A Dirty Dozen with BIG DRINK – June 2022

According to a recent press release: “UK pop-punk outfit Big Drink is releasing the new EP It Was Supposed To Be Easy, this Friday, June 3rd. The EP was recorded at Steel City Studios (BMTH, Hot Milk) and was produced, mixed and mastered by Alias Studio (owned by Chunk, No Captain Chunk!). Hailing from the quaint market towns of Newbury and Hereford, Big Drink (formerly A New Hope) are in stark contrast to their tranquil origins. The lively six-piece came together with one true goal; to pen and perform catchy as hell pop-punk music that is upbeat, energetic, and full of down-tuned riffs. Big Drink soon chiseled out a sound of their own, while embracing their influences. Despite the global pandemic, 2021 saw the band selected as a finalist in the Impericon Next Generation competition and secure themselves a support slot on Punk Rock Factory’s debut UK tour.” We get the band to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

It’s probably our most diverse release yet, but every song was written with the EP in mind, so it still feels quite cohesive. There’s no Easter eggs as such, though I’m sure we’ll throw some topical samples into some of the tracks when we play them live. Musically there’s a lot going on with lots of layers, which you might not hear the first few listens.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

My parents used to listen to a lot of guitar based music; Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits etc, so I grew up around it. The moment I realised that I wanted to be a musician was at one of the first gigs I went to in my hometown, watching a band called Sikth. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but it put a huge grin on my face and I knew I wanted to be up on that stage doing what they were doing.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Hollow Crown by Architects was hugely influential for me. The riffs were unlike anything I’d heard before and definitely shaped my playing.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

This might be a bit left-field, but I would love to collaborate with Justin Timberlake. He’s a great songwriter and his vocals would sound great over some riffs.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

A few of us like to go hiking, there are some really good trails near where Josh lives. A couple of the guys are big into video games too. The reality though is that between our day jobs and the band, there isn’t a huge amount of spare time!

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

We normally run with ‘heavy pop punk’ and ‘downtuned upbeat’. A reviewer once said we were ‘more akin to McFly than Blink 182’ which had us howling, not sure what he was smoking.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

On the few occasions where we cook, it’s usually Josh. We all get the drinks in, and we’re not really ones for an acoustic singalong, you’ll more likely find us wrestling with each other or something like that.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Jordan from Bring Me The Horizon comes from the same town as most of us. So I get a weird kind of starstruck when I see him, as we’ve played gigs with his old bands in the past.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The fans, 100%. Seeing people excited about your music is an unbeatable feeling, and is what keeps us motivated. If I couldn’t be a musician anymore, my dream job would have to be something creative, probably graphic design.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Being asked where the band name comes from gets pretty tiring, so thanks for not asking that! I’ve always wanted to be asked ‘who does what in the band?’. Not who plays which instrument, but who does all the other behind the scenes stuff? Josh does a lot of the social media posts, I do the branding, Jamie does all the merch designs, Braydie and Ali deal with all the legal/business side of things. The music is just the top of the iceberg.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

We nearly signed a record deal a few years back that wasn’t a good deal. That would have been a misstep if we had signed, I think.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon. We did a deep dive on that album at school, and there was some really creative stuff going on. To be immersed in that kind of environment would be amazing.

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Category: Interviews