I saw a brilliant duo called OKAY, BYE play at The Cavern in Exeter last weekend as part of a music networking event and as they were packing up, I introduced myself to Grace (guitar/vocals) and she agreed to have a chat for our ‘Introducing’ feature on the site.

A very good friend of mine was the first British journalist to interview Nirvana featuring a very young Kurt Cobain back in the late 80’s and it transpires that I am the first journalist to interview Okay, Bye. What you read below could be history in the making!

We got together and had a good chat about how the band formed, DIY touring and a new album that is in the making, read on to find out loads more about this great band….

You’re called Okay, Bye, you’re a punk rock duo, tell me something about you or the band that not many people know….

There is a secret relationship going on within the band, but we won’t tell you between which members….

Where are you from and when did you form?

We’re both from Exeter having grown up in the surrounding towns. Tom has been playing the drums forever so when Grace fancied learning the guitar she attended School of Frock for an introduction to guitar and playing in a band and learned the rest from Tom/on her own. She then started writing the record and we recorded it within about 6 months of the band forming.

Have you always been a duo?

Yeah, we used to play in another band called Little Brat with a bassist who did second vocals. It was great but Kristy moved to Cardiff and joined Rosehip Teahouse (check them out, they’re great). Grace did a couple of solo shows, but just didn't love it and wanted to be in a band so we started Okay, Bye.

Have you considered adding more instruments to the band or are you happy the way it is?

We have considered it for sure, but the best thing about this band is it is zero bullshit. The logistics of being in a band complicates exponentially with amount of members. Gear, transport, scheduling, finances, opinions etc. it’s a real dream it being just the two of us and being able to organise so quickly and easily. Between us we can play enough stuff that there might be some little extra musical bits on the record.

When did you first pick up a guitar and start creating your own music?

November 2017 was when Grace attended School of Frock and met Kristy and decided to form Little Brat, those were the first songs she ever wrote. Tom has been playing drums for 18 years and has been playing guitar and writing songs for 2 years as well. We’re both writing songs on the new record which is great that we can both speak the same language musically.

Which 3 items can you NEVER live without?

As a band? Our tour essentials are our own pillows, baby wipes and whatever bizarre local crisp/soda is on offer!

Which bands or artists would you class as influences?

The Beths, Doe, Bully, Nirvana and The Beatles

I saw you recently at The Cavern in Exeter and you mentioned that you had just returned from a few dates in Europe, where did you play and how were you received?

We played in Cardiff, Lille, Cologne, Osnabruck, Göttingen, Berlin and Dortmund. We were so well received, we really couldn’t believe the warmth and kindness of the European DIY scene. We grossly underestimated how much merch we would sell and how incredible everyone there would be. Supporting Gouge Away we had a huge crowd which was a new one for us but we were so well received, we were really humbled every single day.

Any amusing stories from life on the road?

Too many to mention, Grace didn’t stop laughing (she has a proper cackle) all week, but what goes on tour stays on tour or whatever, if any readers bump into us, ask us about the marigold glove in France. But the DIY attitude of making shit happen in Germany is beyond incredible. Every gig we played was in a squat, a disused military bunker, an illegal club or some other bizarre but amazing scenario. They are so determined out there to make it happen and make music for everyone that they go to extraordinary lengths to realise that, and that's truly punk. I don’t know if that constitutes amusing, but it was incredible to us.

Did you splash out on luxury hotels on tour or kip in the van?

Absolutely no chance, a DIY tour already costs the band enough - we did the whole thing in Tom’s Honda Civic. We were lucky enough that the amazing promoters, attendees, friends and other bands hooked us up, and fed us some real great breakfasts too! Another tour tip; take roll matts and sleeping bags to go with your pillow. Good sleep = a good next day. Grace is a self-admitted baby and needs to constantly have enough food, sleep and attention so we both made sure we kept ourselves full, rested and entertained! It worked out great.

Do you notice a different reaction to your music depending on where you play?

Not really, everyone was so kind and earnest with their response. Our experience is, the more you travel the more you realise that by and large, everywhere and everyone is the same. Which is why all of the right wing segregation and ‘othering’ of communities is fucking bullshit.

If you could host your very own super festival, which 3 headliners would you have playing and why?

Assuming that it can be bands that no longer exist as well. Fugazi (but they bang in a couple of Minor Threat songs), All Dogs and Have Heart because now, more than ever, the people need to hear the attitudes of punk rock.

If you were stuck in a room for a week with food, water, a record player and three records, which would you choose and why?

Tricky to get us both to agree on this one. Probably Warpaint’s Self Titled, Tigers Jaw’s Spin and Phoebe Bridgers' Stranger in the Alps

I was chatting to a friend at the Exeter show and I said that you were like a reverse version of The White Stripes, were they a band that you looked up to? 

Not really, when the White Stripes came out I think they had a great attitude about not letting the music ability inhibit the production of the music, and Jack White seems to be doing a lot of good for the world of music, but I don’t think they were ever really a band that directly influenced us.

There are TRILLIONS of bands out there these days, please tell me about a few that are lighting up your life right now…. 

Our beautiful friends in Soot Sprite are doing great and are a huge up-and-comer, you heard it here first folks.  Also Phoebe Bridgers is putting out an insane amount of content at the moment in all her projects, must be the busiest gal in music for sure.  Also loving the female fronted hardcore Overo, Gouge Away and Disgusting News. Basically all we do is listen to music and it all lights us up because it’s well good innit?

It’ll soon be Christmas, what’s on your list this year? (assuming you’ve been a good girl/boy of course!) 

I wouldn’t say either of us have particularly been a “good girl/boy“ but we are currently in the process of recording our next record ourselves, so there’s various mics and cables and gear shit on the list.  Also Guylian Seahorses….

Tell me about any plans for new music, future shows and festivals that we can look forward to seeing you at…. 

We'll be going a little quiet on shows ‘til the new year as we are currently writing and recording our new record.  We will 100% be touring that and are in talks about some spicy stuff for the release! We're super excited about that!

Lastly, is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit?

We may or may not have had a fight over this question. Let's just say our opinions differ and one of us is WRONG.

We’d like to thank the band for sparing the time to chat to us and we wish them every success in the future and for their debut album which will be landing sometime in the new year.

To keep up to date with news on the band, take your pick from the various offerings below.

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