a few will have a certain feel but the next could be completely different – it keeps it fresh and it means we’ve always got a better song.

Do tell about the name…
D: We wanted Subway but it was shut, so we went to pick up a pizza. It had been a long day of boozing, and maybe smoking, and this guy just had MOHIT in capital letters on his badge. So, yeah…
J: We get a lot of very excited people called Mohit messaging us. There’s also a lot of competition for Google hits with Indian singers called Mohit…

You’ll have to do some sort of collaboration! Mohit supporting MOHIT. Briefly going back to ‘Southern Seed’… It clearly harks back to your hometown. Do you miss it?
T: Nah, we’re happy here. We just needed some sort of salute to the old days.
D: I do miss the simplicity of it.
J: Back in the day when no one had bills to pay or anything like that…
T: I doubt it would seem that fun if we went back now.

Would you say it’s influenced you both with sound and the drive to make music?
J: Yeah, partially because there wasn’t much to do,but there was also a really strong group of musicians.
D: You meet everyone else who’s doing the same thing and we still meet them now. Everyone’s from down south – between Brighton and Portsmouth.
J: It seems to be dying down now. Everyone seems to be in their bedrooms producing on a laptop rather than out playing gigs.

Have you got much lined up gig-wise?
J: Yeah we’re playing a couple in the next few weeks in London.
D: Then we’ve got Alternative Escape in Brighton in May which is a free few days of music.

Are you expanding further than London and Brighton?
D: We’ve got a lot of friends in Spain and Portugal and there’s a good scene there at the moment, so that’s the next stop. Then possibly some up north. We’ll see…

Well, I’m sure you’ll be welcome everywhere. And I’m looking forward to tonight!
Thanks… Hope you enjoy it!

‘Southern Seed’ is out 27th April via Moonshiner Records.

Melissa Svensen
@melyeaahh