It’s been one hell of a ride so far for Birmingham based quartet TALL STORIES, they won a competition which saw them share a stage at TRUCK FEST in 2019 with the likes of SHAME, FONTAINES DC and IDLES, they’ve done karaoke with SPORTS TEAM and they recently released their latest single ‘Nosebleeds’.

I was keen to find out more about the band so I dropped them a line and we arranged to hook up for a chat, read on to see how we got on.

Other than knowing you’re called Tall Stories and you come from Birmingham, I don’t know that much about you so please take this time to give us a quick rundown of the band.

[Ollie] We are a four-piece post-punk band from Stourbridge, Birmingham with Louis on vocals and rhythm guitar, Jim on lead guitar, Ollie on bass and Fran on drums. ‘Nosebleeds’ is the third single we’ve released, taking a slightly different style in comparison to the previous two. Some of our favourite gigs we have played include supporting SWIM DEEP at their homecoming gig (Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham on the 19th June 2019) and playing Truck Festival 2019.

 

We’ve been in lockdown since mid-March, what have you been doing to stay sane?

[Louis] I’m not entirely sure we have been staying sane! For me personally, I struggle to just sit around and enjoy isolation. So, at the start of lockdown I invested in some home recording kit, and ever since have been knocking out a frankly copious amount of demos, as part of the writing process for our debut EP. Outside of music, I’ve been able to read and watch far more than I’ve ever had time for before, so I’ve been ticking off several books, films and albums that I definitely should have read/seen/heard already!

 

Have you picked up any interesting hobbies or pastimes during lockdown?

[Louis] All the same “interesting” pastimes as everyone else in lockdown! Other than the standard mix of baking and exercise, I’ve been trying my hand at painting, with … mixed results. Outside of Tall Stories, myself and Fran are music journalists, so I’ve spent a fair bit of time on the phone to other artists in lockdown, interviewing them - the highlight probably would have to be chatting to BAXTER DURY about his lockdown exercise routine in his apartment overlooking the Thames.

Out of the band members who would be the ‘last person standing’ in a cage fight?

[Louis] A very good question … my money would have to be on Jim or Fran, I don’t think myself or Ollie would be any good in a scrap. On balance I reckon Jim might clinch it, but Fran might have a hidden edge, who knows?

 

When and where did the band form?

[Louis] Myself and Ollie were childhood friends, and Ollie was in a previous band with Fran. Ollie and I had been writing a couple of tunes, and were in dire need of a drummer; he gave Fran a ring, and then we ended up bumping into her at a JAWS gig in 2018! After that, the line-up was constant as a trio for a fair while, but then around Christmas 2019 we started to look for another guitarist. Ollie knew Jim, and I first met him at the pub on the eve of my 19th birthday (I’m born on Christmas Day, and we were celebrating!). So, that’s our origin story!

How did you settle on the name Tall Stories? Did you have any other names in the mix prior to agreeing on this one?

[Fran] When we first formed, we only had a couple of weeks to find a name before our first gig. I wanted to find a catchy phrase and for some reason “Tall Stories” just popped into my head. I actually originally thought it could be spelled “Tall Storeys” as a play on words, but luckily the others assumed I meant “Stories” and so that was what stuck. There used to be another band of the same name, but they had stopped making music by the time we formed so there was an official handing over of the twitter handle at some point last year! 

Do you remember the band or artist that made you want to pick up an instrument and learn to play?

[Ollie] I am a massive fan of 90s music, more specifically Britpop and Shoegaze. The Stone Roses were a huge influence for me – with some of the best basslines of all time. As a band we take inspiration from so many different artists, IDLES, Fontaines DC, The Jam, The Stone Roses…

 

Do you remember the first gig you ever played? How did you feel? Did it all go according to plan?

[Louis] Our first gig as Tall Stories was supporting a mate’s band in Stourbridge (I think, it’s all a bit blurry). We’d not long been together, and Stourbridge is our home town; the venue was a converted warehouse, and we weren’t the tightest band in the world … a particularly fond memory is butchering Mac Demarco’s ‘Freaking Out The Neighbourhood’. Fran still can’t listen to that track…

Have you ever met one of your ‘heroes’? Who was it/were they and how did it go?

[Ollie] As a huge fan of The Charlatans I was thrilled to meet Tim Burgess after his set at The Castle and Falcon in Birmingham. He’s such an inspiration and was very down to earth, more than happy to chat to fans. 

What do you carry with you at all times that you CANNOT live without?

