Friends Of Our Youth dropped their latest single only yesterday. On the back of that, the band have jumped onto our Headline Act feature…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Primarily Todmorden and Manchester.
How did you meet?
A collective born out of old school mates, seductive personal ads, people stomping off and folks sauntering up.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Probably around 6 or 7 years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
It comes from a Hermann Hesse book – Journey to the East.
What are your influences?
Influences include Swans, Strokes, Suicide, Morphine, Courtney Barnett, Lemonheads – all that great stuff.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
The tunes vary from being acerbic and gut-kicking to being more soundscape-y and transportive. A fair bit of melody in there but generally layered in grit and sonic weirdness.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Not overtly political but definitely rooted in social conscience – perhaps we can take a breather now the blaggard c*nts have been booted out. Themes of maintaining artistic integrity in the face of fleeting attention spans and ephemeral agendas, pride in getting your hands dirty and the importance of doing the small things well.
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What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
I don’t think anyone has been keeping track – a good few. Live shows are generally pretty ad-hoc and we tend to try and keep it pretty organic and just smash through whatever feels right in the moment. No mini Stone Henge descending from the heavens or alien birthing pods, but never say never.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I once saw Iggy Pop keep his clothes on at a gig – that was pretty nuts!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
1963 Rogers kit/1965 Ludwig Supraphonic snare, Fender Jazzmaster/Cyclone, Gretsch Duo-Jet, P-Bass, Earthquaker Devices, Meris pedals, Fender Hotrod Deville amps, Moog synths.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We have a new single, “Problem Is” coming out in July on Analogue Trash records. It’s the first single off our new album that will be out later in the year, fingers crossed.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
It’s just going to be focussed on the studio and getting the album knocked into shape. I imagine a good part of it will be throttling each other and wondering why we are putting ourselves through this shit again.
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!
Supporting PJ Harvey would be pretty amazing. We have played some great gigs with our friends The Mistys so it would cool to have them on the bill.
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Friends of Our Youth: official | facebook | instagram | spotify | youtube
