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completely relying on your gut and thinking, ‘I’m on the same base and I remember meeting and practice what we preach; we want it to be
onto a good thing, such that I’m happy to have some people on the first night and they were about the music, therefore if you come to our gig
no evenings or weekends to myself. No holi- like, ‘That was cool, this was awesome, we’ll you are going to get music. In terms of a visual
days, no nothing’. So what is really cool about definitely come back tomorrow and see you’ and display you are going to get; sweaty hair flicking,
right now is, yes, we are still working hard but at then we would see them again the next night tub-thumping, shreddingness; you’re not going
least now all the stuff we’ve been working on is and they would still be wearing their onesies and to get anything else from a visual side. It’s about
going public and we are starting to see the re- they’d ask how our day had been. We’d say, the music for us.”
sults. It’s a nice kind of reassurance.” ‘Awesome. We had a swim in the camp pool and
She continues, “You get these little things, played some volleyball. How’s your day?’ and ut speaking of visually, the band do like
little milestones, along the way that make us they’d be like, ‘Awesome. We’ve just been over Bto have fun in videos. A song from ‘Fight
think, ‘Ah cool, we’re going in the right direction’. Syria for eight hours and just got back and ran And Flight’ that the three-piece chose to make a
If you had said to us a year ago even, that we straight here from the hanger so we could catch video for was ‘Never Go Home’. The video is
would have done all that we have done in the the gig!’ comical and shows the girls dressed as riotous
past year, we’d have laughed at you. It’s been “I guess it must just become normal and like pensioners causing havoc and calamity during
like every year for the past couple of years when any other job. We sat with this one guy in the an alcohol-fuelled and kebab-powered night on
we look back at what we’ve done, going to the mess hall one day and he was an American Ma- the town. We ask if this video could, in fact, be
Middle East or done this or done that, every year rine, I think, and we asked, ‘Tell us about your a glimpse of their future selves.
it kinda gets less and less believable and more worst day at work,’ and he was like, ‘There was Josie replies, “We love what we do and we
and more laughable. But in a good way.” the time my oxygen mask failed while I was fly- want to keep doing it for as long as we possibly
ing over Syria, so I had to do an emergency can. It will be a very cool thing if we make it to
s mentioned, the band made a trip to landing in Iraq’. We were like, ‘Well, if Iraq is that age and remake that video but I don’t need
Athe Middle East in September 2015 to your safe place, you couldn’t take a paper jam to keep the undergarments I wore for it!”
spend time with and perform for the Australian at work seriously anymore.’” She also then offers a little secret about the
Defence Force, a trip which produced the video, saying the false teeth they wore were, in
footage for their ‘I Smell Rock n Roll’ video. ight and Flight’, which could almost re- fact, vampire teeth with the fangs cut down.
When asked about the experience, Josie says, ‘Flate to times in the Middle East, is full Josie explains, “We couldn’t find false teeth. We
“There were actually way more women at the of ballsy rock ‘n’ roll, both musically and lyrically. went round all the fancy dress shops in Mel-
gigs in the Middle East than there ever are at our The band are not afraid to speak up and say bourne and we only found vampire ones so we
normal gigs and it was actually a real pleasure what they are, and what they’re not. In track six, de-fanged them.”
to play for sober people as well because some- ‘So Not Me’, previous vocalist Estelle sang, ‘I And on that note, we say ‘fangs’ to Josie for
times you play a gig and people are like...” don’t wanna be another show pony’ and ‘I don’t chatting to us, and advise you guys to go and
(Josie then does an impression of a drunk per- want to be a toy among strangers’, so we ask if catch Tequila Mockingbyrd out on the road.
son complimenting them on a show, but it’s im- these are examples of what Tequila Mocking- Check the tour dates on www.tequilamocking-
possible to translate a single word she says!). “It byrd are not, then what are they? byrdband.com and pick up ‘Fight And Flight’, out
was nice having sober people telling you they Josie says, “We get asked a lot, what’s it like now.
enjoyed the gig because it is very easy to enjoy being a female in a band, and I think sometimes
gigs if you’re smashed. females are their own worst enemy in a lot of Words by Michael Coventry
“One day we played two gigs back-to-back ways. We give ourselves a bad name. We try

family to see Pearl Jam was very special as
Pearl Jam's music, activism and fan commu-
nity are the inspiration behind Given To Live.
Then have Eddie Vedder dedicate Love Boat
Captain to Joshua and call Given To Live a
great organisation from the stage was very
humbling.
If you could meet one of your inspirations
and ask them one question, who would you
like to meet and what question would you
ask?
I'd like to sit down with Pearl Jam and talk
them through Given To Live and show them
what their band has given to so many. Some-
Name, Age & Location: we take to a show. one with MS that we took to a show recently
Tom Pugh, 49, Bristol. said I only post stuff about Pearl Jam on our
Best purchase that's helped to improve facebook page because I'm into them. It's true,
What do you do - or what do you aim to do? your career? but if I wasn't into them there'd be no Given To
I run Given To Live, making live music dreams Any ticket that gets someone go to their show. Live and she would never have got to her
come true for vulnerable, excluded and dis- As we currently only have a few contacts in the show.
abled people. industry often it's into the online sale like
everyone else for tickets Advice to others that may want to follow in
How long have you been doing it for - and your footsteps?
what made you choose this career? Have you had any professional training or Don't think about things if you're following your
3 years. Career? I'm not sure I'd call this a ca- taken part in any courses to improve your heart. If I'd thought Given To Live through I'd
reer and I'm not sure what to call Given To career along the way? have been too terrified to start it.
Live... my dream? My dream to give people I'm always looking to improve myself through
the gift of live music. personal development. Workshops, courses, Where do you go from here? Plans for the
weekly supervision. future?
What does a general working day or week I'd love Given To Live to open in the States.
usually consist of? Highlight(s) of your career so far? We're in the process of opening in The Nether-
No two are the same but everyday includes Everyone we take to a show is a highlight and lands and Australia.
keeping my fingers crossed that there will be also a privilege. To be able to give a gift that
enough funds so we don't turn people away sometimes changes lives is both precious and Website for more info:
and also we can source tickets for the people humbling. Personally, to take Joshua and his www.giventolive.com

TEQUILA MOCKINGBYRD / BV CV