Interview With 'The Bad Flowers'

Congratulations on releasing such a great debut album, you must be pleased with ‘Starting Gun’.

Thank you! yes we're over the moon with it, we've had a great response and it’s not even been release yet.

When I reviewed it in December I said it was an early contender for best release for 2018, and it will take a good album to change my opinion. Did you know when you heard the finished article that you had created a great album?

We were really happy with it, it’s definitely the best collection of songs we've recorded as musicians. The uptake form every one that heard it has been so much better than we could have ever imagined so I think once we started getting reviews like yours it really hit home that we were onto something good.

Each track on the album has a different feel and tells a different story, was this intentional?

Yes, we wanted to keep it interesting throughout the whole record. A lot of it is down to how we recorded it to, we were in and out of the studio, recording in between touring and shows, so pretty much each song was recorded at different times.

I believe that ‘I Hope’ was a late edition to the album, and I think it is a beautiful stripped back song, one of my favourites, was it obvious to include it?

I was actually working on another acoustic song at the time and it wasn't working for me, I'd wrote this a few days before the final session in the studio. I played it and we decided to hit the record button, I sent it to the other guys and we all decided it should go on!

Did you have other tracks that did not make the album, and if so why didn’t they, and can we expect them to be on a second album sometime soon?

Yes we had a few songs to choose from, we haven't quite decided what to do with them just yet. We may go back and re-visit them soon. whether they'll make album No.2 remains to be seen, we already have things in the pipeline for that!

I think Rock, and any decent music for that matter should be played on vinyl, and I have ordered the Vinyl edition of the album, which I can’t wait to get on the turntable. Do you like that format, and if so, what was it like to see and hear the test pressing for the first time?

Yes we love vinyl! I actually collect it so we were always going to do a run of vinyl for sure. It's amazing to see something we created on this format, it feels really special.

I am sure, listening to you that the likes of Led Zeppelin are a major influence. Who were your first influences, and have they changed, if so, who is influencing you now?

It's funny you should say that as led Zeppelin were the band that made me want to play guitar and be in a band, I found an old live 'Monsters Of Rock' cassette when I was about 15 and 'Stairway To Heaven' blew me away when the power of the drums and the solo came in. I think our influences are changing all the time, we listen to all sorts when we're in the van!

One thing that does come across on ‘Starting Gun’ is how Dale’s bass compliments so well with Karl’s drums, which seems a lot tighter than most bands. Did this happen organically of is the partnership something that was honed over the last few years playing live?

When we first got together a few years ago there was a connection, it felt like we'd been playing months and not minutes. Playing live and doing so many show's over the past few years has definitely helped cement that partnership though.

Are you surprised at the critical acclaim the album has got and the response you are getting for your live shows?

Yes, we really are, we're so grateful for all the kind words we've received. It means the world to us that people want to listen to the music we create. We work hard at what we do because it’s in our blood, so to have the responses we've been getting really does mean a lot.

You must have been proud to have ‘Thunder Child’ played on Planet Rock, and now you are playing at Winters End and going on a feature tour with ‘Stone Broken’ and ‘Jared James Nichols’. How much are you looking forward to this, and can we expect a lot of touring from you in 2018?

I don’t think there’s been anything we've looked forward to more! It’s going to be a great tour, and 'Winters End' is the second show. We're going to a lot of venues and towns we've not played before so we really are looking forward to showing more people what we're all about. The Planet Rock airplay was an amazing moment. I was actually sitting at my desk at work, and it took me by surprise!

What is it like touring with The Bad Flowers?

It's always fun, never a dull moment! we've always been a small unit, just the three of us for the most part and it really helps that we all get on so well, we have each other’s back and get everything done. the families growing though, we have a tour manager and photographer joining us on the road this time so I hope they get our weird sense of humour. Hahaha.

What do you like most and least about it?

Honestly, there’s not much we don't like about being on the road, its where we live to be.

For the initiated, describe what can be expected at a Bad Flowers Gig?

It’s always loud, always a lot of energy, we like to go get out there kick some ass and leave everything on the stage.

Your gigs are getting bigger and better, where would be your dream venue to play at?

I would love to play Hammersmith Apollo, that place is special. We've been invited to play 'Stone Free festival' at the O2 in London this summer too, so that we'll definitely be one to tick off the bucket list.

You make a great sound as a three piece, and a fair amount of noise, however if you could each choose a forth ‘Bad Flower’ either living or dead, who would you choose and why?

That’s a tough one! personally I'd go with Jimi Hendrix, we changed the way people viewed and heard the guitar, plus he was pretty loud too, so he's fit in nicely.

What is next for the Bad Flowers?

We'll we have to tour, festivals booked. We're looking at some more touring later in the year and we'll be writing more songs to get cracking on album number two.

Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me . So here is the question on everyone's lips. With your bands name I assume that you are fairly experienced horticulturists, so finally please give us some advice, what is the worst flower in the world?

That’s a good question, I'm going to go with self raising, it gets everywhere ;)

Check out their video for 'Thunder Child'

You can head on over to https://thebadflowers.tmstor.es/ to preorder your copy of 'Starting Gun' due out February 16th.

The Bad Flowers will also be an exclusive album launch show at The Asylum, Birmingham a day after release on the February 17th. They will be playing alongside special guests Those Damn Crows and These Wicked Rivers.

If that wasn't enough you can also catch the band on tour in support of Stone Broken throughout February and March.