I should probably have saved this one for the 13th what with the name and everything…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from Falkirk in Scotland. It’s right bang in the middle of the central belt and we’re about half an hour from both Glasgow and Edinburgh.
How did you meet?
Ollie had been playing in bands for years and Sarah was a solo artist and played in bands as well. Sarah was looking to start a new band and asked Ollie to play bass when we were on a night out in our hometown. We’d known each other for years and supported one another as we have a number of mutual friends. Reece and Sarah are related and had already been jamming before asking Ollie to join. Ollie met Reece for the first time in our rehearsal studios but clicked straight away.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We’ve been jamming together coming on two years in December 2019 but we didn’t really start Primes until February 2018. We played our first gig in March 2018 at King Tut’s in Glasgow.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
We wanted a one-word name, something powerful and symbolic. We think PRIMES is perfect because it represents where we’ve come from, where we are and we’re we will go. It’s symbolic of the hard work it took to get to where we are and now, we are in the PRIME of our musical career and collectively we are creating some, in our opinion, good music.
What are your influences?
We all take influence from different artists personally but as a collective we all love Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, Feeder, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Kings of Leon.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Melodic, catchy and guitar driven. The blend of three vocals makes us stand out and having the three-way harmonies really makes a difference. We are anthemic and create a huge sound especially for a three piece. If you don’t know us, listen to a song and we guarantee you’ll know the words in no time.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Ollie writes the lyrics in the band, and each song has its own theme. They’re usually inspired by events or moments in life and he tries to encapsulate that in the lyrics. “Dreamer and I” is about a conversation Ollie had with a friend in regards to mental health. No matter how dark it feels sometimes, you never know what’s around the corner. The song is about hope and self-belief.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We’ve played over 50 shows in the short time we’ve been together all over Scotland and we’ve began venturing into England as well. Our live set is loud, tight and full of energy.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Ollie plays an Arctic White P-Bass, Sarah plays a Gretsch “Stump-o-Matic” in Black with Pewter stripes and Reece has a gorgeous Pearl kit with a mirror finish.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We are promoting our latest single “Dreamer and I” which was released on all major streaming and download sites on the 22nd of November 2019.
What are your plans for 2019?
We’ve just come back from our UK tour and heading into a quieter Christmas period but we’ve got a few more shows in Scotland. We’re setting up gigs for 2020 and looking at festivals and another, bigger UK tour.
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 to support the Foo Fighters, they’re one of the biggest and best rock bands on the planet and Dave Grohl is a hero. If we had to pick a support we’d have to choose our pals Red Rum Club who are absolutely fantastic and have an amazing live show. We’ve played with them a few times when they come up to Scotland!
