Exit Calm have walked the beat while now. Since their birth almost eight years ago, it’s safe to say their sound has become respectably established and burrowed in there with many of the modern day bestsellers. As well as a September tour of the UK, Exit Calm are appearing at two festivals, one of which is in England: Strawberry Fields. We caught up with frontman Nicky Smith to talk about his festival experiences, essentials items, dream line-up,  and just what we can expect from them at SFF.

Gigslutz: What are your festival essentials?

Nicky Smith: Amps, guitars, drums and wet look hair gel for our sound man Jimmy Dean.

GS: What are you looking forward to about Strawberry Fields?

NS: Looking out to the audience as we play our new tunes from album three, which no one has heard yet.

GS: What’s your dream festival line-up?

NS: Beatles: ’66-’69. Stones: ’66-’69. Hendrix: ’66-’69. Dylan: ’66-’69. DJ Shadow: ’96. The Verve: ’96. Oasis: ’96. Stone Roses: ’96. The Charlatans: ’96.

GS: Best/Worst thing to ever happen to you at a festival?

NS: Best thing was buying a ticket to Glastonbury ’95 from HMV a week before. Imagine that now? Worst thing was people cottoning onto it. 2000 was too full so they had to build the fence and it went beyond commercial. When I went I was caught climbing over by a patrolling guard in a Range Rover. He shone a torch on my face and I shat myself, until he said “Are you climbing over then or what? Throw me your bag.” Everyone who went after 2000 missed out on Glastonbury in the way I fell in love with it.

GS: What can we expect from you at SFF?

NS: Our very best.

I’m sure a lot of us can relate to gentleman Nicky Smith’s festival experiences, except for the sneaking in, of course, *Cough Cough*. It’s always good to feel something in common with the sources of music we love, and bands as genuine as Exit Calm are undoubtedly a gem in the current music world. Having seen the band live on numerous occasions we can confirm they are ones you MUST see.

You can catch Exit Calm perform on the This Feeling stage on the Sunday afternoon of August 10^th at Strawberry Fields Festival. This one is definitely not to be missed.

Get your tickets for Strawberry Fields Festival here

James Cummins.

@CummyBear