With an abundance of gigs, a critically acclaimed debut EP and some difficult personnel changes under their belt, it’s been an amazing couple of years for North East indie trio Blind Buffalo. I chatted to the current line up- front man Chris Kelly, bassist Elliot Thompson and drummer Elliott Bevan- to get the lowdown on their new-found success, as well as what life may be like for a teenage band in Newcastle’s uniquely creative atmosphere.
THE INDIEPENDENT: Hi Guys! So, first up- you’ve had a few line up changes, especially recently. How does it feel to be working in a trio? Have there been any major shifts in your sound, or the way you do things?
ET: I feel like we each stand out more in our individual roles now that there’s less of us, and our roles are a lot more important.
CK: I find playing as a trio very exciting. When we first became a three piece me and Elliot (Thompson) had to make some changes to the guitar parts, bass parts and backing vocals but we’ve sorted that all out now- we’ve even added some new harmonies that weren’t in the songs previously. As far as our sound is concerned, we haven’t changed that much- however, the guitar and bass parts are a little heavier now, as we want to create as a big a sound as possible with only three people.
EB: Although there’s a clear difference in sound dynamically, as we’ve lost a member, this hasn’t been detrimental to our sound. We actually now have a lot more space within the group to explore what sounds we like to make individually- something which I think we’ve definitely benefited from in recent gigs.
THE INDIEPENDENT: It’s clear you’ve adapted well, after being active for so long! Being pretty young and successful on the local music scene, what’s been the best part for you as a band so far?
CK: I enjoy sharing our music with people the most, whether that’s performing it live or through recorded material. It’s nice to see if other people can connect with it or hate it! However, having interviews like this and seeing reviews of our music is also cool, because that’s a very new concept for us.
ET: The local Hexham gigs have stood out as a highlight for me. They have attracted the largest crowds and best atmosphere; It’s kind of surreal when you’re standing there playing your tunes and the crowd are standing two inches away screaming the words back into your face.
EB: We obviously enjoy playing to our close friends and family, but being approached by event organisers and asked to play gigs elsewhere is a big privilege. The amount of people who downloaded our EP also gave us a great feeling of success!
THE INDIEPENDENT: Equally, it can be challenging for musicians in their first couple of years. What, would you say, has been the biggest challenge for you?
CK: Aside from the practical elements of booking gigs and moving gear, the hardest part of being in a band seems to be keeping a constant rate of activity or interest with other people. When we release music or play a gig, people seem interested in the band, but it can be quite hard to keep that interest going when we’re not so active! Plus, getting our recorded tracks out there can be quite hard, but the Internet helps us out with that one.
ET: I agree with Chris on that one. Hopefully as we write more songs and play more gigs, increased exposure will draw more people to the band.
EB: Although we haven’t encountered too many problems or challenges so far, becoming a ‘well-known’ group in your local area is difficult. There’s huge competition to make it around here, not rivalry, just competition!
THE INDIEPENDENT: So, as a Newcastle-based band, is there anything in particular you love about local bands, or the North East music scene in general?
CK: Our whole experience of playing in the North East music scene (so far) has been pleasant and friendly- I think that pleasant and friendly approach most people here have is what makes it so enjoyable. Bands try to help each other out, and they don’t seem to judge one another either.
EB: Newcastle gives us opportunities to widen our audience, as we get to play bigger venues- recently we’ve been asked to play a slot in The Cluny, and even at the O2 Academy. We get to support some great bands too, like Spitfire Hostels and the Jackobins.
ET: The talent in this area is phenomenal. We’ve been privileged enough to play with some great people.
THE INDIEPENDENT: Now, your debut EP ‘from the water’ was treated pretty favourably by a lot of critics and bloggers. How was the recording process? Can you talk us through what went into those songs?
CK: It was our first proper experience of recording music as a band, which was all very exciting, but we also learned a lot whilst doing it. Basically, we recorded all the instruments live in a rehearsal room above our local music shop (Core Music, Hexham) and then added vocals after- we pretty much recorded all five tracks in the space of one morning. For our next project, I think we’ll try to take more time getting the right sound.
EB: We spent the day with a local recording artist, who helped us to fine tune our sound and produce our first ‘album’ if you will. We chose include some of our more light-hearted songs, like ‘Anchorage’, as well as the heavier ‘Alone Tonight’- basically wanting to show off our range of sound!
ET: We worked with some great people!
THE INDIEPENDENT: Finally, you seem to be able to capture a distinctive variation of sounds. Who are your key influences individually (or as a group)?
CK: As a group we seem to draw our shared inspiration from bands like Muse, Foo Fighters and Little Comets. Personally, I’m massively into The Gaslight Anthem (especially Brian Fallon’s song writing), anything Dave Grohl touches, Biffy Clyro and many a prolific guitarist, such as John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page.
EB: Muse, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Foo Fighters, Elbow, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin… I could go on for years!
ET: My musical upbringing has been very much punk/rock orientated, so when I first came to the band the others said I had brought that sound with me, which I hope is true!
Questions by Emily Ingram