{"id":9641,"date":"2015-03-25T06:49:29","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T06:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=9641"},"modified":"2015-07-03T11:44:11","modified_gmt":"2015-07-03T10:44:11","slug":"we-talk-to-blitz-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2015\/03\/we-talk-to-blitz-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"We Talk to Blitz Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"blitz<\/a><\/p>\n

You’ll remember our story about Blitz Kids’ new video for their song, “Keep Swinging<\/a>“. \u00a0They’re an alternative rock band with their origins in Nantwich & Crewe, formed in 2009. \u00a0The name was inspired by Joe’s grandfather, who’d been in a gang by the same name during the Second World War. \u00a0They’ve just been to SXSW in the US and we were lucky to catch up with them before they left. \u00a0Here’s our chat:<\/p>\n

Talk us through \u201cKeep Swinging\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0We find it to be a very positive, uplifting song \u2013 what\u2019s the underlying message?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s a funny story. I started writing it with Jono in a rainy garage one afternoon back in Nantwich.<\/p>\n

We were going through a tough time in the band. We were broke and sleeping on floors and we wrote this song to keep us going but we never finished it. Fast forward two years and we were sat outside John Feldmann<\/a>‘s house in LA writing our album and we remembered this song and we finished it that day.<\/p>\n

The video features Brock O\u2019Hurn.\u00a0\u00a0How did that come about!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The director needed someone massive to play the bad guy, we didn’t know anything about it until he showed up on set and made us all feel very physically inferior.<\/p>\n

You’ve played at some of the UK’s biggest festivals.\u00a0\u00a0Which was your favourite?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We love playing festivals but I think our favourite slot of last year was at Slam Dunk Festival<\/a>. It’s a UK version of Warped Tour<\/a> and we opened the main stage and got a great reaction.<\/p>\n

SXSW \u2013 pretty huge!\u00a0\u00a0How are you feeling?\u00a0\u00a0Are you buzzing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, we love playing shows in the States. I’ve always had a fascination with America. I honestly can’t wait to stuff my face with bbq food and get complimented on my accent every day.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve come a long way from Nantwich \u2013 was it a difficult choice to leave friends and family behind in order to make a go of Blitz Kids?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, it’s hard being away from home. I miss my friends all the time. But I’m also on tour with 5 or 6 of them so that helps. Most of our touring party is made up of our friends from home. We’re one big family.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blitz Kids’\u00a0style is described as alternative rock, what does that mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am so bad with genres. Whenever anyone asks me to describe my band I just freeze up. I guess it means we’re a rock band but we’re doing our own thing at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Good Youth\u201d debuted at number 5 in the UK rock charts and you were nominated for Kerrang\u2019s \u201cBest British Newcomer\u201d \u2013 how did that feel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pretty surreal. It’s a great feeling to get the recognition from the magazines and it’s even better to know people care enough about our band to actually pay for the record in the age of streaming.<\/p>\n

Who are you most influenced by, musically?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’d say Thrice<\/a> are probably my biggest inspiration as they were the first rock band I ever loved. Dustin’s in particular had a huge impact on me.<\/p>\n

Dream collaboration \u2013 living or dead?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0I’d love to work with The Neptunes<\/a>\/NERD<\/a> I think we’d create something really sick. I love the production on all their albums.<\/p>\n

Reading the summary of \u201cThe Good Youth\u201d you did for Rocksound<\/a> \u2013 Joe, you say you wrote Perfect in the vocal booth after struggling with the subject \u2013 do you find you have a similar problem in all your song writing?\u00a0\u00a0That you won\u2019t rest until your songs are absolutely perfect?\u00a0\u00a0Do you find perfection a help or a hindrance?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s a blessing and a curse. It means that I hopefully won’t put something mediocre out but it also means that once a song is done, it never truly feels done to me. It’s a delicate balance that drives me mad sometimes.<\/p>\n

Again with Joe – \u201cSometimes\u201d is about the bullying you faced in school \u2013 we\u2019ve spoken to\u00a0so many artists who\u2019ve taken that pain and turned it into music \u2013 do you think if you\u2019d been on the other side, the bully rather than the bullied, you\u2019d be where you are today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don’t think I would but I can’t even picture myself in that situation. I despise bullying. The stuff I had to put up with has made me the person I am today and I’m glad I’m in a position where I can shed light on the problems that other people face daily.<\/p>\n

And finally, what does the future hold for Blitz Kids?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year we’ll be writing a new album and touring all over the world so come out to a show if we pass through your town.<\/p>\n

Thank you so much for talking to us!<\/p>\n

Keep Swinging is available on iTunes<\/a>\u00a0– while you’re there, check out the rest of “The Good Youth<\/a>“, their first album on the Red Bull Label, as well as Blitz Kids’ other releases. \u00a0\u00a0You can catch up with Blitz Kids online on their website<\/a>, VEVO<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a> and Soundcloud<\/a>.<\/p>\n[youtube\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/Dagq3Ysq8Uk]\n

*Legal<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We chat to Blitz Kids about their music, and life in general.<\/p>\n

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