So So Gay
We are pretty sure that the only reason we got the interview with The Last Men is because previous interviewee Lucy is dating the drummer, but either way we are happy we got the introduction as we got to meet the lovely band and find out more about them.
Music scenes in general are incredibly incestuous, and Bishop’s Stortford’s is no exception – Bella performed with Gerard and the Watchmen in the Acoustic Tent, and they have all been working in the area for different amounts of time. When asked, Gez Powell (Drums) and Alex Bayly (Vocals/Guitarist) both answered in union – ‘two years?’, but Bella Chipperfield (Backing Vocals/Synth/Keyboard) elaborated for us, by explaining: ‘I performed when I was younger, so it was good at encouraging young people around here really. From 15 I was at the Acoustic Club, that tent, they encourage people there, and you think we kinda need new people and then… I was at the last Storfest so four years?’. Gez explained his place in town too, by saying, ‘I was similar to Bella: I was playing acoustically around here and then I was playing in other indie bands’.
Fortunately they were totally aware of Cazfest in advance, and they got involved, as a result of friendship: ‘we’re quite good friends with Jamie, who organised it last year, she organised the bands – Jamie of Jamie Fallon Band’. Alex showed us more of an emotional connection when he explained, ‘I went to the same school as Caz, and my brother, Charles [who is also part of The Last Men, but wasn’t available for interview], was the same year as her, and then I’ve played ever since the second year, in various different outfits’.
Courtesy of Alexandra Cameron – New EP Cover
When you go to a local gig or festival you always hear rumours from musicians, and we had been told in advance that they had just finished an album, so we had to enquire further, to which they responded, ‘We’ve just finished, or pretty much in the latter stages of our EP, which we are getting marked on next week, and we’ve got two tracks sort of signed to Universal that we’ve got to check up on’. Hang on. Sort-of signed? We were a bit confused. ‘Sort of, not really contracts yet, but everything else is… um we’re still thinking about it. But we’ve got our foot in the door’. Ah, alright then. With confusion explained we went on to ask about the EP launch, and got told, ‘hopefully at the end of this month, beginning of next month, depending on how the marketing goes and if they’re happy with that or not’. We even got the inside scoop on their online-mission: ‘The main thing we’ve got is we recorded eleven videos, and we’re releasing one a week, from next week, and they’re all ready to go’, Alex explained, so we have definitely got to keep an eye on their YouTube account!
Sounding, according to Alex, ‘dancey, electro,… I dunno… Supertramp? Love Supertramp’, they wanted to us to pass on this: ‘Check us out. Give us a gig. What’s different about us, compared to other bands, is that we’re pretty honest, within the band’, going on to say, ‘We play a lot of gigs in London, and we do cover stuff, but I think that honesty comes across in our music, and it’s quiet upbeat’. We are always looking for something a bit chirpy and fun, and this is definitely the impression we got from them.
So we left them to it, remarking on Bella’s presence, Alex’s command of the situation, Charles’ non-appearance, and Gez’s general hot-ness (there may be a slight plot to kill Lucy going on…) we ran away to research their music. Not disappointing, they have a wild mix, from Wash Me Down, described by Bella as ‘something very chilled’ to the enchantingly eclectic Wannabe, the latest in their weekly video uploads.
They are on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and their own website
Thanks to Rob Anderson for the featured image
