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| Beyond the |
On hearing Wrestling
the last place you might expect them to come from is Wolverhampton. In fact,
they have more in common with 90s emo-revivalists stateside than the landfill indie
that their home-city usually tends to churn out. Y'know, the kind of bands that act like
brit-pop never died. Please folks, regardless of what the NME tells you, it
happened, get over it…. I digress. Yes, Wolvo, that’s exactly where they’re
from.
One of the most exciting and, crucially, different acts
currently plying their trade around the Midlands, the three-piece (comprised of
Rich on guitar, Gareth on bass and Andy on drums) have already notched up some
impressive gigs as well as releasing their debut EP, Wolf Town, on Man the Ramparts earlier this year. These guys have humour, passion and tunes, all wrapped up in a fuzzy lo-fi bundle that tugs at your ears and screams "Let's have a beer in the park!" It's hard not to smile with this trio on your stereo.
I went “beyond the mat” with the lads to find out how they
came to find their sound, what’s in store for the future, as well as the all-important
question… why Wrestling?!
For someone who
has never heard Wrestling, how would you describe what you are all about?
R: Fun! Foremost, we are about just having a laugh.
A: If you’ve been to one of our shows you’ll know we don’t really take ourselves too seriously!
R: We know the band is never going to amount to very much or make any money, so we just want to have as much fun as possible while writing some sweet jams. We are all long-time friends and really enjoy playing and hanging out with each other and to me that is what being in a band is about – good times with good people!
G: We play music that feels and sounds good to us. We're just 3 guys who enjoy jamming together and seeing what happens.
R: Sound-wise, we have been described as all sorts. I think my favourite one so far has been “you sound like Spy versus Spy... but not as good”! They are one of my all-time favourite bands so that was a real compliment for me.
G: We're happy to be described as fun shouty party jams, or similar. We bring a fresh yet raw approach - for instance, we utilise a minimal setup, guitar, bass, drums. The drums themselves are stripped down, the guitars don't use distortion or any other effects allowing the bass to really get involved, and as for our vocal styles, none of us can really sing but we all go for it.
R: I suppose in a nutshell we are an 'emo' band, but we are very wary of using that term due to the negative connotations associated with the genre it eventually evolved into. We have all sorts of sounds going on in our music, from fast punky bits and twinkly instrumental sections to all out cathartic epic screamo jams.
G: It's what I like most about being in this band, we're just raw and honest sounding.
R: Fun! Foremost, we are about just having a laugh.
A: If you’ve been to one of our shows you’ll know we don’t really take ourselves too seriously!
R: We know the band is never going to amount to very much or make any money, so we just want to have as much fun as possible while writing some sweet jams. We are all long-time friends and really enjoy playing and hanging out with each other and to me that is what being in a band is about – good times with good people!
G: We play music that feels and sounds good to us. We're just 3 guys who enjoy jamming together and seeing what happens.
R: Sound-wise, we have been described as all sorts. I think my favourite one so far has been “you sound like Spy versus Spy... but not as good”! They are one of my all-time favourite bands so that was a real compliment for me.
G: We're happy to be described as fun shouty party jams, or similar. We bring a fresh yet raw approach - for instance, we utilise a minimal setup, guitar, bass, drums. The drums themselves are stripped down, the guitars don't use distortion or any other effects allowing the bass to really get involved, and as for our vocal styles, none of us can really sing but we all go for it.
R: I suppose in a nutshell we are an 'emo' band, but we are very wary of using that term due to the negative connotations associated with the genre it eventually evolved into. We have all sorts of sounds going on in our music, from fast punky bits and twinkly instrumental sections to all out cathartic epic screamo jams.
G: It's what I like most about being in this band, we're just raw and honest sounding.
G: Richard and I go way back, high school and all that. We've been in numerous bands together including the legendary KRM, who were pretty much the greatest Wolf Town band of 2003.
R: We have played in various bands on and off for around 8 or 9 years now. Our last band was a kind of screamo outfit that sounded like a cross between Yaphet Kotto and City of Caterpillar, but it never really went anywhere. After a few years of doing nothing, we decided to start something new and asked long-time friend Andy, to play drums!
