Late last year, I had the pleasure of heading to Bodega to see Youth Club perform. During the support acts’ set I had the opportunity to interview Youth Club. Youth Club consisting of Danny, Joe, Gerrard and Rees were my first face to face interview and they were all fantastic.
So the interview went a little like this…
1. How did you come up with the name Youth Club? ‘It was an idea that was bouncing around for a while and we kind of went yeah that’s it and went with it. The reason we ended up with that name a bit is that we like the idea that our music is quite nostalgic. Nostalgia is quite a strong emotion to pull upon and we like the idea that no matter what age you are you can enjoy our music and feel good… join our club.’2Who do you seek musical inspiration from?
2. Who do you seek musical inspiration from? ‘From the French, this band called Phoenix from France, they kind of brought us together. Also, non-commercial hip hop and Stevie Wonder… We have varied musical influences, we come from various musical background. Gerrard has a very soulful and RnB background, Joe and I are DJs, Joe is part of a jackin house duo. Rees is a producer and I’m really into hip hop and stuff but also we also love indie music so that fusion of influences is what helped form Youth Club.’
3. Do you have any dream collaborations? ‘Collab… on a production side we would like to work with a guy called PhilipeZdar who produced Phoenix’s and Two Door Cinema Club’s bits and bobs. He’s a dude and he’s also French. Also, Kendrick Lamar, we’d love to spit a verse. We are really into a band called Honne at the moment, you should go check them out! Jack Garratt would be pretty good and Jamie Woon we love a bit of Jamie Woon. Something that would make us do something different… … (Joe) LIKE Celine Dion … (Danny) NOT Like Celine Dion
4. What’s your favourite song/album at the moment? Addison .Paak- Malibu. You haven’t checked that out either? You better write that one down on your note pad! Also, Childish Gambino and Bruno Mars have some great new albums. BJ the Chicago Kid is also awesome, his new album is great!
5. Any big things for next year?
‘We can’t say much… lots of new music. Festival season is going to be busy, lots of touring, basically check our social media for some big announcements soon.’
The show was absolutely incredible! Youth Club got the Bodega grooving. They have a unique style and the crowd came to life when they took to the stage. Their music was definitely indie based but with a twist of different influences. Gerrard’s vocals were incredible, I wasn’t expecting him to be so good! Their stage presence was awesome and they had a constant level of high energy throughout. The atmosphere and environment created were thoroughly comfortable and enjoyable and after such an amazing performance I can say I’ll definitely be going to see Youth Club again!
Edited by: Jessica Greaney
Sources:
‘We Are Youth Club’