Page 8 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 99

BV99 pg06-09 The Bad Flowers_BV99 pg08 31/10/2018 21:43 Page 3

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every weekend, but when I joined this band to be able to make this a full time source of to see them more but they have supported
it became very serious, very quickly and so income.” me from day one of playing drums, let alone
my friends would call and ask if I was going Of course they are not the only musi- the start of this. If I hadn’t have been as lucky
out with them and I’d have rehearsals or a cians with this dream. There are countless it would be a lot harder than it is. I often get
gig and after a while they just stopped ring- bands and performers across the country told to slow down because I’ll make myself
ing so I lost a lot of friends out of it. I realised and beyond playing headline shows to a re- ill. I get told that all the time but the trick to
who my true friends were; the ones who spectable number of fans, making albums that is to never stop! It’s like people say the
stuck with me. And now I’ve also got Tom which are readily available and music trick to not getting a hangover is to never
and Dale, who, over the last four years have videos, but still while having a full time job stop drinking!” He adds, with a chuckle, “Not
become more like brothers than best friends, away from the music so we ask Karl if he be- that I drink a lot because it gives me a
so I really have gained a lot from losing a lot. lieves The Bad Flowers truly have what it headache, but I’ll take their word for it. But
But when I took the gamble I didn’t know takes to make their dream a reality. He every single aspect of my life I’m happy with
what to expect. It cost me a lot of money in replies with a very firm and confident, “Yes”, and it’s worth it to keep on going for it,
fuel just to go and rehearse with them and adding, “and solely because we want it badly whether that be my family, the other half or
go there and back every week, I didn’t know enough. This goes back to why my previous music; it’s worth it.”
if work would allow me to do what I wanted projects and Tom and Dale’s previous proj- Mentioning the importance of love
to do.” ects haven’t succeeded is probably because in his life brings us to a song on the
not everyone wanted it the way we want it album called ‘I Hope’, which Tom has
espite all the hurdles he and his and that’s not me saying the other bands out simply described as a ‘somewhat
Dbandmates have overcome, it is very there don’t work as hard as us because I personal song’. We ask Karl to
clear being a part of The Bad Flowers gives would never say that. I’ve got friends talk to us about the
Karl a huge sense of enjoyment and fulfil- across the country and Europe importance
ment in his life. “Don’t get me wrong, all the that are in bands at the same of love
projects I’d been in since I was 13 or 14 up level as us who put in just as i n
to when I joined The Bad Flowers, I’ve al- much work, but it is a hard in-
ways been happy. Music is my happy place, dustry to crack, but in terms
whether I’m going through anything in life of The Bad Flowers, I be-
that is making me happy or sad, music is my lieve it is a realistic goal
go-to happy place, especially playing drums. solely because we
But music has always been important and want it enough and
I’ve always wanted it to be a career, but with we have the right
all the other projects I’ve been involved in it work ethic.”
was never going to come close to what could U n f o r t u -
potentially be a career. I’ve always been very nately, achiev-
driven and I think with my other projects the ing this is not
other guys weren’t so much and Tom and an easy
Dale say the same about what they have task and
done before. Especially Tom, I mean we are Karl is
all driven, but Tom is a machine! He’s bril- only too
liant and I don’t think people give the credit f a m i l i a r
or realise how much he does because he with the
does a hell of a lot behind the scenes and difficul-
when we’re on the road and I think Dale ties of
would definitely say we wouldn’t be half as realising
far without him and the work he does. I think his and the
it helps that all three of us have that drive b a n d ’ s
and passion and determination to get to goals. As he
where we want to go that we all put in 110 per already men-
cent wherever we are, whether that is sat at tioned, he works
home doing social media or whatever job as a restaurant
needs doing, the things people don’t realise manager, a job
go into being in a band, and we’ve all got the which carries long
drive and determination to get what we want hours and coupled
and we’ve got it in our sights and do our with the time he dedi-
damned hardest to get it. The progression cates to the band
we have had over the last few years has been every week, it leaves
incredible, so it’s getting closer.” precious little time for
We ask Karl to tell us more about the everything else, includ-
band’s long-term ambitions and goals and ing spending time with
what it is they are ultimately gunning for. his partner Beth, family
“Personally, and I think I speak on behalf of and friends and so we
all of us, we want to do this full time. Don’t ask him about the difficul-
get me wrong; I love my job and I love my ties in juggling these dif-
bosses, but I don’t want to wake up every ferent elements to his busy
day for the rest of my life and walk into a pub life schedule.
and manage a restaurant. I want to wake up “It’s really, really hard”,
and play drums with my best mates every he tells us with a smile. “I’ve
day. It’s not about money, it’s not about been quite lucky because
fame; I just love playing music. I regularly everyone I care about
say to people if I could switch jobs now and enough and everyone that
get paid exactly what I get now but to play cares about me enough and
music, I would do it. I don’t get paid an awful is close to me in my life,
lot, I get paid enough to get by and I can live whether it be family or my part-
comfortably, but it’s not about that. I just love ner or my friends, they know
writing music, we love being in the studio, how hard I work and they can see how happy being happy.
we love being together, rehearsing and I am doing what I do, so yeah, I’d like to see “It’s massive. My partner means the ab-
doing new stuff and then we definitely love my partner more often and I know she’d like solute world to me”, is his instant reaction.
being out on the road and meeting new peo- to see me more often, but she also knows “I’ve been through loads recently in the last
ple and making new friends, that’s what it’s what I want to do and she supports me 100 two and a half years and without her I would
about for us, so the ultimate dream for us is per cent. It’s the same with my family, I’d like have struggled, massively. Not only that, but
THE BAD FLOWERS