G: I knew Andy from working on the bars of the Civic Halls about 4 years ago now, and he was also in a pretty sweet pop punk band I'd seen live so I knew he kicked ass on the kit. Rich and Andy did something together for a while a few years ago as well so Rich always had him in mind when we decided to get together and jam some ideas mid-2010. Andy joined us later that year once we had a few songs down and we took it from there.
R: We settled on the name Wrestling due to a mutual love of the amateur wrestling that takes place on a monthly basis at infamous Wolverhampton nightclub The Planet.
G: We didn't decide on the name for a long time but when we did it was basically when we realised the only thing we really did together, outside the practice room, was to go and watch the FCP dudes go at it
A: Sadler suggested it and it felt right. We all go down to watch the FCP boys wrestle and we always have a right laugh.
R: By naming the band after it, it again kinda reflects our desire to have fun and not take things too seriously.
Compared to
other bands in the area you have a very different sound to your contemporaries.
What have been your main influences as a band?
R: Sound-wise, I am really into the re-emergence of the whole 'Mid-West' thing that is happening in the US at the moment and to a lesser degree some bands over here. I grew up with all the original bands so that sound has always been with me and very prevalent in a lot of my song writing. I am also really into old screamo bands, like Saetia and Indian Summer etc., so I try to combine the intensity and honesty of those bands, with the clean sound that is present in a lot of the Mid-West-esque bands.
G: Personally I listen to all sorts of stuff, but we'd be here forever if you got me started! I'm into a lot of stuff right now, and strangely none of it sounds like Wrestling!
A: I feel we never really went out of our way to sound a certain way; we just started to jam and the sound of Wrestling happened.
G: We never set out to emulate anyone… from the very beginning we would just jam riffs and ideas, we would do a lot of improv until we found something we liked. Some songs we've discarded along the way have had heavy post-rock elements, or they've been really slow and quite emotive, or just something that just wasn't really us, and at some point we found a sound that suited. We've even gone back and reworked songs to fit our sound now because we knew that even in our older stuff there was always at least one section or riff that we've liked and wanted to keep. We're all agreed that we didn't want to go the conventional song writing route, so you will rarely find a simple verse/chorus/verse,etc kind of structure to any of our songs. I like that we keep listeners on their toes, it keep things interesting!
R: Lyrically there is the usual crap, like friends, relationships etc., but there are also a bunch of references to the works of Tolkien. I am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and everything associated with it, some quotes and themes from it are in quite a few of our songs that the nerdier listener may pick up on!
G: As for my lyrical content, mine are often observations from a third party view, not necessarily about myself or anything really that personal, so basically the complete opposite to Richard's. I like the contrast. We often don't know each other's lyrics, and quite often I don't know what I'm singing myself! I've actually been improvising a lot of our new songs lately and it felt good so I've kinda kept at it. In the end it all adds to the fun when on stage!
Not long ago you released your first EP, ‘Wolf Town’. Would you say that living in Wolverhampton played a part in shaping the songs on that record?
R: There are definitely some songs about growing up in a town that has very little prospects and the difficulty of escaping it. The last song on the EP, ‘Nick's Got a New Blackberry’, is about how your friends grow up, move away and start taking life more seriously and the conflicting feelings that come along with accepting their choices. We also have a lot of fun here though, and as shitty and run down as Wolverhampton seems a lot of the time, at the end of the day it is home and holds loads of awesome people and memories, I hope this comes across in some of the more positive songs we write!
G: It was always going to be about ol' Wolf Town. We recorded the EP in the heart of the city so it's all over the record really in spirit. Lyrically I know Richard's stuff relates, but for me the music just has that honesty about making the most of what you've got. I've never lived anywhere else and I still kinda love my hometown despite all the negativity surrounding the place.
‘Wolf Town’ came out on a limited cassette through Man the Rampart, how did that relationship come about?
A: I just heard some guy with the sweetest beard I’ve ever seen liked our demo and wanted to help us out by putting it out for us on his new label!
G: Rory Butterworth is an old school friend of mine and he came to see us play and he was just buzzing with energy afterwards. He told me he was starting a bit of a label/distro thing and wanted us to be his first release. He was so enthusiastic and we were up for anything really so we went for it. We recorded a bunch of tracks with Matt Pinfield (of Grandflat Productions and The Young Runaways) before Christmas and we just kick-started the New Year working together on the release. We decided early on we wanted to put out a cassette and from there Rory had these great ideas for the aesthetics and as you know it turned out pretty ace! We made a limited run of 50 individual tapes and we've almost sold out now, so we're pretty stoked how well received it all was. We can't wait to work with Rory again.
