Saturday, 8 June 2013
Interview: Bleach Blood
Considering that it's not quite yet been six months since Bleach Blood made their debut live appearance at the Water Rats, their ascendency into the hearts and ears of listeners has been immense. Since the release of their Young Heartbreakers Club EP they have gone from strength to strength, releasing singles Let Your Heart Sing and Anything Anything; heading out on a headline tour as well as playing support slots to Sharks; and tearing up The Hawley as part of the Camden Rocks Festival.
James Robinson had the pleasure of speaking to Jamie Jazz from the band over the phone. He tells us here about taking up the mantle of frontman, how Bleach Blood came to be, and what we may be able to expect from the band in the future.
The Punk Archive: Hi Jamie. How's things?
Jamie Jazz: I'm OK thanks. I'm just casually walking around Notting Hill waiting for a friend.
TPA: How does it feel being a frontman now? Does it feel more pressured than your days in The King Blues?
JJ: Yeah, it was a weird transition initially, being stage left for nine years in my last band, where my main focus was just on playing my guitar. But I feel more settled into it now. It feels more exposed as there's no-one there to hide behind, there's no security blanket. But I'm really having fun and enjoying it.
TPA: How's the new album coming along? How's the writing process been?
JJ: It's going good. Really good, in fact. I've had a long time[to write]. When I started writing music last summer, towards the end of the summer, before the EP or knowing what the band was even going to be, I already had the songs and a vision. It's different, and I think people are going to be surprised, hopefully in a good way, with what I'm writing.
TPA: When can we expect to hear the new material? Do you have a release date you're aiming for?
JJ: We're kind of all going with the flow with this band, y'know. We're working with a great label and great publishers around us, and we're really just having fun. For me, that's the most important thing. So we're just seeing how it goes and having fun. We have a new single, Hope, coming out on the 10th August which is one of the best songs I've ever been a part of. We'll then probably continue to release some singles throughout the rest of the year, and tour later in the year, look at the album coming out early next year, somewhere around January or February time. My main thing with this band, and with being a musician, is just about having fun. That's the way I've always looked at music and being in a band. It's all about having fun.
TPA: How did you go about putting the band together? Was it a natural collaboration, or did you have people in mind that you wanted to work with?
JJ: Not particularly. I went through a massive breakdown, and I was in a terrible place. I had literally zero direction and zero ambition at that point. It was actually Chris McCormack from Three Colours Red, who were a great band. Chris is one of my all time favourite guitar players. He said to me that I needed to pick myself up and pull myself together and it was him who said 'come into the studio'. So I went in, and we worked on stuff, and Chris guided me into it. Likewise, I met Paul (Mullen) randomly on a drunken night out in Camden. Again, Paul has been in so many great bands, and he's another one of my favourite guitar players. I found out he lived round the corner from me in Manor House, so we started hanging out, and became friends. I played him some of my new stuff and asked him if he wanted to join in. Honestly, because Paul is so busy with other bands and stuff I didn't expect him to say yes. But he did, and Frank, we literally found Frank behind the sofa! He lived across the street from Paul and through him we met Charlie. They're all absolutely great guys. And when we got together it just all clicked. There was this natural vibe and chemistry. I mean if there isn't, people can tell. A crowd can tell a mile off if that's not there.
TPA: Thanks Jamie
JJ: No worries man.
Bleach Blood release new single H.O.P.E. on 10th August. Look out for them touring through the remainder of 2013 and for their much anticipated album early 2014. Single Anything Anything andThe Young Heartbreakers Club EP are available now.
James Robinson had the pleasure of speaking to Jamie Jazz from the band over the phone. He tells us here about taking up the mantle of frontman, how Bleach Blood came to be, and what we may be able to expect from the band in the future.
The Punk Archive: Hi Jamie. How's things?
Jamie Jazz: I'm OK thanks. I'm just casually walking around Notting Hill waiting for a friend.
TPA: How does it feel being a frontman now? Does it feel more pressured than your days in The King Blues?
JJ: Yeah, it was a weird transition initially, being stage left for nine years in my last band, where my main focus was just on playing my guitar. But I feel more settled into it now. It feels more exposed as there's no-one there to hide behind, there's no security blanket. But I'm really having fun and enjoying it.
TPA: How's the new album coming along? How's the writing process been?
JJ: It's going good. Really good, in fact. I've had a long time[to write]. When I started writing music last summer, towards the end of the summer, before the EP or knowing what the band was even going to be, I already had the songs and a vision. It's different, and I think people are going to be surprised, hopefully in a good way, with what I'm writing.
TPA: When can we expect to hear the new material? Do you have a release date you're aiming for?
JJ: We're kind of all going with the flow with this band, y'know. We're working with a great label and great publishers around us, and we're really just having fun. For me, that's the most important thing. So we're just seeing how it goes and having fun. We have a new single, Hope, coming out on the 10th August which is one of the best songs I've ever been a part of. We'll then probably continue to release some singles throughout the rest of the year, and tour later in the year, look at the album coming out early next year, somewhere around January or February time. My main thing with this band, and with being a musician, is just about having fun. That's the way I've always looked at music and being in a band. It's all about having fun.
TPA: How did you go about putting the band together? Was it a natural collaboration, or did you have people in mind that you wanted to work with?
JJ: Not particularly. I went through a massive breakdown, and I was in a terrible place. I had literally zero direction and zero ambition at that point. It was actually Chris McCormack from Three Colours Red, who were a great band. Chris is one of my all time favourite guitar players. He said to me that I needed to pick myself up and pull myself together and it was him who said 'come into the studio'. So I went in, and we worked on stuff, and Chris guided me into it. Likewise, I met Paul (Mullen) randomly on a drunken night out in Camden. Again, Paul has been in so many great bands, and he's another one of my favourite guitar players. I found out he lived round the corner from me in Manor House, so we started hanging out, and became friends. I played him some of my new stuff and asked him if he wanted to join in. Honestly, because Paul is so busy with other bands and stuff I didn't expect him to say yes. But he did, and Frank, we literally found Frank behind the sofa! He lived across the street from Paul and through him we met Charlie. They're all absolutely great guys. And when we got together it just all clicked. There was this natural vibe and chemistry. I mean if there isn't, people can tell. A crowd can tell a mile off if that's not there.
TPA: Thanks Jamie
JJ: No worries man.
Bleach Blood release new single H.O.P.E. on 10th August. Look out for them touring through the remainder of 2013 and for their much anticipated album early 2014. Single Anything Anything andThe Young Heartbreakers Club EP are available now.
Original article can be found on The Punk Archive website here
No comments:
Post a Comment