Upcoming band Blondes have had a busy time recently. After being unable to be on stage for a year and a half, the band have begun to experience being in front of an audience and feel what performing is like again. The band is made up of Will Potter on vocals, Alex Davison on guitar, Daniel Stroud on guitar and drums and Tom Herbert on bass and Vanguard Online chatted to bassist Tom on how the band have felt about touring again, who their musical influences are and how they felt about their song ‘Coming of Age’ going viral on Tiktok.
You have started performing again and have been on tour with Inhaler; how has it felt to be back in front of crowds and see a live reaction to your music?
There is no better feeling than playing live shows and we are so happy to be back in front of crowds again, we have missed it so much! The last show we played before lockdown was in March 2020, so it has been a really long 18 months for all of us. The reaction was incredible every night we played with Inhaler has been so much fun and all the crowds have been up for it after so long without live music. Gigging is what all of us love doing the most, and we are really excited to play even more shows in the future.
How has it felt being a band during a pandemic? Has it helped that you all live together?
Being a band in a pandemic has been really hard as the whole industry essentially came to a halt. We were really lucky as living together meant we could continue writing and demoing in Stroud’s room, and it was also good practice for life on the road together as we learned each other’s good and bad habits. But yeah, living together helped us ‘find our sound’ and write some of the tunes we have been playing since gigs restarted.
How excited were you for Reading and Leeds Festival?
We were buzzing! We were so excited to play a festival that most of the band have grown up going to let alone one of the biggest festivals in the world. To also be opening the Festival Republic stage was insane and such a huge privilege. We had Saturday off, so we camped at Reading and caught some music and good vibes. It was actually my first ever festival, so it was quite surreal to be performing and attending!
Is there any part of touring life that you don’t particularly like?
The long journeys and the reliance on sh** food and meal deals! But honestly, we are extremely lucky to be touring so we are just enjoying every moment of it. We all dreamed of playing our music to people from all different parts of the country, so to actually do it is crazy.
What is the main reason you wanted to pursue a career in music?
We can’t do anything else; we are chronically stupid and have no attention span.
How did it feel when Coming of Age went viral on TikTok? Do you feel that social media has a big impact on how successful artists are in the world today?
It was probably the most mental thing to happen to us. We were isolating with Covid at the time and feeling really sorry for ourselves when Alex was doing his classic 2.00am scroll of TikTok and found a video using our song. It blew up from there and thousands of videos were made using it, with Lizzo and Alphonso Davies jumping on the trend. Social media has a huge impact on the music industry today, it launches careers and allows artists to connect with fans in a different way. TikTok allowed our music to be heard by people who perhaps otherwise would never have heard it, and it’s done the same for many more artists and bands.
Which genre would you place your music in?
We always say it’s ‘euphoric indie pop’ but it can be anything you want it to be.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences as a band?
Bands such as Two Door Cinema Club, New Order and The Cure are huge influences for us. We all have different music tastes, so we try to incorporate these into our writing. Guitar music is about to experience a resurgence which is super exciting.
Do you have your own artists that you are interested in that are different from your band mates?
We do. Stroud adores the Beatles; Alex bops to a lot of disco and groups like Sister Sledge; whilst Will has an Oasis poster on his wall and is probably the most indie out of all of us. I love Arcade Fire, and any random international music which the other boys hate.
What is the most memorable gig that you have played to date?
Kingston Pryzm in London was incredible! All of our friends and family came, and it was packed. The vibes were immaculate, and the crowd went off. It was our first indoor gig back and felt so good to be getting sweaty in a room with loads of people who just wanted a good time.
Where would you like to see yourselves in the next year or so?
Glastonbury headliners would be nice, but we aren’t picky. Honestly, we just want to continue gigging and touring as much as we can. It’s addictive. We will be releasing more music and will probably still be absolutely skint but that’s okay, it’s the rock and roll lifestyle.
You can listen to Blondes’ latest single ‘Street Fight’ and see their tour dates below: