Blushes band are pop music’s new dream. With a fusion of RnB and a touch of indie these guys are on our 2018 watch list . When it comes to celeb crushes Johnny Depp, Erykah Badu and Grimes top the list. We catchup with the guys from @blushesband for a deeper 1 on 1 Q & A sess.
Who are Blushes ? (In three words)
Tiff: Very special family.
Sonny: Marmite on toast
Bradley: Emotional, Vibrant, Weird
Jacob: Midnight Boogie Sleep
How would you describe your sound and style?
Tiff: Sound wise we are a bit of a pick n mix. We combine different areas of music with our variations of style and influence. I find a lot of bands all love the same music whereas yes we do agree on some songs and have favorites the same as each other but choice of what we listen to on the daily is very different.
Our sound is a concoction of influences with Indie dream pop melodies combined with Rnb and sometimes jazzy vocals and also a cheeky baseline its hard to pin the sound down to one genre.
Style wise again we are very mixed in the sense that I tend to go for a pop 90’s look which comes from obsessing over teen looks of people like drew Barrymore and Britney Spears and of course my idol Hannah Montana.
It’s almost like London grammar, Black eyed peas and Foals got together and had a massive orgy which made Blushes.
It’s almost like London grammar, Black eyed peas and Foals got together and had a massive orgy which made Blushes.
Sonny: We’re like Willy Wonkas chocolate factory in music form, as for my personal style i’ve got quite a loose guitar playing style, im very inspired by the likes of Johnny Marr, Yannis Phillipakis, Johnny Greenwood & so on, I like to push myself & make sure everything I write is a challenge to play in some way, fiddly lead lines are my forte.
Brad: Our sound is very collaborative of our four different musical backgrounds, and our style is very before our time.
Jacob: Our sound is a mess of RnB, Pop, Indie Rock, Funk, Psychedelic and Jazz.
I think we are happy that we feel like making songs drawing from lots of different areas and eras, because its both channeling what we love about music whilst making stuff that is interesting and presents some new ideas. That sort of makes up our style of music in that writing is challenging and rewarding, picking and successfully blending all or some of these elements.
If you had to eat cheese for a year or Jam for a year which one would you choose and why?
Tiff: If I could have it with other things too I would go for cheese as there are so many different types and ways to eat it and things to eat it with. If it was that and only that for a year definitely jam. Only if Lemon curd sounds though. Variations of sweetness… what more could you want.
Sonny: Cheese, I already eat a year load of cheese daily
Brad: Cheese, it would never not be Cheese, even if it was life or cheese, I would still choose cheese.
Jacob: I think Jam is a lot more constricting than just cheese. Jam is one specific way of preserving fruits, and you pretty much have to have it from a jar, on bread, or in some kind of pudding. No room for imagination you know? I also like having teeth, and this might make me not have teeth quite fast. Cheese, on the other hand (and I will write this in my 2018 ‘Why Cheese Is The World’s Best Condiment’ Thesis) has an entire universe of application. One example being parmesan and its match made in Roman heaven with Pasta. Carbonara is my favourite dish of all time, and you don’t even realise how much cheese you eat with it, cos it mixes so well with the egg. This is what I mean – you take cheese, grate it, slice it, melt it, fry it, mix it, dry it, powder it, coat it on some triangular crisps, whatever. It can turn into something totally different. Heck, theres even cheese CAKE. Someone made cheese, got the whey left over from making that cheese, coagulated it, made ricotta, and then put it in a cake to make the GOAT dessert. Seriously. You could have sliced jarlsberg for breakfast, a cube of Hafod cheddar for lunch, deep fried mozzarella for dinner and some grated gruyere for afters. Almost perfect. But decent cheese is expensive. I think we should have a universal basic cheese income.
…Cheese makes you fat?!
Who was the last person you texted?
Tiff: My dad asking him how much mileage I have done to tell the guy doing my MOT as embarrassingly I don’t speak fluently in motor lingo.
Sonny: My sister
Brad: I never usually text people but it was actually my sister, today, because she had no Wi-Fi or 4G and was asking me what we should get our bro for his birthday.
Jacob: I last texted my cat.
Why music & was there ever a backup plan?
Tiff: When I was little I wanted to grow up to either be a Zoo Keeper or a singer. I just absolutely love animals and would probably have needed up running away with them all like a modern day Noahs ark. I was quite shy as a very young kid so it just seemed unrealistic to me for a while that I would ever do music as a full time job. I also did a lot of Horse riding from the age of 1 maybe even younger (in a basket as a saddle) so the back up plan was always to go abroad and teach horse riding or go to a camp in America or something only because every thing else seems so boring to me even if its impressive and brainy and cool. Or just to do cruise ship singing or something.
Sonny: Music always, there’s never been a back up plan for me it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do & all I’ve ever been interested in making a career in, my life ambition has always been to make music that connects with people, a dreamer since day 1 & nothing has managed to change that.
Brad: Music has always been a part of my life, my grandad always played the piano and guitar, and my mum followed from that, and then funnily enough, both my brother and sister had piano lessons but I was never interested, then years later when they quit I started my guitar lessons, it seems to be the only thing I’m moderately acceptable at. Back up plan, I become a barber, always had a thing for hair and my great Grandfather had his own barber shop.
Jacob: Music became a lifelong pipedream ever since I realized I wanted to play drums in a band and then help produce those songs. Humans having the ability to play/make music, dance and all feel it together, is like the secret ingredient to our species. If we were pleading for the survival of humanity to some deep space lords of galactic justice, like, yes; on the whole we did decimate ecosystems and bring society to its knees with corruption and greed. But at least Steely Dan made Aja, and Meshuggah made Bleed. I am terrified by the fact I don’t really have a backup plan. I am in love with making visual art – digital painting, and the whole concept art world, but I don’t know if I could dedicate myself wholly to it as a career. If I did it would take up the same if not more hours than music. Music is my dream 100% though. It just so happens to be our dream also. And I couldn’t be more grateful getting to share it with them.
any loves, other then music?
Tiff: I used to study fine art at college so that was a huge love of mine. I fell head over heels for the messy side with assemblage and scrapbooking which im mad about. I keep EVERYTHING in case I want to put it in my crazy sketchbook. I also interned in fashion at a company called ESCADA so fashion was and still is a love of mine. Just nothing as big as music.
Sonny: I love my clothes me, a good outfit can make you feel unstoppable. Art as well is something I’ve loved doing in my spare time, I also have a huge fascination towards animals but especially great white sharks, I’m like a great white shark encyclopaedia I tell ya, I’ve watched every documentary under the sun, they’re beautiful creatures & so misunderstood, I’d defo be mates with one (til’ it bites me leg off)
Brad: Yes! many, first and foremost my incredible girlfriend Lucy, she is my biggest inspiration and has always had my back, another is Cheese as you may already of gathered, aswell as Skateboarding and more recently Snowboarding.
I love Star Wars, Halo, Blade Runner, Lord Of The Rings, Star Trek, the lot, everything else, anything that builds a mad world with an engaging story, in whatever medium.
Jacob: I completely love space. I love thinking about how humans will develop so that we travel to other stars and actually explore distant planets.
Movies in general really, I appreciate good filmmaking and crafting narratives and then translating that onto screen.
I love my girlfriend. She could run for President of anywhere without a single bribe.
I love making food and making it taste good.
I love mountains and any variation thereof.
any celebrity crushes?
Tiff: Other than the obvious Ryan Gosling in The Notebook Im not really CRAZY about anybody but I used to have this strange obsession with lil Chris when I was little. To the point where at Christmas all I wanted was for him to come and surprise me so I got all dressed up on some proper dressy dress and put a ribbon in my hair hahahahaha. I have to admit that I used to really fancy some of the Hollyoaks characters. I do have a huge girl crush on Miley Cyrus though.