[Jim] In a tote, 35mm camera, a wallet with picks in the coin pouch but no coins ironically. Chuds, glasses and a Nando’s card cause you never know.

You won a competition to play at Truck Festival in 2019 alongside some pretty amazing bands including IDLES, Fontaines D.C. and Shame. Did you get to hang out with any of them? How did you find Truck?

[Louis] Truck was, and still is, the biggest gig we’ve played. We’re eternally grateful to everyone at Truck for having us on. It was a crazy couple of days, not often you get to sit in the sun with your best mates and watch some of the best bands in the country. I’m a huge IDLES fan, their music changed my life in many ways; their set blew us all away, and afterwards I knew I had to try and meet them. So, I went backstage and they were the kindest to me. We also had a very memorable night doing Karaoke with Sports Team!

What do you prefer more, playing a regular gig or playing a festival? How do they differ for you? (apart from the mud of course!)

[Fran] Festivals are, of course, such unique and special places – where else are you able to do nothing but watch great bands, drink and stay up to the small hours with your friends for 5 days straight? But as a band, nothing beats playing to a sweaty and dark venue filled with your drunken mates. There’s just this incredible energy at gigs; everyone is part of the same little mosh pit and you can practically feel the room shaking around you. It’s more intimate and friendly, somehow. 

Tell me about the STRANGEST thing that ever happened to you when you’ve been on stage…..

[Fran] We played a gig last year where the bouncers kept chucking people out of the venue for moshing – we were main support so we spent the first half of the evening worrying that there wouldn’t be anyone left by the time we came on. Our friend got thrown out for “causing a nuisance”, and when we asked what he had done, it transpired that he had just jumped up and down a bit! Such a bizarre reason to chuck someone out of a punk gig… Needless to say, our set itself was spent trying to work out if any more of our mates had disappeared! 

Describe your live shows using just 3 words…

Messy, Electric, Communion

You released your third single ‘Nosebleeds’ on July 24th, tell me a bit more about the track please….

[Jim] It’s a punchy track, some of Louis’ best work lyrically, and some class riffs to keep me busy. Plenty of inspiration from a wide variety of bands which is great because it pushes me into new bands as well. I joined as the band we were writing the track and the writing process includes everyone and is proper healthy, you can pick out each of our traits n tastes from the song so I love it, feels like a band track.

Are you building up to an EP or an album release in the not too distant future?

[Fran] We’ve had lots of time over lockdown to plan ahead and write some new material, so hopefully an EP is on the horizon. We’re definitely the sort of band who thrive off being able to write and practise together, so we’re all really looking forward to getting in a room and properly working on some song ideas!

Can we expect any forthcoming live streams / shows / festival bookings for 2021 etc ?

[Louis] We’ve got some really exciting gigs yet to announce, including a Birmingham headline hopefully before the end of the year !

Name 3 bands or artists that our followers should be checking out….

[Ollie] I have been listening to Ringo Deathstarr recently, they have some quality Shoegaze and 80s inspired tracks. Another favourite is Tiña, who have their debut album releasing soon! Last but not least, A Place To Bury Strangers are an explosive, modern Shoegaze band who are definitely worth a listen.

Let’s imagine that you’ve been washed up on a desert island and there’s a record player, an amp and some speakers but only enough space for 3 records. Which 3 would you have in the box to keep you going until you’re rescued? Why these three?

[Louis] Ouch, what a question. I always have a running list in my head for Desert Island Discs, but that’s 8 albums, not three! The first that comes to mind is Radiohead’s In Rainbows – it’s an utterly transcendent record, and would take me to a place far away from the island, I reckon. Second, I think I’ll take Leonard Cohen’s Songs Of Leonard Cohen. After all, he wrote it on the Greek island of Hydra, so it can’t be too badly suited to an island existence – plus there’s the small matter of it being the best singer-songwriter album of all time. Finally, I think I’ll take Father John Misty’s Pure Comedy – after all, a commentary on human existence might be handy when getting a bit philosophical on my own.

Where can people keep up to date with you on social media?

[Louis] On all social media sites, we’re @tallstoriesband. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

Lastly, there are MILLIONS of bands/acts/artists out there, why should people be spending the time to check you out?

[Louis] Because these are dark, dark times, and dark times are when post-punk is most needed.

We’d like to thank the band for sparing the time to chat to us and wish them every success for the future, make sure you listen to ‘Nosebleeds’, it’s a great track and I look forward to future material from this incredible band.

Interview by Steve Muscutt