Gorilla Punch Radio are a Rock N’ Roll four-piece from Leeds, UK and have officially released their debut single ‘No Retreat’ on iTunes as of the 7th August. Here at The Indiependent, we caught up with frontman Paul James and found out all about their local and distant influences and how the band have celebrated since the release of their debut track.
THE INDIEPENDENT: Hey guys. First of all, how did you first discover your sound? Did you set out with a particular sound in mind or did you just see what came naturally?
Hello there, Paul James here! We’re a hard hitting rock band and our influences are Royal Blood, Muse, Led Zeppelin, Rage Against the Machine, Guns N’ Roses and so on. We knew our sound would be heavy, riff based Rock N’ Roll. We like powerful riffs but with a groove to them so you can kind of mosh or dance to them. With the influences we have, our sound was always going to be a hybrid of British rock and American rock, hopefully combining the best of both. It really started with the guitar riff for ‘No Retreat’ and after some tinkering I had the riff down and started writing the song around it, so I knew that the band’s future songs would be in a similar style. We’re also influenced by local Leeds bands like Treason Kings, Allusondrugs and Humans as Ornaments, there’s a few killer acts around at the moment.
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THE INDIEPENDENT: Can you tell us a bit about the recording process of No Retreat?
Elliot recorded the drums in his studio and I recorded the guitars, bass, and vocals with Mark and Stef at my studio. It was a fun process, I used my Blackstar amplifier and also rented a Marshall JCM 900 which sounds incredible, so that was the guitar tone along with our trusty Les Pauls. Elliot showed us the mix and we were all blown away by what he did to it, he just brought it alive sonically and captured the ferociousness of the track.
THE INDIEPENDENT: Do you have any goals for the next year?
We’re currently demoing songs for an EP so we’re going to crack on and get that recorded and released and get on the road, for now though we’re pushing out ‘No Retreat’ and getting people excited about this band.
THE INDIEPENDENT: Did you have any goals in the past that have now been achieved?
Well writing and recording ‘No Retreat’ has been our goal so far and it’s come together magnificently so yes, mission accomplished.
THE INDIEPENDENT: Is there a venue in particular that you’d love to play in the future?
Wembley haha. I’ve played Warehouse 23 in Wakefield a few times with my old band, we supported the Pigeon Detectives there and I really like that venue. Brudenell Social Club is always on the list for Leeds bands, we’d love to play there too.
THE INDIEPENDENT: As a band from Leeds are there any local musicians that have had an influence on your music?
As mentioned, Treason Kings, Allusondrugs and Humans as Ornaments are massive influences on us, they’re all super lads as well. It’s an exciting time for rock bands in Leeds.
THE INDIEPENDENT: No Retreat was released via iTunes on the 7th – how has the band celebrated?
Beer and Whiskey have been consumed haha.
‘No Retreat’ is now available for download on iTunes, grab it now!
Questions by Zara Rowden
@zaraannecharlie