R: Rory truly is a pleasure to work with. He does a lot for us and really understands where we are coming from and what we want to do as a band, so we really appreciate everything he does for us.
G: And yes, he does have the sweetest beard I've ever seen, it's true.
R: Sound-wise, I am really into the re-emergence of the whole 'Mid-West' thing that is happening in the US at the moment and to a lesser degree some bands over here. I grew up with all the original bands so that sound has always been with me and very prevalent in a lot of my song writing. I am also really into old screamo bands, like Saetia and Indian Summer etc., so I try to combine the intensity and honesty of those bands, with the clean sound that is present in a lot of the Mid-West-esque bands.
G: Personally I listen to all sorts of stuff, but we'd be here forever if you got me started! I'm into a lot of stuff right now, and strangely none of it sounds like Wrestling!
A: I feel we never really went out of our way to sound a certain way; we just started to jam and the sound of Wrestling happened.
G: We never set out to emulate anyone… from the very beginning we would just jam riffs and ideas, we would do a lot of improv until we found something we liked. Some songs we've discarded along the way have had heavy post-rock elements, or they've been really slow and quite emotive, or just something that just wasn't really us, and at some point we found a sound that suited. We've even gone back and reworked songs to fit our sound now because we knew that even in our older stuff there was always at least one section or riff that we've liked and wanted to keep. We're all agreed that we didn't want to go the conventional song writing route, so you will rarely find a simple verse/chorus/verse,etc kind of structure to any of our songs. I like that we keep listeners on their toes, it keep things interesting!
R: Lyrically there is the usual crap, like friends, relationships etc., but there are also a bunch of references to the works of Tolkien. I am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and everything associated with it, some quotes and themes from it are in quite a few of our songs that the nerdier listener may pick up on!
G: As for my lyrical content, mine are often observations from a third party view, not necessarily about myself or anything really that personal, so basically the complete opposite to Richard's. I like the contrast. We often don't know each other's lyrics, and quite often I don't know what I'm singing myself! I've actually been improvising a lot of our new songs lately and it felt good so I've kinda kept at it. In the end it all adds to the fun when on stage!
Not long ago you released your first EP, ‘Wolf Town’. Would you say that living in Wolverhampton played a part in shaping the songs on that record?
R: There are definitely some songs about growing up in a town that has very little prospects and the difficulty of escaping it. The last song on the EP, ‘Nick's Got a New Blackberry’, is about how your friends grow up, move away and start taking life more seriously and the conflicting feelings that come along with accepting their choices. We also have a lot of fun here though, and as shitty and run down as Wolverhampton seems a lot of the time, at the end of the day it is home and holds loads of awesome people and memories, I hope this comes across in some of the more positive songs we write!
G: It was always going to be about ol' Wolf Town. We recorded the EP in the heart of the city so it's all over the record really in spirit. Lyrically I know Richard's stuff relates, but for me the music just has that honesty about making the most of what you've got. I've never lived anywhere else and I still kinda love my hometown despite all the negativity surrounding the place.
‘Wolf Town’ came out on a limited cassette through Man the Rampart, how did that relationship come about?
A: I just heard some guy with the sweetest beard I’ve ever seen liked our demo and wanted to help us out by putting it out for us on his new label!
G: Rory Butterworth is an old school friend of mine and he came to see us play and he was just buzzing with energy afterwards. He told me he was starting a bit of a label/distro thing and wanted us to be his first release. He was so enthusiastic and we were up for anything really so we went for it. We recorded a bunch of tracks with Matt Pinfield (of Grandflat Productions and The Young Runaways) before Christmas and we just kick-started the New Year working together on the release. We decided early on we wanted to put out a cassette and from there Rory had these great ideas for the aesthetics and as you know it turned out pretty ace! We made a limited run of 50 individual tapes and we've almost sold out now, so we're pretty stoked how well received it all was. We can't wait to work with Rory again.
R: Rory truly is a pleasure to work with. He does a lot for us and really understands where we are coming from and what we want to do as a band, so we really appreciate everything he does for us.
G: And yes, he does have the sweetest beard I've ever seen, it's true.
