It’s time to get to know Sam Johnston review at AltCorner! We set Sam 10 questions about his musical likes, guilty pleasures and what music means to him!
How would you describe your taste in music?
For me you have to have an open mind and be able to think objectively and as I’ve got older, that has become easier as in my own experiences, the music genres I’ve listened to have varied from brit pop to grunge and dance music. Listening to live music can be what changes my opinion I.E: The Last Shadow Puppets – Everything You’ve Come To Expect album. I didn’t really like it at first and then I went to see them live and they gave an outstanding performance, as Alex Turner always does and now that album is a favourite. All things considered my taste in music is indie/bluesy Rock n’ Roll but, I give anything a chance.
Who do you consider to be your favourite band and why?
It has to be the Arctic Monkeys. They arrived on the scene when I was around 14 and they were loved by everyone, especially in Yorkshire but with the use of MySpace, the bands influence and popularity grew to almost worldwide in a year although the band never actually created their MySpace page, they allowed whoever did to carry on distributing their music and this turned out to be key to their instant fame. Not only were they a phenomenon, their songs were relatable, not only to me but anyone between 13-25 around 2004 and that carried on as they got older, so they really were the band of our generation without any doubt. Not to mention all the hits the band had and awards and records they broke, I don’t think people quite realise just how well they did and have carried on doing for the last 15 years. Records broken include:
- Fastest selling début album of all time (UK),
- Début album voted 30th greatest Rock n’ Roll album ever,
- 7 Brit awards including best British group and best album 3 times (which has never been done by any other band/artist ever),
- 2nd fastest selling Début album in Rock chart history,
- 3 NME awards in a single year only matched by oasis and The Strokes.
All of the above are accurate as of January 2017 via Wikipedia (and my memory) I could also carry on with other impressive statistics but I think its clear the band really have achieved amazing things, this all before they were 30 years old.
Who’s the best live band you’ve seen?
It has to be Prodigy, they are absolutely amazing live with all the pyrotechnics and fireworks and amazing atmosphere, which isn’t spoilt by people filming it. I saw them at Gatecrasher Summer Sound System Festival 2008 with a crowd of around 70,000 and the atmosphere was electric, people were so happy and friendly, flames shooting all over the top of the crowd and amazing laser and firework displays. It really was spectacular and something I will never forget. It was definitely the highlight of the 4 day weekend and not just for me as it seemed everyone was blown away by them! I would recommend them to anyone.
What song would you chose to listen to forever?
I’d say probably Sublime – Santeria as it’s just a brilliant song and probably under rated in some way. I’ve never tired of listening to it.
What album was a turning point in your life and why?
Probably Nirvana – Nevermind. It was my very first CD as a teenager and it has so many great songs on it, without Nirvana I’d maybe be listening to a different kind of music.
What 3 words makes a good song/album?
This is hard without sounding cliché but; original, relevant and clever.
Which do you prefer; a festival or a gig?
They both have positive and negatives but, now I am 28, I don’t think I would last a full weekend at a festival, so a gig. Although I have been to many festivals and had amazing times at all of them.
Who would be your 3 festival headliners past and present?
This is difficult but; Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and Prodigy.
Best new band that you have recently discovered?
- This is also really hard because objectively I have to look at the bands that others like too and there have been many over the past couple of years including:
- Pretty Vicious
- The Shimmer Band
- Blitzkrieg City
- Hands Off Gretel
- The Garage Flowers
- Where Fires Are
- Frank Turner and The Rattlesnakes
- Homebound
But, the band I listen to the most by far are from my home town of York; The Blue Dawns, they are exactly the kind of music I have chosen to listen to over the last decade and they have a sound that seems to have a mixture of The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, The Doors, Oasis and even a bit of subtle Ska like Sublime.
Which band/artist is your guilty pleasure?
I don’t think I have one as my music taste has really stayed the same since I was about 11! I listened to a lot of Shania Twain when I was a kid and The Backstreet Boys but I’ve definitely not listened to them since I was a child…….. I swear!