Weekend Recovery are going places. Hailing from Kent, they are following in the footsteps of Slaves and Moose Blood on the road to stardom. Last year they released their debut EP ‘Rumours’, four tracks of energetic, heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll which drew inspiration from Joan Jett, The White Stripes and Paramore while having enough to stand out from the pack. It’s this honest approach that has seen them garner support from NME’s Mark Beaumont and BBC Introducing in Kent’s Steven Allen.
The band have built a loyal following through a reputation as one of the most committed, hard-working live bands around. They have supported the Malaysian indie band Hujan, Hands Off Gretel and played both the Alley Cat Bar and the Islington O2 Academy. In support of their debut album ‘Get What You Came For’, due out on 17th February, the band are heading out for a full UK tour which includes appearances at Camden Rocks Presents… and Rebellion Festival alongside a host of dates up and down the country.
Camden Rocks Presents… brings the best up and coming bands in the indie and alternative scene together for a run of shows around Camden in the run-up to Camden Rocks. I chatted with singer and guitarist Lori Janey ahead of their Presents show, which the band are particularly excited about playing.
Janey said about the festival: “We’ve known about Camden Rocks for a while now, and for the last few years I’ve attended the festival as well as the Presents shows. It’s taken a while to feel ready to apply to one of the shows, but patience pays off as we were invited almost immediately to play our first Presents show.”
When a band play, they want to make an impression wherever they play. It was intriguing to find out about how Weekend Recovery would wow the crowd at the Camden Rocks Presents show. Lori said they are treating it as an album launch, so we can expect “a brand new set of songs and slightly new style, probably some sort of stage invasion, a free t-shirt to a lucky winner and a guaranteed enjoyable night!”
The new songs on the album compose of big riffs and an organic sound stemming from changes in Lori’s personal life as she explains: “The album itself is a lot of anger and frustration that I was overwhelmed with the last year or so of my life, there were a lot of changes. I felt like I lost myself a little but now I’m ready to be back.
“I think it’s a little less produced than ‘Rumours’ with a different sound in terms of the music, this has a fuzzier, more aggressive sound.”
This newfound confidence manifests itself on the colossal album opener ‘Turn It Up’, featuring a driving, upbeat riff. Lori told me she can’t wait to play it live because “it’s most likely how we’ll open our set, so when the drums kick in, it’ll really set the tone for the show!”
I wanted to know about a funny anecdote Lori experienced on tour, and she was happy to give me a story about when the band toured in Leeds last year. “Sean (Caney, guitarist) came down the stairs still half awake and I jumped out at him and was like “MORNING!!!”, he proceeded to fall down the stairs! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time!”
As for the rest of the shows on the tour, Lori says it’s a dream to play Rebellion Festival as the band have wanted to play it for a long time, while she is delighted about playing the Lady Luck in Canterbury. When I asked her about which venues she’s looking forward to most, she responded with “The Sebright Arms. I’ve heard some great things about that venue so I’m super excited for it!”
Finally, I asked Lori what she loved most about playing live. Her answer encapsulates why Weekend Recovery are so driven, because they see gigs as a form of escapism from the drudgery of a regular job.
Lori: “The atmosphere and as cheesy as it sounds, seeing our mates we’ve picked up along the way. Also, something to look forward to at the end of a usually stressful week at work kind of makes it worth it!”
This summary proves Weekend Recovery are in it for the music and the gigs. Judging by the massive production on ‘Get What You Came For’, they are set to take 2018 by storm, and with the amount of shows they are playing this year, catch them while you can because they’re only getting bigger.
Weekend Recovery Tour dates:
01/02 Lady Luck, Canterbury
02/02 The Unicorn, Camden
10/02 The Shed, Leicester
17/02 Club Kolis, Camden (Camden Rocks Presents Album Launch)
23/02 Santiagos, Leeds (Album Launch)
08/03 Tap ‘n’ Tumbler, Nottingham
10/03 Maguires, Liverpool
17/03 Get the Fear, Birmingham
22/03 The Fulflood Arms, York
23/03 The Junction, Plymouth
24/03 TBC, Cardiff
05/04 Sebright Arms, London
06/04 TBC, Kent
07/04 Green Door Store, Brighton
28/04 Bar Metro Rocks, Bolton
05/05 The Hairy Dog, Derby
31/05 West Street Live, Sheffield
02/06 The Waterloo Bar, Blackpool
28/07 The Hairy Dog, Derby
29/07 Stalybridge Tavern, Greater Manchester
