Suffolk-via-Brighton garage rockers Gaffa Tape Sandy are set to hit the road for their first ever headline tour beginning next week! We spoke to vocalist/guitarist Kim Jarvis to find out what they’re expecting and how their love for Hooch possible lead to their record deal…
You’re about to head out on your first ever headline tour! What are you expecting?
We’re fully expecting it to be utterly exhausting, cathartic and rewarding. Kind of like doing a weekly food shop but with more blood sweat and tears, a lot less food, and more chance of having your vehicle broken into. It’s definitely a bit scary going to a few places we haven’t played before, and hoping that enough people like us to come. But all the more reason to do it and prove to ourselves that it’s possible, rather than hiding behind a computer screen or playing the usual haunts.
Who do you think will get homesick on the road first?
I think we all equally enjoy the comforts of home. I have a lot of houseplants that may perish whilst we’re out on the road. It definitely won’t be long before the dying houseplant related nightmares set in. We’re all quite good friends and spend a lot of time together anyway, so it shouldn’t be too different. If anything the beds may be tidier and better made.
Have you asked for any interesting things on the rider?
Beard oil for our merch guy, who yes, is the absolute walking cliche of the bearded merch guy. Think Courtney Barnett meets Post Malone. Other than that, we’re easy except for Catherine (vocals/bass) who is an absolute Hooch demon. She loves it, and it’s probably 80% why Alcopop Records decided to work with us.
What’s your favourite song to play live?
For me it changes hugely depending on the energy that we see coming back to us. ‘Water Bottle’ has been a long time favourite of mine, but recently ‘My Desperate House’ has been met with a really frantic and amped response. We get quite a few messages from fans asking for their favourite songs to be played, so will try our best to fit them all in if we can.
Will you be debuting any other new tracks at these shows?
Come find out! We may be toying with at least one, so depending on how rehearsals go, we shall see.
What are the best and worst things that have happened on stage so far?
Last year at Truck Festival I saw the stage photographer getting crowd-surfed. Loved that. A few weeks after that we played Sound City in Ipswich and I had a really spicy curry about 45 minutes before we played and that had some pretty awful acid reflux repercussions. It could have gone a lot worse, but never again.
Brighton is known for its thriving music scene. How has moving there helped develop the band and your sound?
Just being surrounded by so much music has definitely given us energy and inspiration to be better and play better. There are some fantastic performers and writers here, so I guess the element of competitiveness has been motivating, but in the best way. That being said, we all come from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk which also has a thriving DIY music scene and which practically gave birth to us. There are so many great bands which come out from there, so we’re all very lucky.
You had a strong response to your latest EP Family Mammal. Can you tell us more about the pet theme and what it represents?
The dog for us is just a symbol of love, we all have dogs back at our parent’s houses. They’re such a brilliant animal to channel love into. There’s no huge complicated concept lying behind Family Mammal. It’s more just a piece of work that’s completely covered in love, from the artwork, to the production and the songwriting, a lot of love went into those recordings, and I guess that’s what the artwork was reflecting. That and we just liked the photo.
What’s been your favourite music video to make?
Our first video for ‘Smart Dressed Guy’ essentially just involved us hiring out our local rehearsal/party space, drinking beer and doing bad fake stunts. Thinking about it, we should probably just do that again next time around. We could definitely get more than 20 people to come these days.
What else has 2020 got in store for the three of you?
In May we get to go to Holland to play a festival with Show Me The Body, which we cannot wait for, as well as a headline show in Paris. Then in the summer you’ll see us at Heelapalooza Festival which we’re psyched for! And in between that, we’re gonna be getting new music ready for ya. Lots of writing, rehearsals and recording are scheduled, but we’ll be announcing a few more dates post-tour to keep you all happy.
Tags: gaffa tape sandy / interview