You’ve got a
very DIY aesthetic to everything you do, was that a conscious decision you made
as a band, or just a happy accident?
A: I think we all feel the same about this; I’ve always had respect for bands who take the DIY approach.
R: For me, it is definitely a conscious decision. I think doing everything as DIY as possible is crucial if you want to maintain integrity and honesty as a band. We want to make the music we love without any compromise and to do it within a community of like-minded people who not only appreciate your music but also your intentions and ideals that surround that music is really important to us.
G: Yeah definitely a conscious decision. Like Richard said, we're an honest band, and whilst we want to have fun making and playing music, we don't want to compromise our music, or get fucked about, and I'm grateful that we have found ourselves in a great little community at present where everyone understands and is really supportive of each other. As punk rock as it may sound, being a dick gets you nowhere, a solid bit of old fashioned kindness is way cooler!
What are your feelings about the current music scene in Wolverhampton and the Midlands? Are there any bands you would recommend Distorted Tapes readers checking out?
A: The music scene in Wolves has seen better days! We grew up going to shows when we were young it’s just a shame that people don’t seem to do the same now. I think it’s on the up though as more sweet shows are going down in Wolves.
R: It is certainly getting better compared to what it used to be like, but it has a long way to go if it wants to resemble some of the more successful scenes like Leeds or Manchester and so on. In Wolverhampton especially, there is a real feeling of apathy when it comes to convincing people to come to a gig. We try to organise something ourselves once a month or so but it really is just a start. Fortunately, at the moment there are some great people around such as Distorted Tapes (aw shucks, guys!), Man the Ramparts and Let Your Fingers Do the Walking! who are trying to make something of the local scene.
I feel what Wolverhampton itself is really lacking is an independent venue that is willing to put on gigs at a reasonable price. At the moment, everything in the city is a pub or chain bar that doesn’t want to hear from you unless you can pay a massive fee or guarantee hundreds of people to turn up. Unfortunately, this is largely to do with the council who seem very reluctant to grant a music licence to anyone due to their fear of losing the monopoly they hold on live music. It really sucks.
G: I haven't felt that there's been much of a local music scene for many years now but since we played our first show last November it's become more and more apparent that, despite the lack of venues in Wolverhampton especially, there is something of a scene after all what with the likes of DT and LYFDTW working hard to put shows on. It's kinda reassuring and gives a lot of promise for the future. I agree with Rich on the need for a new independent venue for sure.
R: As far as local bands are concerned, there is of course God Damn who seem to be doing all the right things at the moment!
G: Those guys are seriously the best thing I've heard in a long, long time from this area. They're also neighbours of mine! I hear them through the walls at the lock up where my other band rehearses. Their new stuff blows my mind! Talking of my other band, (self-plug alert), we're called Women, we supported God Damn recently and if any DT readers like doom, sludge or stoner metal we're right up your street.
R: We are good friends with the pop-punk band Maycomb, and I for one am really looking forward to their album coming out. The recently deceased Cannons and Tanks were a really great band, so I am looking forward to seeing what they will do next. Human Hands are probably my favourite Midlands band though, anyone who likes early 90s screamo will love them. One of the members also runs the fantastic Eat a Book records, which is definitely worth your time and cash!
G: I'm also liking Birmingham band Them Wolves right now, excited to hear more from them, I think they have a record coming soon. In stark contrast in sound, there's Young Runaways who are excellent too. They're kinda folky indie, complete with trombone, trumpet and violin, and the frontman Matt Pinfield recorded the tracks for our tape so they're pretty ace in my book! There's plenty more I'm sure, there are just so many good bands in the Midlands right now it's really exciting.
What have Wrestling got planned for the rest of the year?
A: Hopefully play some more sweet shows!
G: We aim to play as many shows as possible so if anyone out there wants to put us on just hit us up on Facebook, send Richard an email. Just ask; we'll play anywhere we can!
R: I have organised a really awesome show in July at Scruffy Murphy's in Birmingham featuring some really awesome British Mid-Westy bands, like Nai Harvest and Zola, so I am really looking forward to that.
G: We're also working in collaboration with Rory at MTRR on a t-shirt design so we can work up some more funds and very soon we are recording new tracks with Matt Pinfield for what will hopefully be a 7” vinyl release this summer on MTRR again. We're hoping it might be a split so that will be really fun if we can pull it off!
