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Push to Fire Interview: The New 1920
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In the last few years, the country of Wales has given us the world-dominating rock bands Lostprophets and Funeral For a Friend with the recent uprising of Kids in Glass Houses. It seems the talent pool has never been better for great new Welsh music. In come The New 1920... With musical influences from a range of different places and times in rock history, the band bring to the table a raw, fresh, and energetic blend of music with an emphasis on powerful melodies and hooks. Their vocalist, Colin, was brought up listening to Buddy Holly which is a subtle yet definite influence with Colin asserting that "old school rock and roll is laden with hooks and we aim to write good sing-a-long choruses as well. We’re not breaking down any barriers, but we’re trying to write energetic, honest, and direct music." Having been conceived four years ago by guitarist Pete and vocalist Colin the band have been in their current and definitive line-up for just six months with this being their first tour as such. Tonight is their sixth and last gig with Irish bands Fighting with Wire and LaFaro. "We were originally supposed to play a few more shows with them, but other commitments got in the way which is a real shame. They’re all great guys", says Colin. "The one thing we all really enjoy about being in a band is playing live shows where we can belt out our songs. Being on the road, you meet some great people along the way who share the same goals. You become closer as a band as well." This closeness is apparent when spending some time in their dressing room as the banter flows constantly and is reminiscent of childhood friends who have never parted for long. The band met through mutual friends and from being in other bands before The New 1920 with Drew joining on bass and Will on drums more recently. According to Colin, Drew learnt how to play the bass specifically for this band, so "we knew he was a keeper. When Will joined, the band really came together as a unit for the first time and we’ve all started writing songs in the same direction." This simple yet powerful blend of rock songs are originally penned by Colin with some key song ideas and structures with the band then building on those ideas and "turning them into a real song", jokes Colin. The only recordings available at the time of printing are three thirty-second song clips online on their myspace page which are taken from the only three recordings in existence. "We recorded 3 songs back in June in a garage in Cardiff, recorded and produced by Stuart Richardson, Mike Lewis, and Ian Watkins of the Lostprophets", Colin explains. "They’re friends of ours from home. We actually opened for them on a couple of shows back in June. They’re really supportive of us and of Welsh bands in general actually." Apparently, one of the songs should be available soon as a free download but there are no plans for a general release. The band have recently been picked up by a booking agency that should lead to many more tours in the future as they hope to expand their audience. They’re also hoping to record and release their debut album in the near future. The future’s bright. The future’s Welsh. | |||
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