I managed to have a quick chat with lead guitarist and singer of Dead Natives, Liam Dutch. Here’s what he had to say about the upcoming EP, tour goals and the importance of fans.

Q: How did you all meet?

A: Adam (bass) and I had a lot of mutual friends so we kind of met through that – Robbie (guitar) found us online and Colin (drums) joined us in the Summer.

Q: When you’re not making music, what do you do? Hobbies? Jobs?

A: In some ways I think the creative process is full time in terms of coming up with ideas and melodies / words. I think it’s a part of you, so you’re always switched on. The aim for us as a band is to be able to do this for a living and travel around playing our music, but yeah for now - we all work and study.

Q: Where did the idea of the band name come from?

A: Well firstly - it sounds good, but it kinda stemmed from the idea that you can be born into an area or something that you might feel alienated from.

Q: Where do you think you fit in with the current music scene?

A: I think we’ve got something quite unique - I mean of course we absorb elements of guitar music that we listen to and love but I think we’re kind of putting our own spin on it.

Q: You’ve received great reactions for your new singles, ‘I Got Menace’ and ‘Dreaming Like You Do’, what made you choose these as singles?

A: I think it just made sense - Menace was a perfect reintroduction for us because we hadn’t released anything since January, and Dreaming Like You Do just has the qualities a single needs.

Q: Are you working on an album?

A: At the moment the focus is recording and releasing singles - we’ve got another which is due out in February. It’s this big kind of anthem track with a crazy catchy riff so we can’t wait. I think the plan is to release an EP next summer - we’ve got a lot of material and we’re always writing, so it’s gonna be great to get those songs down.

Q: If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?

A: Probably Arctic Monkeys, Blossoms, The Stone Roses, Blur - These are all the bands we love so naturally - that would be pretty epic, wouldn’t it?

Q: Where does the inspiration come from for your lyrics?

A: Everyday stuff you know - people, their relationships, what’s happening and how you feel about it. They aren’t always personal to me but it could be real to someone else - it’s about telling a story sometimes.

Q: You have a strong social media presence - frequently replying and retweeting fans on Twitter - do you think this is important in building up your career?

A: Yeah absolutely - we’re trying to build something and we want everyone to be a part of it - we’re just normal lads. There’s nothing worse than bands (around our level) not chatting or engaging with fans - they’re the ones that are listening to your music.

Q: Do you have any plans to have a headline tour?

A: Oh absolutely - When the time is right. We’re supporting a band called Of Empires on their tour in early March - Manchester, Brighton, London and hopefully Bristol.

Q: What’s one place you’d love to tour?

A: America would be great - all these cool places like Pappy & Harriets in Pioneertown. But there’s always such a charm about British venues like Shepherds Bush Empire etc. 

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A: Hopefully taking over.

The lads in Vinyl Staircase aren’t just a mystery when it
comes to their online presence, but also that they like to encase themselves
with the ideology that they’re just another one of those no-genre bands that
would love to own their own pub.

TIDO had the chance to catch up with the independent band
before their Southampton gig at The Talking Heads with Syd Arthur. Hailing from
Dorking Surrey, England, the four-piece band consists of brothers Luke and Jake
Andrews, as well as fortuitous George Ogle who won £500 on a slot machine the
day before tour, and member of the BC Federation of Drift Fishers, Mike Thorpe.

Despite their lack of songs available to listen to online
since their early days EP ‘Aquarelle’ was hidden on Spotify, Vinyl Staircase
have been swept under the arms of NME and
Wolf Alice, leaving a lot of people wanting to hear more.

“We don’t have any fans… but if we did, they’d expect some
noise.” Jokes bassist George Ogle, slouching back comfortably into a chair in
the venue’s dedicated pub room. “If you’ve seen us live before… we’ve recorded
the loudest song and the quietest song, so it’s just both sides of us.”
explains guitarist Jake Andrews, suggesting that the band’s new material has
something for everyone.

Having just finished recording their new music for the new
year, the band state that they will always put their music out on anything
physical as long as there is a demand for it. “We won’t just spurt it out for
no reason. If they want it, we’ll give it to them.” Explains Jake. “We’re
hoping to put out these new songs physically on CD, maybe vinyl. It’ll be on
all streaming platforms; Spotify, Deezer.”

Vinyl Staircase are currently on tour supporting the
psychedelic jazz band Syd Arthur, which has given them a new approach to music.
“It’s good to get a chance to listen to the same band a couple of nights in a
row. In the same way that an album kind of grows on you, it’s nice to kind of
let a set of music grow on you.”

Whilst exploring the UK, the band have experienced a lot of
new cities and venues alike, yet feel that their favourite will always be their
local venue The Boileroom. “We played a gig with a band called Van Zeller, who
are from Bristol. That was at The Louisiana, that was a really nice venue.”
drummer Jake Andrews explains, whilst his brother Luke shows his appreciation
for The Boileroom’s booker. “Shout out to Duncan Smith. He has a good moustache
and puts on good bands.”

