I had the pleasure of chatting with LISBON!
A four-piece band from Whitley Bay, and whom, lead singer Matty, I attend university with.
If you haven't heard of them already - you will. (You can thank me later.)
Their 21 night UK tour is coming up, and they've already smashed multiple festivals throughout 2015.
Most definitely ones to watch and it's guaranteed you'll not be able to resist falling in love with their bouncy, alternative pop sound.
(Psst: My personal fave is RIO!)
Give them a listen on SOUNDCLOUD and find them on FACEBOOK
Could you all introduce
yourselves and your role in the band?
- I’m Matthew and sing and play guitar
- I’m Joe I play lead guitar
- I’m Gaz and I play bass
- I’m Alex and I’m on drums
How do you all know each other?
M: Well we’ve known each other for most of our lives being
mates throughout school. Me and Joe played in one band throughout high school,
Gaz and Wrighty in another - after those two bands dissolved, Lisbon naturally
came together. We were at an age where things were getting pretty serious with
A Levels, music was a way of still having a laugh amongst all that chaos.
G: I’ve
known Matty since we were three years old, but there was no time for friendship
when those two bands arrived, we were rivals.
J:
Apparently our band was better.
How would you describe your sound?
M: It’s
alternative pop music. There’s a lot of things going on in there
production-wise, but at the centre is this pop sensibility which acts as the
foundation of our music.
J: We like
making music that makes kids go crazy at our gigs. It’s about the guitar riffs
and the electronic influences.
A: Our debut
EP ‘Life Is Good’ represents our music as well. It’s like feel good pop music,
telling you that life is good.
Last year was a
pretty big year for you guys, headlining at Evolution Emerging festival and
playing at festivals such as Kendal Calling and Y Not, not to mention your near
sell out tour? What was that like for you all?
M: It was an absolute whirlwind. The festivals were great,
we filled two tents in one day at Kendal Calling, that was a real highlight for
me. Then we caught Snoop Dogg after our set at Y Not.
J: The tour went better than we ever could have expected as
well. We sold out the London show at The Barfly, probably the craziest show
we’ve ever played.
It seems like Lisbon
is really taking off! Did you ever expect to be as successful as you have been?
M: It’s hard to expect anything in the industry nowadays,
but we definitely hoped we’d be here at this point. We’ve got ambition and we
want to be as successful as possible, but to have come this far is something we
can be proud of.
I bet it feels like you’re living a double
life some days?
What’s it like trying to balance your
everyday commitments (uni/jobs etc.), being in a major up and coming band plus
all the other dramas of a 20 something year old lad?
M: It’s
actually extremely difficult. During a tour for example when you play 5 amazing
shows in a row across the country and then come back to reality for a few days,
it takes a real toll on the mind. It’s like a massive comedown from these
euphoric gigs, and you struggle to find your feet. I’ve got Uni and I work at a
local café to pay the bills alongside Lisbon, so there are a variety of
environments you’re being thrown in and out of – it’s hard to settle anywhere.
Where do you get inspiration when
writing/recording new songs?
M: It
depends on what state of mind you’re in when you’re writing. If I’m happy the
lyrics will be happy, if I’m loved up, the loved up, I’ll write a little
romantic number.
J: Sometimes
the music comes before the lyrics, so the actual song itself can inspire what
the lyrics entail.
What’s your favourite song you’ve recorded
and why?
M: Our new
single Vice is my favourite so far, that’s out next year. There was just this
magic in the studio when we recorded it.
J: Mine’s
probably Shark, a song we’ve just recorded at Abbey Road.
G: Natïve is
mine like, it’s probably our most successful single so far.
A: I’m a big
fan of Good 2 Me.
The “Khaleesi” music video is ‘Game of
thrones’ inspired, what sparked that idea? Was it fun to shoot? It looked like
a ton of fun …
M: Like a
lot of people we’re in love with Game of Thrones, so we wrote a song about a
character, from the perspective of another character, and then we filmed a
video starring us as characters.
G: We wanted
to do a mini episode, plus we like having a laugh so it was a lot of fun to
make.
A: We
managed to get Ben Crompton who stars in Game of Thrones, it was cool getting
him involved.
What’s the best thing about being in a band
together?
G: You see
your mates every day and just have a laugh.
M: It’s hard
work but you get to see the world with your best pals, not a band job really.
J: It’s
really easy, it just works.
What’s your funniest band moment?
J: During a
support tour last year we sadly lost all of our guitars and pedals to a
robbery. It wasn’t funny at the time, but it we can laugh about it now.
Your ‘life is good’ EP was released on 7th
August 2015, and was a massive success. How did that feel?
M: It felt
like a real homecoming. We’d been recording the EP for the best part of a year
and a half, and we’d planned to release it a year earlier than we did. So it
was a real relief when we managed to get it out there.
J: It
represents the first stage of our career and a big part of our lives. So to see
it going down so well with the fans was really rewarding.
Can we expect an album any time soon?
What’s on the cards for Lisbon in 2016?
M: There are
no plans for an album yet; we’re uncomfortable with putting an album at the
wrong time. We have four singles recorded, the first of which will be released
alongside the 2016 headline tour.
Your UK 2016 22 nights tour dates were
recently released! How are you all feeling about that?
M: It’s a
little daunting to be honest. 22 dates with only 4 days off. But I can’t wait to
get back out playing shows again.
J: It’s a
huge tour, but I think we’re ready for it.
And to finish off with, if you had to go
live on a desert island and only bring 3 things – what would they be and why?
M: My dog,
some halloumi and an iPod.
J: My guitar,
guitar pick and some sweets.
G: My dog,
my other dog, and a gun.
A: I’d bring
Joe, Gaz and Matty because they’re just a good set of lads.