A: I think we all feel the same about this; I’ve always had respect for bands who take the DIY approach.
R: For me, it is definitely a conscious decision. I think doing everything as DIY as possible is crucial if you want to maintain integrity and honesty as a band. We want to make the music we love without any compromise and to do it within a community of like-minded people who not only appreciate your music but also your intentions and ideals that surround that music is really important to us.
G: Yeah definitely a conscious decision. Like Richard said, we're an honest band, and whilst we want to have fun making and playing music, we don't want to compromise our music, or get fucked about, and I'm grateful that we have found ourselves in a great little community at present where everyone understands and is really supportive of each other. As punk rock as it may sound, being a dick gets you nowhere, a solid bit of old fashioned kindness is way cooler!
What are your feelings about the current music scene in Wolverhampton and the Midlands? Are there any bands you would recommend Distorted Tapes readers checking out?
A: The music scene in Wolves has seen better days! We grew up going to shows when we were young it’s just a shame that people don’t seem to do the same now. I think it’s on the up though as more sweet shows are going down in Wolves.
R: It is certainly getting better compared to what it used to be like, but it has a long way to go if it wants to resemble some of the more successful scenes like Leeds or Manchester and so on. In Wolverhampton especially, there is a real feeling of apathy when it comes to convincing people to come to a gig. We try to organise something ourselves once a month or so but it really is just a start. Fortunately, at the moment there are some great people around such as Distorted Tapes (aw shucks, guys!), Man the Ramparts and Let Your Fingers Do the Walking! who are trying to make something of the local scene.
I feel what Wolverhampton itself is really lacking is an independent venue that is willing to put on gigs at a reasonable price. At the moment, everything in the city is a pub or chain bar that doesn’t want to hear from you unless you can pay a massive fee or guarantee hundreds of people to turn up. Unfortunately, this is largely to do with the council who seem very reluctant to grant a music licence to anyone due to their fear of losing the monopoly they hold on live music. It really sucks.
G: I haven't felt that there's been much of a local music scene for many years now but since we played our first show last November it's become more and more apparent that, despite the lack of venues in Wolverhampton especially, there is something of a scene after all what with the likes of DT and LYFDTW working hard to put shows on. It's kinda reassuring and gives a lot of promise for the future. I agree with Rich on the need for a new independent venue for sure.
R: As far as local bands are concerned, there is of course God Damn who seem to be doing all the right things at the moment!
G: Those guys are seriously the best thing I've heard in a long, long time from this area. They're also neighbours of mine! I hear them through the walls at the lock up where my other band rehearses. Their new stuff blows my mind! Talking of my other band, (self-plug alert), we're called Women, we supported God Damn recently and if any DT readers like doom, sludge or stoner metal we're right up your street.
R: We are good friends with the pop-punk band Maycomb, and I for one am really looking forward to their album coming out. The recently deceased Cannons and Tanks were a really great band, so I am looking forward to seeing what they will do next. Human Hands are probably my favourite Midlands band though, anyone who likes early 90s screamo will love them. One of the members also runs the fantastic Eat a Book records, which is definitely worth your time and cash!
G: I'm also liking Birmingham band Them Wolves right now, excited to hear more from them, I think they have a record coming soon. In stark contrast in sound, there's Young Runaways who are excellent too. They're kinda folky indie, complete with trombone, trumpet and violin, and the frontman Matt Pinfield recorded the tracks for our tape so they're pretty ace in my book! There's plenty more I'm sure, there are just so many good bands in the Midlands right now it's really exciting.
What have Wrestling got planned for the rest of the year?
A: Hopefully play some more sweet shows!
G: We aim to play as many shows as possible so if anyone out there wants to put us on just hit us up on Facebook, send Richard an email. Just ask; we'll play anywhere we can!
R: I have organised a really awesome show in July at Scruffy Murphy's in Birmingham featuring some really awesome British Mid-Westy bands, like Nai Harvest and Zola, so I am really looking forward to that.
G: We're also working in collaboration with Rory at MTRR on a t-shirt design so we can work up some more funds and very soon we are recording new tracks with Matt Pinfield for what will hopefully be a 7” vinyl release this summer on MTRR again. We're hoping it might be a split so that will be really fun if we can pull it off!
facebook.com/wrestlingtheband
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