“People try to put this psychedelic thing on us, we just do
what we want to do,” says George, who admits that the band have some typical
rock and roll influences, such as songwriter Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones,
yet they do not like to force themselves into a specific genre.

Vinyl Staircase are currently unsigned and plan on staying
that way for the time being. “If we could do it ourselves ultimately and
maintain it to a good level, then I think everyone would want to do it. It’s
always better if you do it yourself.” George notes. In an ideal world for
almost every band out there, they would like to sign to a label where all of
the creative control is with them, and they wouldn’t have anyone tell them what
to do.

“I feel like the value from a record label would be advice,” says Jake. “When
it gets territorial, like ‘you’re doing the second album now’, it’s not
something we would do.”

Grinning over a can of beer, the contentment is obvious when
it comes to the lads’ current life on the road. “We’re very much not looking
forward to going home,” admits Luke. “We’re having a blast. Definitely feels
like it agrees with us. Playing music every night, and having that be your one
aim.” Bassist George shows his frustration with a heavy sigh, “I’m the driver,”
he explains, leaning back into his armchair. “But it’s pretty much the dream.
When you stop driving, you’re either in a pub or a venue. You have a beer and
play some music.”

However, the tour life isn’t always as glamourous as free
beer and being on the road and in a different pub every day. “Someone tried to
break into our van last night. That was almost a setback,” explained vocalist
Mike, rolling his eyes before taking another sip from his beer. “Yeah… don’t go
to Leicester,” jokes George, before Mike nods and threats with a playful smirk,

“Don’t fuck with our band.”

Waterparks

The Haunt, Brighton

30th September, 2017

Houston’s Waterparks have taken over one of Brighton’s
popular music venues, The Haunt, tonight, for their sold-out debut headlining
UK tour. The cinema-turned multi-purpose venue is over-packed with fans of all
ages, the older generations gathered at the bar with a drink in their hands.

The Bottom Line are the first to ascend to the stage, their
upbeat modernised take on pop-punk filling you with nostalgia, their opening
songs ‘I Still Hate You’, ‘Everything’ and ‘Insecure’ sounding similar to the
works of Sum 41 and Bowling for Soup.

Next up is the US duo Chapel, who slow things down with their
indie-pop tunes, full of electronic melodies that even the oldies can’t refuse
to dance along to. The calming vocals from Carter Hardin and smooth drums from
Kortney Grinwis merge to make an engaging and interesting performance.

The level of energy for Waterparks can easily be seen as
guitarist Geoff Wigington jumps around the stage between his backup vocals
within their first song, drummer Otto Wood throwing his whole body into the
beats he plays. This can be seen in the crowd too – security having to tell a
group of fans to calm down and put their shirts back on.

Vocalist Awsten Knight points out a fan with a sign saying
it’s her birthday, before making the crowd swoon by putting on the cat ears she
had. “Happy birthday. And to make sure no one feels excluded, happy birthday to
all of you. Even if it isn’t your birthday, it is now!” Knight jokes.

The trio’s earlier material is put on a bit of a back burner
as they continue to tour their debut album, Double
Dare, however we’re treated to a few of the old favourites, such as
‘Silver’ and ‘No Capes’, resulting in rewarding screams from the fans.

Waterparks’ performance only shows that they are destined to
be playing bigger venues, suggesting that they weren’t expecting their first
headline tour to sell out like it did. 

The Front Bottoms

Fueled By Ramen

13th October, 2017

The Front Bottoms bring something different to indie rock
with their sixth album release, Going
Grey. Experimenting with new a new pop vibe, the opening track ‘You Used To
Say’ starts with an electronic melody reminiscent of sea waves and birds in the
sky, paired with the out of the ordinary, yet relatable lyrics that the band
are known for. ‘Trampoline’ is another example of this: the happy, electronic
keyboard melody almost makes you unaware of how sad the lyrics are. The band
convey that they are not shy of progressing with this album, taking the risk of
delving into a more pop sound. 

Knuckle Puck – Shapeshifter

Rise Records

13th October, 2017

Knuckle Puck’s second full-length album comes as no surprise
– it’s full of pop-punk goodness, mixed with the hard-hitting truth. Sounding
like a concept album for change, the first single, ‘Gone’, discusses how
vocalist Joe Taylor doesn’t know who he is after a break-up with an
ex-girlfriend. ‘Everyone Lies To Me’ has Taylor’s iconic raspy vocals conveying
his anger at how the government is lying and how everyone fits into the mould.
The album concludes with ‘Plastic Brains’, a mix of simple melodies and lyrics
that make you have an existential crisis, telling you that for once, it’s not
about the girl – it’s about the world.