indie interviews
Meet: Ben Hall (Mr Ben & The Bens) ahead of their Life Drawing album release
We’ve been big fans of Mr. Ben & The Bens since we first caught them in Leeds a couple of years or so ago. Up recently we’ve been more than taken with singles Watering Can and Beast in the House, and with their album Life Drawing coming out on July 10th via the ever brilliant …
Meet: We speak to Kodaline ahead of their new album release
We’ve a bit of history with Kodaline, not that you’d (or especially they’d) know. When we were in our infancy, dreaming of doing this as an actual job and meeting heroes (how we laugh now) Kodaline were one of the first bands we were actually asked to write about. Moreover (I think this is true) …
Meet: We caught up with Little Man Tate as they plan to reform
We reported the news Little Man Tate reforming back in April here. We caught up with the band to find out how they are coping through the pandemic and what they have been up to and their future plans. Read on to find out more. Difficult times, how has this crisis affected Little Man Tate? …
Meet: Doomshakalaka aka Paul Rafferty ahead of his album release
One of our favourite tracks of the year here on Backseat Mafia has been ex-Hot Club De Paris bassist / singer Paul Rafferty’s tracks One Last Saturday Night in his new guise – Doomshakalaka. Its a gorgeous slice of life affirming indie rock, and with his album out next week (June 5th) via Moshi Moshi, …
Meet: Dead Meadow’s Jason Simon on his new solo record ‘A Venerable Wreck’ and more
Ahead of the release of his new album A Venerable Wreck, we tracked down Dead Meadow’s Jason Simon to tell us more. We’ve already fell for the single ‘Red Dust’ with its arid psych country stylings and with the albums out tomorrow (May 22nd) on the Chilean label BYM (home to Föllakzoid, Chicos de Nazca, …
Meet: I Like Trains’ David Martin on new material, how they work, lockdown and more
It’s been eight years since we last heard from I Like Trains, or at least that’s when their last album dropped. Maybe best remembered for their first two records – 2006’s Progress • Reform and Elergies to Lessons Learnt from a year later, they produced epic post/indie-rock anthems of a dark and emotive nature that …
Meet: Modern Studies talk three tracks ahead of The Weight of the Sun release
We’re big fans of kosmische folk-rock quartet Modern Studies, and we’re thoroughly looking forward to the release of the bands third album ‘The Weight of the Sun’, out this Friday (8th May) via Fire Records. Principally written by the bands Emily Scott and Rob St John, the band convened with Pete Harvey and Joe Smillie, …
Meet: We interview Lavinia Blackwall on her debut solo album Muggington Lane End
We’ve all been stuck inside for ages. Unless your one of our lovely key workers. What it has done is given us all time to listen to and appreciate music (that’s why you’re here, right?) and undoubtedly one of our favourite songs of the year, possible our absolute song of the year here at Backseat …
Meet: Leeds post-punks Household Dogs
Intrigued as we were by the beguiling and atmopspheric ‘Ain’t no Heaven’, We decided to investigate Leed’s Household Dogs. Forming in 2018, they’ve been mixing up elements of alt-rock, alternative rock, post punk and a nod towards Americana, all delivered with a darkness of touch and keen sense of drama with their lyrics. We spoke …
Meet: We interview Pete Astor on The Loft reissue and more
Pete Astor is very good company. I think. I never met him. Never really even heard him speak to be perfectly honest. But I had bought, as a teenager, bought a 7” single by The Weather Prophets (or which Astor led), Almost Prayed from a long forgotten record shop in Loughborough. Located near McDonalds, where …