2000 Trees Festival: Interview With 'SHVPES'

After SHVPES shook 2000 Trees for a second year in a row, we sat down with Harry from the band and discussed touring, festivals and the future of SHVPES.

So, how did you feel earlier went?

Harry: I’m very happy with how earlier went because last year was our first 2000 Trees show and this year the crowd was bigger plus we were on earlier. Both crowds have been absolutely insane! Packed out tent and being on a raiser I can see everything too. It makes a massive difference because you vibe off them and it spurs you on to do an even better show

Your new single “Undertones” sounds fresh and has a different sound from your pervious work, who’s decision was that?

Harry: It was more of a collective thing because on our last album there was still a lot weird stuff going on but this time round we homed it in. We are all massive Hip-Hop fans and known of us just listen to Metal so that’s effected the sound too.

Grime is huge at the moment.

Harry: Our guitarist Youssef is proper in it, he knows everything about the Birmingham Grime scene, he’s the guy to go to man.

Your doing the new album in stages, if I’m right in thinking?

Harry: We're actually not anymore, that’s what we were originally doing but it would mean the album coming out next year and we just thought you know what, we are way too proud of this music to wait that long to get the whole thing out. After the reaction to “Undertones”, we thought why are we waiting, it means we can play more new songs live, it means people can see our new vibe.

You guys would be waiting as well and it would limit your setlist.

Harry: There are so many different things, we were like screw this let’s just get it all out there! Because we love the album, we love what we’ve done with it and it just seemed such a shame to wait so long and it would become old to us.

Yeah, I get you because when you complete an album its already months before anyone’s hears it.

Harry: We were sitting on “Undertones” for months and today seeing people singing the lyrics to “Undertones” was such a big thing to all of us because we’ve had it for so long. I remember when we first started writing it and it coming together so for it to go from that, you know sat at home hearing that riff for the first time and then to this now, people singing it back to us is surreal.

Home is Birmingham right?

Harry: Yes, it’s where we do all our writing because three of us are based in Birmingham and two London, we make it work.

Do you think Birmingham has impacted on the band?

Harry: That’s where most of our weirdness comes from and Birmingham has a good scene as well, not just in Rock and Metal but Grime also because people from around the world know it for its a Grime background.

In the future you would ever have a feat artist on a track?

Harry: Ah, it’s already in the pipe line! There is a few things going on behind the scene because we have a lot of friends who are in the Grime scene who are really making a name for themselves at the moment so while we were doing something new, we wanted to see what else we could do.

Going back to the last year or so, has there been a turning point where you’ve released your creating a lot momentum?

Harry: The most recent one I can think of was when we just did Download Festival, it all went by like that! The tent was absolutely packed and all the people from our label, family and my mom was crying when we came off stage.

This is it, you think of U.K Rock festivals, Download is the one.

Harry: To go down like that at Download Festival, world-renowned, that for me was like oh okay, we’re doing something right here and if we keep doing what we’re doing then you never know.

You’ve recently completed your first headline shows in Germany and France, how did they go?

Harry: We were a bit sceptical about it because we’ve only been to Europe a couple of times. We did four headline shows, three German and one in Paris and we were really surprised, they were the most fun we’ve ever had on tour, it was an experience.

Would you say to your fans, come see us in Europe?

Harry: Oh yeah, we had one fan that flew out to three shows from the U.K. We came off that tour being really happy and this was our first show since then so we've been having blast recently.

Last question, planning on seeing any bands today?

Harry: I’ve already seen Press To Meco, if you’ve not heard of them, do yourself a favour. Black Foxxes, Turbowolf, At The Drive-In and tomorrow our friends in Holding Abence.

You can catch SHVPES at the following dates below:

Reading Festival // 25th August

Leeds Festival // 26th August

Burn It Down Festival // 1st September

Website - www.shvpes.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SHVPES/

Interview - Jake Williams