Big Image combine the reverb-drenched piano of house, the propulsive breakbeats of drum and bass and the bubbling buoyancy of baggy to create a cocktail sound that is entirely theirs. With smart, world-weary lyricism, and arms-around-shoulders sentiment, the Midlands four piece – composed of George, vocals; Luke, bass; Connor, guitar; and Seb, drums – make euphoric and transformative pop for the masses.
With their new EP due out this month, bassist Luke answered some of our questions to find out all about the band.
Give us a potted history of the band
So, Big Image started when me (Luke) and singer George met at a rehearsal room. We both joined this other band on the same day, and it was our first practice. I was playing a Stone Roses bass line when George walked in, and we just got chatting. About a week later we met and decided to leave this band and just start our own thing. So, we found this dodgy little lockup in Kidderminster, where we’re from, and went there five nights a week writing songs. About six months later we got Connor and Seb in, and the rest is history. We used to be called Ivory Wave but after lockdown we just wanted a fresh start. We’d been going a few years and got pushed under a few people in the industry’s noses so thought it was time to start anew. Once you’ve been heard by them once, that’s kinda your only shot really. We did some great things; played with DMA’S a few times, toured with the Twang, the Sherlocks. They were great times.
Who inspired you to start making music
There was a band my dad used to play when I was younger called The Wonder Stuff. I remember listening to them when I started playing guitar and they are definitely the reason I started writing songs. I stopped writing for a few years but once I met George I started again. It’s hard to find someone in Kidderminster who’s into bands like the Stone Roses and Jagwar Ma, so once I met George that buzz came back.
And the one or two records that inspired you artistically
The Stone Roses debut was the first album I really appreciated. There are not many albums that are amazing from start to finish and that’s the first one I heard. And the Jagwar Ma debut. I just remember me and George smashing that album around the time we started the band. No one else we knew really liked them or even knew them. They definitely influenced how we wanted to make music in the early days.
If you’re trying to explain who you sound like to someone that’s never heard you, what do you say?
If I’m honest I think we sound completely unique. I don’t think there’s a band out there that sounds like us at the minute.
Tell us about your new release
So, we’ve got an EP coming out on 27 April called Human Touch Is Forever, which we recorded at Bluebell Studios in Kent. It was the first thing we did when the restrictions were lifted so it was good to just lock ourselves away for a week and get creative. All the songs were written in lockdown without us meeting up. We hadn’t even played them as a band, so it was strange, but great at the same time.
Where can we get hold of it
It’s on all the streaming platforms.
Tell us how you write? (As a band, do different people have different roles, words / music first, from jamming etc)
It’s different every time. The music will always come first, and we all write on laptops. So, Connor might write some music and send it to me. I’ll then do the lyrics and melody. Then we come together and finish the song as a whole. Or George may do a song start to finish; it changes for every song. The main thing for us is that we like the tune, and that it gets us buzzing. Once we’ve got that basic groove down the rest is easy.
Tell us about your live show and how much have you been missing it recently
I think live is where we sell ourselves best. We’re a fun band to go watch and don’t take ourselves too seriously. We like our gigs to just be a place for people to let off steam and enjoy themselves. We’ve really missed that. I’ll hold my hands up and say I was the first to moan about us driving to Manchester and back to play to 50 people on a Thursday night, but that time off we had from it really made us appreciate the memories we had gigging.
What can we expect from you in the near future
Just more music and more gigs. Our Birmingham and London headline shows are on sale now plus some slots at Community Festival in London and Sonic Wave in Birmingham.
Tell us your favourite records that are rocking your headphones / tour bus / stereo
The new Confidence Man album (Tilt) is on repeat for me at the moment. I think they are one of the best bands about at the minute. They sound like they just do what they want and have fun with it. Common Goldfish just released their debut single, which is great. Also, a lad who’s from round our way called Vega Rally; very excited to hear what he does next. And Pastel, I watched them at Isle of Wight, and they blew me away. I usually watch about 15 minutes of a band before I’m bored, but I was there until the end for them. Amazing band.
Find out more about the band via their Website or Facebook
Have a listen to the bands track Crazier, below
