By Adam Hamza
Chernobyl Sunshine Club is the latest band to come on our radar, their quirky name and profile make them one of the most interesting entry-level bands to pop up right now. This meant we just had to find out a little bit more about them, here’s an introduction interview so you can get a taste of what they’re all about.
Tell us about your aims when creating music, and where does that aim stem from?
The aim is to be original, there’s nothing worse than a stagnant art form, music needs to constantly change so we try to be original but still moderately listenable.
What was the catalyst for picking up instruments and wanting to start a band?
We’ve been musicians since we were very young and there’s always been an inherent need for us to be part of a band and create something. We don’t know where it comes from it’s just always been there.
Were you very influential to music when growing up or did you establish your own musical preferences?
Both really. We were handed down music and have a great love for classic bands such as Talking Heads, The Beatles, Velvet Revolver etc. but also found our way into other genres, including a lot of metal, which is probably where a lot of the bleaker elements of our music comes from.
Tell us about what it was like when you first started writing?
Frank (our main songwriter) was about 7 or 8 when his family was given an old piano, it was out of tune but it was fantastic. He always wanted to make up his own little tunes; he hated having to learn other people’s music when he went to piano lessons.
What’s the music scene like in your area of London at the moment? Any band recommendations?
We gig and hangout in a lot of different areas of the city. It’s alive and well in London. There are gigs on most nights, and there’s a good community of bands forming at the moment who all know each other.
We have to mention the band Vivianne Viveur, they’re really good. Andrea from their band has filled in playing bass and sometimes synth for us at some shows, and our guitarist Will engineered on their previous studio album.
How have your recent gigs been received, are there any coming up?
We gig a lot around London in different venues and have had some really fun shows. It’s great when the crowd sings along and goes crazy down the front. We have a group that comes to every show we do and they always make the nights memorable for us.
We’ve got a headline show coming up on the 05/05/18 at The O2 Academy 2 Islington. That’s going to be a big one for us. We’ve played there before but as a support so we’re really going to try and push ourselves for this one and we’ll be playing some new songs for the first time too.
What and who influences you musically?
We’ve all got pretty diverse tastes and a lot of influences but we’re trying as best we can to do something original and a bit weird so in a way, I think we try to ignore the more obvious ones, although they still find their way in sometimes.
Frank in particular does draw some influence from more unlikely sources though, video game soundtracks and film soundtracks mostly, guys like Jeremy Soule, Nubuo Uematsu, Ennio Morricone and Koji Kondo.
Describe your songwriting process?
Frank will usually get a tune in his head, he’s a bit hyperactive so he’s constantly humming and drumming on things. He’ll usually flesh the tune out and record a demo with some drums and keyboards and stuff, then bring it to the band and we finish it off.
Although you are in a band, do you still have to work day jobs in-between live shows?
Yes, unfortunately. It’s expensive to live in London and it can be expensive being in a band, especially when you’re doing everything yourselves. We all have to work hard at horrible jobs to be able to afford it. It would be nice to think we could just make music and not have to work jobs in between but we’re going to play and make music whether we’re making money from it or not.
Have a listen to their latest track Pelagius here,
