It’s time to get to know – Gareth , Head of Interviews. We set Gareth ten questions about their musical likes, their guilty pleasures and what music means to them.
1 – How would you describe your taste in music?
My taste is pretty varied but, mainly it is pop rock with a mix of pop punk. If it is high energy and is going to have me jumping around at a gig, I will like it. I can’t stand anything without drums (new wave is utter pish), folk or anything that is a guy screaming down the mic for twenty minutes. I will listen to the likes of System of A Down, Green Day, Blink 182, PVRIS, Tonight Alive and even a bit of Taylor Swift.
2 – Who do you consider to be your favourite band and why?
This is the hardest question to answer. There are so many good bands. But, just on pure volume of having seen them live. It would be Altered Sky. They put on a great live show and their songs can just lift you out of any bad mood with their up-beat pop rock.
3 – Who is the best live band you’ve ever seen?
Thankfully I have been to a lot of great shows. But for this I would have to go way back to my first live gig. I was dragged along by a friend (thanks Mike) in university to see Travis. For me this was a life changing performance and it is the moment I fell in love with live music and I have never looked back. One day I will go and see them play live again but, I am worried it will never live up to how good it is in my head.
4 – What is the one song that you could listen to forever?
U.G.L.Y. by Daphne and Celeste. Not really but, I bet that will be stuck in your head now for the rest of the day. It actually is “Hammering in My Head” by Garbage.
5 – What album, if any, was a turning point in your ‘musical life’ and why?
It would be “Fat Of The Land” by Prodigy. Until I bought that album, my musical life had consisted of my borrowing my brothers CD to record onto tape or poppy chart music. Until that point I was eating up anything that was on Top Of The Pops, that album had me looking for other forms of music.
6 – In 3 words, what makes a good album or song?
Energy, Emotion and Riffs.
7 – A festival or a gig? Why?
It would be a gig. As great as festivals are, there will always be a clash between bands that I love and will always think that I am missing something. With a gig, you know that you will see all the bands and you know everyone there is there to see those bands and not the one just hanging around for a band.
8 – Who would be your 3 dream festival headliners?
It’s a bit pop punk but, Sum 41, Green Day and My Chemical Romance (I can dream).
9 – Who are the best new band you’ve discovered lately that everyone should know about?
It would have to be Woes. They have only done two live shows (I have been at both) and their first single comes out on 25th November 2016. They are such a great band and expect big things from them in 2017.
10 – What band or artist is your secret, or not so secret, guilty pleasure?
It’s no secret, especially for anyone who has had to live with me. It is Alisha’s Attic. They are one of the bands from my pop phase that I still listen to. They were dubbed “Alt pop” but I wouldn’t go that far. They are closer to Lorde than Bjork. I think it is the upbeat sound, the subtle or not so subtle message and the harmonies that has for me stood the test of time.