Sonny: Emilia Clarke, sweet mother of dragons, even my girlfriend fancies her so can’t even get mad at me.
Brad: Johnny Depp, he’s a role model for sure.
Jacob: Rick Stein, Erykah Badu, Barbara Palvin, Grimes. Idris Elba, Lennie James
Favourite track to perform at a gig?
Tiff: Personally my favourite has got to be blame it on the weather. I Gert really into the vocals emotionally because the song feels a little like passive aggression over a relationship which I am sure everybody can relate to at some point in their lives.
Sonny: TO THE BONE it’s extremely fun to play, there’s also a new track we’ve got up our sleeves ready to play, as of yet unnamed but boy I tell ya that one keeps you on your toes.
Brad: To the bone, I love the instrumental breaks, means I get to step away from the mic for a bit and have a little boogie.
Jacob: Hypnotise – that random And So I Watch You From Afar drop thooooo
Who do you think will be big in the music scene next year? And why?
Tiff: ‘Hey Charlie’ and ‘Anteros‘. a lot of female fronted bands are kicking off at the moment. It’s great to see it having such an effect.
Sonny: Loyle Carner without a doubt, I recon he’s gonna be huge, his debut album was one of my favourites & he seems like such a genuine down to earth geezer, writes with real heart with beautiful instrumentals, I’d love to meet him. Blaenavon are also a band to I’m sure will blow up, their track Lonely Side is one of those songs you wish you’d wrote, ridiculously huge.
Brad: Definitely Rex Orange county! he is a genius and has started to get some real, well deserved, exposure! I inspire to be as sick as that guy!
Jacob: After last year, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard should get recognition for being pretty much the best rock band of this era. Each album was totally unique and served a different purpose; experimentation, story, collaboration, rhythm, new sounds, all within the beautifully refined yet broad musical avenues they already set prior. Yaeji is so good, catchy and dark, I think she’s properly gonna be huge, lots of big festival slots. Kamal Williams in the Jazz scene too, Yussef Kamaal was SUCH a good project, albeit one album. Everything that guys plays just fits and adds so much to whatever else is being played around him. Our duuuudes in Milk too, they are gonna get noticed HARD. Dreamy, grungey, jazzy, dancey, all the good stuff. So much creativity. We’re playing with them at the launch for ‘Honey’ , and they are a force of NATURE.
Whats the first song you remember ever singing ?
Tiff: first song I ever remember singing is post man pat but properly singing probably white cliffs of dover in a school play where I did vocals throughout the whole thing.
Sonny: D’yer Wanna Be A Spaceman? – Oasis was the first song I can remember learning chords to on guitar and attempting to sing, but silently in my room as I was always too shy to sing in front of anyone.
Brad: Throw away your television – Red hot chilli peppers, I remember the title was the only words I knew to it at the time and I used to belt those 4 words, repeatedly at the top of my voice when I was on the toilet as a kid.
Jacob: I’m The Urban Spaceman by The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band.
Whats your ritual before going on stage/ how do you prepare?
Tiff: jump around a lot. remind myself of the parts I know I will forget. down a drink usually. hahahahah. when we were on tour I think I necked the rest of whatever I was drinking at that point and it was normally a pint which tastes like piss.
Sonny: I dunno really I just get proper excited to play, I usually have my jacket on then just before we go on the jackets off, I’d say when the jackets off that’s when it’s business time baby.
Brad: I usually thoroughly season my right elbow with some salt, pepper and a touch of Oregano, and if it’s a venue I’ve never played before then I add some Paprika for good measure.
Jacob: If I remember to stretch properly and I have time, I’ll do that. And warm up. Don’t want those hurting bones. I think about LEFT HAND DEXTERITY a lot. A shoot for Barry Cooper too.
12.And before you go- where can we find you online?
You can find us on Twitter @blushesband,
Facebook it’s /blushesband and our instagram is @dontmakemeblushes!
Thanks Distract TV!
Blushes x
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