Another day, another new band to savour, and what a band they are! Eaststrikewest are a London based outfit, who have recently attracted the attentions of DJ Zane Lowe, who has played them on his radio show. The band also has a record deal in Japan, so things are going rather well! We put our 15 questions to James from the band in an effort to find out more! Enjoy!
1 – What’s your band / artist name, and why did you choose it?
We are Eaststrikewest! We saw it written on the floor outside Selfridges in London in red crayon about 2 years ago.
2 – What stage are you at in your career at the moment?
Growth and expansion: we came to save music. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it! That would be us.
3 – What is your music background? (Who are you and your band members? Tell us your story!)
Tom Clark – Vocals
Liam Davis – Guitars
Steve Marciano – Keys/Guitars
James Saddington – Guitars
Ian Smith – Drums
Joseph Smyth
There are a lot of us, and there used to be more. We also used to be in a different band, but that was another time, and another place. According to Microsoft Word, mine is the only name that requires spell-check!
4 – How do you describe your music to people?
I don’t. I let the musically educated (press and journos) take care of that. I guess some lazy comparison to post-rock or progressive bands should do it. We’re not either, but why fight against the tide?
Indie? Rock? Both?
Britain’s toughest indie band?
5 – What do you think about people downloading music online?
Knock yourselves out. Just don’t complain when a band can’t afford to tour or follow a record up. Oh, and drop the righteous stance. We all want things for free, and that’s fine, but let’s just admit that and move on. WE ARE NOT ANTI-DOWNLOAD.
6 – What dream tour would you love to be on, with any past or present bands?
Nirvana. Half way through the tour they’d kick Pat Smear out, and let me join instead. I think Smear would then take my place in Eaststrikewest!
7 – What have been the biggest obstacles for you, to get your music heard?
Lack of finance, and not knowing the right people in the right places. Being good comes second.
8 – What is the best freebie you have ever been given?
25 copies of the Japanese version of our own record. The only copies we didn’t have to pay anything for (other than the massive production fees etc).
9 – Everyone has a song that annoyingly sticks in their head, what is yours
at the moment?
The entire Friendly Fires record. Nothing annoying about it though. It’s a rarity in that it’s a recent album, and it’s decent.
10 – Who are you tipping for the top, music wise?
Any of the bands on the impressive Thirty Days Of Night roster. Undeniably the finest UK Indie at the moment.
11 – What do you do with your free time?
Apparently, this! Between our shitty jobs and being in a band, we have precious little time to spend with our wives and kids. If we did have free time, we’d probably only waste it playing Space Invaders and Pacman, or collecting stamps.
12 – Have you discovered any interesting music related sites online?
Truthfully? No. Apparently Spotify has all the kids raving and ranting about how good it is. I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been invited! I’ll stick with my Gramophone for now.
13 – Which comes first, the music or the lyrics?
There isn’t a set formula for this. In theory it could be either. It isn’t but it *could* be. Actually I’m going to say ‘the dickhead’.
14 – Tell us about your next gigs and why we should be there!
Nov 20th @ Garage, London with Junius, and Dec 20th @ Joseph’s Well, Leeds, as part of the Thirty Days Of Night 5 Year Anniversary Weekender. The Junius show will be our revenge on London. Expect wolves, bears and stage presence. The Leeds show is sold out anyway…!
15 – Interview questions can be quite dull, so what do you really want to be
to talking about now?
In all honesty, I’d rather be sleeping right now, but thank you for asking x x x
For more information on Eaststrikewest, and their album visit www.myspace.com/eaststrikewestband