The Rocket Dolls are another band who’ve passed through our sights before. They were due to appear the ill-fated Wildfire festival this past year, and we also had a listen to their album DeadHead. But what do we know about the guys right now…?
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Brighton.
How did you meet?
At college.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Ten and a half years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
I was up late watching VH1 or something like that with a red carpet awards ceremony. Ricky Rockett from Poison was there with some girls and said, looking cheekily into the camera, “These are my Rockett Dolls, baby!” I thought… “The Rocket Dolls” sounds rad for a band name! Done!
What are your influences?
Nirvana, Ian Thornley & Big Wreck, Silverchair, Foo Fighters and Alice In Chains.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Less is more! We challenge ourselves to underplay, we are raw, powerful, melodic and full of energy. Passionate and write about real honest heart of our sleeve songs! Big riffs, hooky choruses, groovy bass and monster drums!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Most of what I write about are my personal battles with mental health, the fine details of it that I feel no one talks about; the anxiety, depression, highs and lows crippling self doubt. But there is always a message of hope between each song, you’re not alone, people care, you can get through it!
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
I honestly can’t count the amount of shows, we’ve played hundreds over the last ten years! They are fun, high energy and loud, we try to take you on a journey within a short space of time!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show? Man, tough one to be honest!
At our last hometown show our friends Scott & Emi, two big fans of the band, got engaged in the middle of our set and she said yes! It’s on film on Facebook, not so wild but pretty cool! Right?!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguars with Orange & Mesa amps for me (Nikki). I could go into way more details, it’s a complex rig full of geekiness!
Joe plays Fender Jazz & P basses with Mark Bass amps and Benji uses Orange County Drums, Sabian cymbals and we all have ACS Custom IEMs.
What are your plans for 2018/2019?
A new record, heavy touring!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
We’d love Graces Collide to go on before us and we’d love to open for Alice In Chains, Foo Fighters or Nickelback. Something like that!
