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Menace Beach Interview

Menace Beach Interview

English five-piece indie rock band, Menace Beach, have just released their debut album, Ratworld. The Leeds-based band recently took some time out to chat with Sydney Unleashed while hinting at an Australian tour.

How did you get your start in the music industry?

I’d like to say it was working hard, being disciplined, practicing and honing some kind of craft, but in reality it appears to mainly have been by being pretty average at playing guitar and riding on my successful friends coattails.

Best part of what you do?

I really like lots of it but my favourite thing at the moment is sitting down with a guitar and writing songs. There’s a weird feeling you get when messing around with a guitar and stumbling across a great little melody over a chord or something and right then, the world just feels amazing and like everything is going to be ok.

And the worst part?

All the waiting around. We write a lot of songs all the time but the pace at which you can release stuff is so slow that I just don’t know what to do. Maybe I’m just gonna start putting stuff online under different band names to keep me occupied.

Any interesting experiences you can share?

We went to Abbey Road Studios in London to master some tracks last year, so wandering around those corridors and sneaking into studio 1 and 2 was pretty interesting to me as a Beatles fan. There are still people on that zebra crossing 24/7 outside.

Favourite album of all time and why?

This changes weekly but right now it’s Bee Thousand by Guided By Voices. I just love the way it’s all just thrown on there, all done on four track cassette recorders in basements and living rooms, using whatever and whoever is lying around. Short songs but lots of them and just tons and tons of magic and madness. Last week I listened to Around The World In A Day by Prince all day every day.

Best live performance that you’ve ever seen?

Probably The White Stripes in a tiny 100 capacity venue in Nottingham UK around 2001. They were just so electric and loud, and seemed like aliens.

Favourite venues to hang out in?

The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds is the best venue in the UK by far. It’s a working mans club in a student area and is always full of bands and a gig on every night. Outside of the UK, I’d say Paradiso in Amsterdam was my favourite – it’s in this beautiful huge old chapel kinda building but now it’s converted into three venues and they have the best mini festivals there right in the city.

Take us through a typical day in the life of Menace Beach?

It really varies from week to week but right now, I’m spending a few days in a coffee shop near my flat catching up with everything after being on tour for a couple of weeks. This time last week it was travel, sleep, eat, soundcheck, eat, show, travel, sleep etc etc. So the variation keeps things fun!

What advice would you give to someone looking at getting involved in the music industry?

I think that having fun and being good to people is just the best. But just do whatever the hell you want really because I don’t think it matters.

Any news or final comments?

I’m peering into my psychic future-hole and it suggests that we will play in Australia soon so see you then and have a great life!

Sydney Unleashed is one of Australia’s premier entertainment publications exploring the latest in lifestyle trends. From Sydney’s finest restaurants, cafes and bars to the hottest in gadgets, products, and home entertainment, Sydney Unleashed is your one-stop lifestyle platform.