Mixing the ‘Mad for it’ beats of their home town, with some grunge heavy guitars and the swagger that only true Northern scallies could pull off, Flesh are cutting themselves a new genre; Snotpop. Raunchy, debauched, and apathetic have all been used to describe the band. Debut single, the self-released, ‘Not GNA’, along with some pretty rowdy live performances have earned the band some well deserved acclaim.
Ahead of their first official label release (W84Me/Dead Lonely) and headline tour, we caught up with Flesh for a quick natter…
BM: How did you all meet?
FLESH: We’re from all over the place, we don’t have very strong ties to where we were born, plus we’ve been reborn in all kinds of places, people seem to exist online more than geographically nowadays anyway.- Some of us go back time. We all just knocked about in similar groups and eventually some force brought us to a point where we were making tunes together
BM: How did you come up with the name Flesh for the band?
FLESH: It comes from the old Hacienda LGBT night called ‘Flesh’, and it also comes from the fear of flesh not existing and it being replaced by cold uncanny A.I.
BM: And the term, ‘Snotpop’? Where does that come from?
FLESH: When people ask us what we sound like we say ‘Snotpop’- it must be what our surroundings and lifestyles equate to.
BM: How would you describe your sound?
FLESH: Music that sounds like dual swords clashing over dance beats, or like tempered steel heavy metal pop bigbeat, or like dad rock, apparently anyway
BM: Is it a sound you’ve had from the start?
FLESH: Yes. – our first rehearsal was bang on, we had space to jam in our house but we used an old mill for a laugh and that probs glued something about the sound to this very day
BM: What kind of tunes are all four of you into?
FLESH: We bond over donk n happy hardcore bangers all the time
BM: Are they the kind of tunes that influence you?
FLESH: As a band its negative stuff that influences us more than awe, we probs learn more about what turns us on through disgust and through raw experiences rather than idolising rock stars. but when it all boils down, there’s always U2, Vai and Thin Lizzy
BM: What about growing up – did you have musical childhoods?
FLESH: We didn’t grow up in musical households, but as nippers we maybe had shit like Beatles tapes and John Peel radio mixes kicking about which probs had knock-on
BM: You’ve got your first official label release coming out soon – what’s the story behind the tracks?
FLESH: ‘W8 4 ME’ single w bside ‘DEAD LONELY’ out 25th September on RIP Records – the 2 tracks have a theme of excessive hedonism and reckless behavior isolating you, both on a social level & on a global level, blended w some broken heart shit and turning to superstition
BM: I hear you had a bit of a free rein on the recording front?
FLESH: We recorded it in our gaff, really loud. Every1 had evacuated all other houses on our street for whatever reason, so no limitations on any level. We didn’t try to make it sound like any particular recording, spose we just had vision and it came out that way. In terms of writing, we laid down the mood in the music first, and a bunch of repetitive words ended up on top, thats it
BM: You’ve got a host of live dates coming up soon. How would you describe your live set?
FLESH: You can catch us on our 11 date autumn tour, and people round Manchester can catch us on Sound Control leg 29th Sept. People say it’s sick, that could always mean pretty much ote (anything)
BM: Where did you play your first gig? And which have been the most memorable to date?
FLESH: Our first show was Sebright Arms in Hackney – we were meeting some London geezers and it tied in.
Gigs that trump the rest for us would be abandoned JJB Sports in wrexham, or 1 where sewage gupped out the ceiling in Preston. The worst gig was Paranormal Af and we can’t remember where it wa.
BM: Which of your songs do you enjoy playing thebest?
FLESH: We always enjoy the newest most, internet has made us mega adhd
BM: What’s more important to you? Playing live or getting in the studio? Or do you think the two go hand in hand?
FLESH: They’re dead separate for us but equally important, live is all about the pardy, and the studio is more about channelling purgatory shit through the music, there’s heaps of sin in those guitar shreds
BM: Any bands you’ve played with who you think we should look out for?
FLESH: Bands we’ve kicked about with to keep an eye on would probably be: Pink Film, Mistoa Poltsa, Gang, Heyrocco, DMA’s, all that
BM: What are the bands plans for the rest of the year?
FLESH: Physical releases that are more about touch taste n smell than hearing, for everyones xmas stockings
BM: And finally;as a band what’s your message?
FLESH: Our message is gtfo and seastead
FLESH are – Robbie vocals & guitar, Jon lead guitar, Haz bass and Cozza drums.
W8 4 ME / DEAD LONELY EP will be released via RIP Records on Friday 25th September
Headline UK Tour dates
Thu 20th August – Cardiff The Moon Club http://www.seetickets.com/Event/flesh
Tue 22nd Sept – Newcastle, ThinkTank – http://www.seetickets.com/Event/flesh-special-guests/think-tank-/888478
Wed 23rd Sept – Glasgow King Tuts – www.gigsinscotland.com
Thu 24th Sept – Sheffield Leadmill – http://leadmill.co.uk/
Fri 25th Sept – Stockon KU Bar –http://www.seetickets.com/Event/flesh/ku-bar/888669
Sat 26th Sept – Wakefield The Hop – http://www.seetickets.com/Event/flesh/the-hop/888288
Mon 28th Sept – Birmingham Sunflower Lounge – http://www.seetickets.com/event/flesh/the-sunflower-lounge/887143
Tue 29th Sept – Manchester Sound Control – http://www.soundcontrolmanchester.co.uk/events/flesh
Wed 30th Sept – Nottingham Rock City Basement – http://www.alt-tickets.co.uk/flesh-tickets
Thu 1st Oct – Bristol Louisana – http://www.alt-tickets.co.uk/flesh-tickets
Fri 2nd Oct – London The Garage – http://www.alt-tickets.co.uk/flesh-tickets
Sat 3rd Oct – Reading The Bowery District – www.thebowerydistrict.co.uk/
Sat 31st Oct – Flesh headlining This Feeling at Manchester’s Night N Day plus Whitecliff and Viola Beach http://www.nightnday.org/event/this-feeling-clubnight-white-boy-live/
Flesh Supporting Rat Boy
Fri 18th Sept – Liverpool Studio 2
Mon 21st Sept – Manchester Ruby Lounge
http://www.gigsandtours.com/tour/rat-boy
Flesh Supporting The Enemy
13th Nov – Yeovil Neo
14th Nov – Middlesbrough The Venue
22nd Nov – Portsmouth Wedgewood
Keep up to date with FLESH on; www.luvflesh.co.uk –FACEBOOK – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM – YOUTUBE
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