Interview with Blitz Kids

From Boy George’s Blitz Kids at the turn of the 1980s, to an English rock band of the same name, thirty years on. Introducing Blitz Kids, four rockers from Chester, busting their way out of this country and beyond…

****It’s a nice twist of fate that we’ve interviewed Boy George for the same issue you’re going tobe in, who was obviously a Blitz Kid in the original sense of the word. The internet doesn¹tmake theconnection between you and the original Blitz Kids, but do you share any of thesame qualities of moving forward the worlds of music and fashion?

I'll be honest, there are absolutely no similarities between the two sets of Blitz Kids. Musically, we're miles apart, and fashion wise, we're even further!

Your documentaries and tour trailers are great to watch and it’s awesome that you’ve decidedto put them out so consistently. Is it important for you guys to ‘live off the page’, so to speak?

To give your fans a 360-degree vision of the band? In a world where video content is so readily accessible on YouTube, I think it would be a shame not to take advantage of it. Cameras have followed us pretty much everywhere we go for the last 3 years of being a band. It's nice for us to look back on sometimes and see how much it's grown.

You have been quoted as saying, ‘2013 has been our best year.’ 2014 has already seen therelease of The Good Youth though ­ has the reaction to the album put 2014 in contention tobe even better?

Yeah, it's better already. The reaction to the album has been phenomenal. We had the experience of our lives when we went to Europe for a month with All Time Low. I can't wait to head back over there and see all of our fans again.

You went to LA to record the album. Why did you decide to go there?

Because it's hotter than Manchester, haha. Also, John Feldmann was someone who we always wanted to work with since we were kids. He's produced some of our favourite albums, so it was a dream come true for us.

Do you reckon you could have made the same album in the UK?

Absolutely not. You can feel the sunshine beaming out of this record. It's palpable! I highly doubt we could have recreated the same sound on English soil.

There was a three-year gap between the release of Vagrants & Vagabonds and The GoodYouth. Was it just the logistics of the industry, or did you have some work to do before thematerial came together?

We had a lot of work to do. We had a line up shuffle, which brought fresh energy to something that was becoming very stale. We started writing for The Good Youth, and it all just clicked. We did have to wait a long time once the album was finished to get everything sorted with Red Bull Records. They were the only label we wanted to release it on. Their enthusiasm and belief in the project is inspiring.

You have played some awesome support slots for big bands ­ Lower Than Atlantis and AllTime Low, to name just a couple. Do you use support slots as a learning exercise, to gaininsight into how the other bands work, or to just go and have a massive party on the road?

A bit of both to be honest. We've learned so much from these bands, especially the technical side of it all. We've also spoiled our livers at the same time. We're masters of treading the line of professionalism and being a complete disaster on the road. We have it down to a tee. We could probably join a circus.

You write anthemic songs, which carefully straddle good ol’ rock and also radio-friendlyviability. Does that come naturally, or is it a balance you purposely try and strike?

****It just comes naturally. Our music taste is fairly bizarre. We love rock music, obviously, but our pop sensibilities have never been a secret. Since the start, we've focused on having big choruses. I put more emphasis on them than the riffs. You can't sing along to a riff!

You’ve had to make some difficult decisions throughout your time being a band, and havehad to put the hard slog in over the years. Your motto has been ‘Blitz Kids Never Die’, but hasthere ever been occasion where you’ve thought you might have to switch off the machine?

Yeah, just before Matt joined, we were all sick of it. Sick of having no money to do anything our friends who had jobs were doing. Sick of playing to nobody. Sick of certain ex members of the band. I'd say we came to within a month of walking away. We were looking at universities, jobs, and other ways out. But then Matt came in, and it felt like we'd just formed the band again. Everything was brand new, and now here we are!

I’m intrigued by Red Bull Records ­ with the music industry being in the state it’s in, it seemssensible for a commercial product-based company to help sell you to the masses. Do you thinkit’s the future for the industry, or certainly a viable alternative to the big traditional labels?

The great thing about Red Bull compared to other labels is they firmly believe in the whole thing. The music, us as people, the message. If our first album didn't sell 20,000 copies in the first week, they wouldn't drop us, like some other major labels. They have all of the resources of the big labels, but they have some compassion and empathy. We have a wonderful personal relationship with everyone there, from the people that work with us day to day, right up to heads of the label. We're very fortunate to have them on our side.

Why did you move away from Hassle Records?

The Red Bull offer was far too good to turn down, and we felt that Hassle had taken us as far as they could. We're still on great terms with everyone there, and we'll always appreciate them picking up our first record when nobody else would, but there comes a point where you have to leave the nest!

Finally, let’s talk tattoos ­ you all seem to have a fair covering. Would any of you like todivulge the meaning behind the ink? Or where you got it done?

We get it done by our friends. Craven in Birmingham, and Paul Naylor who travels around. We love art and expressing ourselves through that. I guess that's the meaning really. If I like a song, band, film or anything, I'll get a reference tattooed on me. It kind of connects all of my passions in life onto my body like a mood board of all the things I love, but on my skin!