Having been tucked away in the studio recording their latest EP, The Black EP, Brawlers have returned in full force. We caught up with lead singer Harry to discuss the band’s creation, the internet and the band’s latest EP.
How did you guys meet?
I’ve known those guys for years, I met Matt in Lincoln, where I grew up. He was in a really cool indie band and I was in a, sort of cool, emo band and we were both about 17. We hated each other. Then we got drunk and realised we were mates. I’ve known those cats for about 10 years.
How do you think starting off in Lincoln developed your sound, what was the scene like there?
We all left Lincoln because it didn’t have a very good music scene. But 10 years ago it did have a very good live punk scene. I think if anything that instilled the idea of forming a band in us. Even though we’re not a punk band and were not a particularly DIY band, it still grew this idea that you have to work hard to play shows, because the only good shows in Lincoln were those DIY punk shows.
Do you think the rise of developers coming in ever closer to small punk venues has affected that scene you grew up in?
For me punk’s always been rebellion against something. The more people try and develop an area in whatever way it’s probably going to make people more reactionary to it.
And how does this shift in the music scene affect bands like yours?
There’s a bunch of small venues where we live in leeds and small venues are always going to be our bread and butter, but at the same time when you start a band you have your eye on those bigger venues. So the death of the small venue doesn’t necessarily concern us, but as long as there are some for us to play then we’re happy. We don’t really get too involved in the politics of that stuff.
How do you find Leeds as scene compared to say London, or Brighton or other cities?
Leeds is a good scene, lots of great bands, lots of great venues. It’s a relatively small city, considering it’s such a big city. We’re very spoiled in Leeds, it didn’t take long for us to get spotted as there’s lots going on all the time.
What’s the difference for you playing a home crowd in Leeds, and a crowd here in London?
I think it’s better here in London really. We’ve never really decided to play more in Leeds specifically than anywhere else just because we’re from there. London’s always amazing to us. Today’s show was incredible, so many people in a packed out room. We’ve never really been a Leeds centric band. We’ve always been a band who plays anywhere, so it’s not like we expect to play to a good crowd in London or Leeds or anywhere really. We go into each show thinking “let’s do the best we can”
How do you think the internet has allowed you to develop Brawlers
I dunno, we weren’t in Brawlers when the internet wasn’t a thing. It makes touring easy because you have stuff like satnavs. I dunno, it just means there’s several million bands for everyone to listen to at the same time, and they’re all probably good, so it does water everything down a bit. But it makes you struggle and makes you try harder.
And how do you try and get noticed in that mass of bands that are out there?
We just write songs that are better than everyone else!
Your new EP, The Black EP, is coming out soon, how has it developed from other albums and EP’s you’ve released in the past?
More live, a bit less pop punk, a bit more raw, a bit more honest. I’m always striving for a bit more honest narrative. I think I’ve become a bit less afraid to be as honest as I want to be. One of the main things for me as a singer or songwriter is getting a message across that is very direct.
Brawler’s The Black EP is available to stream and download from today.