SPRING KING dropped by for a glass of milk and a chat about Radio 1's BIG WEEKEND....
SPRING KING are a UK four piece who produce some proper kick ass music, at the time of this feature going live, they were midway through their headline tour of the UK, we caught up with Tarek to chat about an extra date on the tour which wasn't planned until recently when they got the call to perform at the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Exeter, here's how we got on....
Your debut album 'Tell Me If You Like To' lands on June 10th, where was this recorded and who produced it?
So far I’ve always been in the producer chair for our songs...I recorded, mixed and produced the record between my house and Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire. Songs like ‘City', 'Who Are You?' and ‘Demons' are older tunes which I did in my home studio. We’re all pumped to finally be releasing the album, it’s been a great experience to make.
I see that the R1BW gig slots nicely into your tour, was this always planned?
We hadn’t planned for it but it’s worked out so well, we’re really happy to be playing R1BW!
How did you feel when you heard that were on the bill for R1BW?
We were over the moon, it’s a great festival with some of the best new music around that has been championed by the BBC as well as some huge artists like Tame Impala playing.
How did it all come about?
We’ve been on the radar of the BBC and the Introducing team for a while. They took us out to SXSW as well as playing us on the introducing show quite a bit over the years. We’ve wanted to play the festival, a few of our mates bands have done it before, and this year they asked us!
How have BBC Introducing helped you as a band?
Since the first song was recorded 'Let’s Ride' the BBC have been playing us on air. I remember the first time Zane Lowe played ‘Let’s Ride', I couldn’t believe it. Then we recorded ‘Mumma' which Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens played a lot as well. From there it grew and grew, so many presenters have aired our music to both new and old fans. The introducing team have been a huge part of our experience with the BBC, they’ve always been behind us.
Who are YOU most looking forward to seeing live at R1BW this year?
Tame Impala, Bastille, and Cortes.
How do you approach the songwriting process?
Normally songs start at a piano, organ or acoustic guitar. There’ll be some kind of melody that I’ll sing random words too. That’s how the line ‘Tell Me If You Like To’ came about. It was a string of words that just came out and it felt right, I normally follow whatever I initially sing whilst creating rough ideas. From there we move the song into the studio where it gets written fully using the studio as a creative tool to arrange and try ideas. We work backwards in that sense…the song is recorded before we practise it together.
What advice would you give to an artist or band who is thinking of getting in touch with BBC Introducing?
The BBC Introducing team listen to music all the time and are there to hear new material from every inch of the country. Get in touch with songs you’re proud of and encourage other artists to do the same!
And finally, please would you give us the name of another BBC Introducing act that everyone should be checking out?
We'd like to thank Tarek for taking time to chat to us, if you're heading to the Radio 1 Big Weekend at the end of May, make sure you make a beeline for the BBC Introducing stage and catch these guys live, they're pretty awesome!
Please take a few moments to check out their social media channels, they're listed below....
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