Page 10 - Black Velvet Issue 85

BV85 pg8,9,10,11:BV85 pg10 13/06/2015 01:43 Page 3

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for what it is and you know I feel like we’re really and stopped by the venue security. It made Tom playing or tour managing so it meant that we all
lucky and honoured to be here.” upset as he likes to break down the border be- spent quite a lot of periods of time away, so
“Definitely,” Drew agrees. “This is such a tween band and fan. “They’re the people that while the band was forming we would all really
fickle kind of thing to do, it’s so different and it’s make a band the band; the patrons who come have to come together and make an effort to fig-
cavalier and fun and great, but it’s full of pitfalls to shows, fans, whatever you want to call them, ure out what we were going to do. One time I’d
and so we’re just enjoying it for what it is, you they’re the people that buy into your music and been on tour for a few months, I came home and
know, playing music and travelling - it’s great.” no band would be anywhere if it wasn’t for peo- Joe, our drummer, he’s a tattooist, I went to
“Yeah, we're not taking anything for granted ple like that so, for me personally and for the rest hangout with him and he was trying to peer
for sure,” Tom says. “If bigger things come, I of us in Light You Up, we want to make that pressure me into getting a tattoo. I said no, and
mean who knows in maybe two or three years known to the people coming to these shows,” then he asked what out of all of the tattoos on
we may be able to do a show at the Koko as our Tom says. his recent flash sheet would I want, and I said
own show or maybe even do a headline show Tom always spends part of the band’s set in ‘Probably that fly because it’s the smallest.’ Then
here which would be awesome, but if that never the crowd, singing and dancing with the audi- before I knew it everybody in the band had that
comes I’m going to enjoy this for what it is.” ence. “Personally I don’t like the whole artist- fly so that peer pressured me into getting it, so
barrier thing. I think an audience is just as now we all have the fly and it just started spread-
ight You Up have already come a long important as performers on stage are. I can’t re- ing from there and we put it on a shirt and stuff.
Lway from when they released 'Broken member what show we were at, but I was saying It’s just a bit of fun, but at the same time it rep-
Jaw' in 2012, and over the past couple of years that we’re kind of like a team, you know, without resents something that’s important.”
they've bonded more and become closer as a the guys on stage it’s just a bunch of people in “Yeah,” Tom agrees. “Something that came
band. Tom tells us that recording the album was a room, but without the audience we’re just five from a very silly place has turned into something
probably the biggest bonding experience they've guys playing music - which isn’t a bad thing, but really nice.”
had yet. “We flew to the States, we were in to make a rock show work we need both parties
Austin, Texas for a couple of weeks staying with so I think both are equally important,” Tom om posts a lot of quotes about optimism
some friends and that's when myself and Drew laughs. “I probably reacted not as well as I Tand happiness on Instagram but he
finished off writing the lyrics for the record. That should have done, but yeah, I’m very passionate wouldn't say he's the most optimistic in the Light
was really good because whilst we had kind of about uniting the audience and the artist, so You Up team. “It's Paul Squires, the guy who
collaborated on musical ideas in the past, it was being prevented from doing so is quite frustrat- does our sound,” Tom laughs. “He is the biggest
only kind of briefly touched on in the ‘Broken ing.” bundle of joy, he’s a very, very happy chappy
Jaw’ EP, so this was the first time that we really, “Forcefully prevented,” Drew adds. “But it and is always striving to lift moods and lift spirits.
officially kind of collaborated on a lot of things. was all good after. I mean, we understood that This tour has been very up and down emotion-
That definitely brought us closer in terms of a they were just trying to keep us safe and the au- ally, I think for all of us in individual ways, there’s
writing sense.” dience safe, and it was just one of those things a lot of home stuff that’s been going on, but he's
“Definitely,” Drew agrees. that just got blown a bit out of proportion.” such a great guy, he’s always walking into a
“Then we flew out to San Francisco to do room trying to lift those spirits and make us all
the album,” Tom continues. “We spent about a ight You Up call themselves and anyone feel good,” Tom continues. “I think being happy
week doing pre-production and a lot of the Lwho supports the band the Flycrew. Tom is a lot harder than it is to be sad, I think if you’re
songs changed from the sad it’s very easy
demos that we brought to to be complacent
the studio to what actually and wallow,
came out of it. So I think where as if you
that was really good be- want to be happy
cause as I say it was the you’ve actually
first time that we had all, got to make the
as a unit, been able to effort to be
kind of tear apart songs happy and it’s
and throw in ideas.” hard to do some-
It was while recording times.”
the album that the band “Yeah, defi-
also became a lot closer nitely” Drew
as friends, Tom explains. agrees. “And
“I mean, we lived with from the band
each other for about six moving forward
weeks that summer so it in a business
was pretty full on, it’s not sense, I do a lot
like a kind of tour where of the band’s
you can… you know you business, so I’m
go to a different city and always the one
you meet other people that’s like ‘No
and get away, it was liter- guys, we’re
ally just the five of us for going to be okay!
six weeks straight.” We’re going to
“Yeah, it was great make it work!
though,” Drew says. “Be- We’ll figure it
cause from touring we’ve out!’ That’s my
learnt when to ask certain phrase, that’s
questions with each other what everyone
and when not to, and just how to make every- explains, “The idea behind the Flycrew is really says. I’ve coined the phrase.”
thing as productive as possible. With the record nice. It’s all about being a team, it's everyone in “Yeah,” Tom laughs. “We’ll figure it out.
we definitely learnt how to push each other’s Light You Up, not just the five guys in the band None of us are really mopey or down guys, I
buttons in a positive way, like ripping apart the but our entire team who work with us. You know, mean we’re on the road with a bunch of mates
songs without making someone feel like they’re all the audience members and people who care playing music so...”
put out there under pressure to change their part about our band, that’s all the Flycrew and that’s “There’s not much to be sad about!” says
or something, so that’s really cool, that was def- really nice. However, it’s a bit stupid!” Drew.
initely a big learning curve.” Drew laughs, “What it stemmed from is stu- Although the band are all optimistic and en-
“Yeah, for sure,” Tom agrees. “It was wicked pid, yeah.” joying life, they do have their struggles being in
fun though.” “So actually...” Tom holds up his wrist to re- a smaller, unsigned band. Tom says they strug-
veal a tattoo of a fly, “There’s one of the flies.” gle financially, more than anything else. He ex-
peaking of touring, there was an inci- “Yeah,” Drew laughs. “So, two of the guys, plains, “We fund everything that we do, so to
Sdent the other month where Tom tried to well, three of us actually in the band have all at work at a ‘professional level’ it takes a lot of
get into the crowd, but was forcefully grabbed different times toured with other bands, either money.”
LIGHT YOU UP