An interview with Sandbox
- Author
- keepoffthegrass
- Published on
- Tuesday, 1 Dec 2009
Earlier this month Sandbox released their debut single "Shades of Grey" on Ugly Man Records available now on itunes (http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/shades-grey/id340224567?i=340224990).
We caught up with them for a chat…
Hello Sandbox, how does it feel to be one of the hotly tipped bands in Manchester right now?
(Andy) I didn’t realise we were! It’s great that people are starting to say nice things about us but I’m sure there’s just as many who aren’t saying nice things!
(Lennie) You’re such a pessimist! Things have been going really well at the moment and it’s a great feeling, after working so hard at it for so long it really gives you a push to keep going.
Introduce yourselves to us.
(L) I’m Lennie and I sing and wield a Telecaster (evidently)
(P) I’m Paul and I’m the handsome guitarist
(A) I’m Andy and I play drums
(W) I’m Will and I play bass and sometimes keyboard
For those who haven’t been fortunate enough to see you guys play, how would you describe yourselves?
(A) I think our live shows have been described as ‘explosive’ on quite a few occasions – I quite like that and a lot of people are surprised when they see us live for the first time. I think it all comes together when we play live because we’ve been playing together for so long. Len, Paul and I were in our first band together at school over 10 years ago. Playing live is the best thing about being in a band.
(P) It can also be the worst sometimes!
(A) Tut!
(L) There’s a lot of energy in our live shows and people seem to react really well to that.
Where did the band name come from? Why Sandbox?
(A) Right at the beginning we were asked for a band name when we tried to book our first rehearsal. Motley Crue’s autobiography was open on the table and the Sandbox Club in LA just jumped off the page. It was only meant to be a temporary name but it kind of stuck.
How did the band get together?
(L) Andy, Paul and I were in a band together at school. We played our first gig together over ten years ago!
(A) God… We were great!
(L) We all went our separate ways to uni etc and then got back together and formed Sandbox when I met Will at uni.
Do you find having a lady (who is describes as a "Telecaster wielding minx") up front helps distinguishing you guys from the average?
(A) Lennie, you’ve just been described as a ‘lady’!! Seriously though, of course it helps! Obviously, there’s more to us than have a ‘lady’ at the front, but it does make us stand out.
(P) I think it helps. It’s a very powerful image, a girl with a guitar. There’s some great female fronted stuff in the charts right now, but hardly any of them are brandishing an axe. But it’s not just that, it’s the tunes that really count
(L) You’re all so sexist…if this wasn’t a band you were talking about I’d have you hauled up in court for discrimination! It makes certain aspects easier but I feel it sometimes makes things harder. Male fronted bands don’t get judged on their frontman’s "sex appeal" or dress size and I certainly think you can get away with having a less accomplished singing voice as a male! I’m not complaining though…I love the attention…I’m a Leo!
(W) Absolutely, female singers definitely get judged on their voices a lot more than blokes - I mean when was the last time you saw a band fronted by the female equivalent of Ian Brown!
You just released your debut single "Shades of Grey" on Ugly Man Records, who famously released debut releases from Kloot and Elbow. Exciting times. You must be quite pleased with yourselves :) Where can I get it?
(L) It is really exciting and we’re VERY pleased with ourselves! We’re all massive Elbow fans and just being able to say that we’re (almost) label mates is ace!
(A) It’s amazing you actually sit down and go through who Ugly Man have worked with over the years.
You’ve been playing the circuit for 3 years now, so you’ve built up quite a set. How did you choose the track "Shades of Grey" to represent you? Was it an obvious choice?
(L) I felt a real excitement about Shades of Grey when I wrote it…I was really nervous taking it to the boys at rehearsal in case they didn’t feel the same but it just kind of fell into place and everyone got it really quickly. It was a few weeks before we all admitted how much we liked it but, when it came to choosing a single, it really was the obvious choice. Because we all were a bit in love with it and it was still quite fresh, that really helped us get loads of energy and passion into the recording.
How did the launch party go at the King Arms?
(A) It was amazing! Personally, I think it’s the best gig we’ve played. We were shocked that it sold out – We could have sold it out twice in the end. Crazy.
(L) It was such a good night and just being able to play on our own terms and do things a bit differently made it really special. A lot of people have said it’s the best they’ve ever seen us.
(P) I agree. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work and we were blown away with how well it went. I got a bit carried away and nearly went flying off the stage at one point!
What else have you guys been upto to promote the release?
(L) We’ve been crazy busy with interviews like this and we’ve also done a few radio shows. We haven’t really stopped talking over the last month or so but it’s great that people are so interested in hearing about us. Gig-wise, we decided to just do the launch as we’ve gone straight back in to the studio to record the next single. Hopefully that’ll be out sometime in February.
How are Ugly Man Records helping you out at this stage in your career?
(A) It’s been great to have someone like Guy Lovelady at Ugly Man behind us. As I said before, the list of bands that Ugly Man has done stuff with, it’s great. Guy does what he does it because he loves it and I think that’s the key. There’s no bullshit with him and he has to be passionate about a band to work with them and we were chuffed when he first chatted to us about working together.
(L) And he’s got the all important contacts…
You get compared to Blondie, but you don’t like it (Designer Magazine described you as a Blondie fronted Smiths). Why? Most people would be happy….
(A) I don’t have a problem with the Blondie comparisons… It’s a huge compliment! I remember when we first read that, it was like ‘wow!’, but then it just got to the stage where we were being compared to any band with a female singer. I guess it’s inevitable…
(L) Yeah, it’s not that we don’t like it…I would love to sound like ‘Debbie Harry fronting the Smiths’ but it just isn’t really true. The problem is that we just don’t really sound like anyone particularly but people like to make comparisons and they don’t have that many to choose from the spectrum of female fronted indie bands!
Are you a Salford band or a Manchester band? Does it matter?
(A) We have no idea! Although we’re not all originally from Salford, we all live there now and people there have accepted us as honorary Salfordians.
(P) We all came to Salford from elsewhere, and have been welcomed with open arms. Manchester may have a load of musicians, but Salford has a music community. That’s the difference. (L) I suppose it should matter as it’s important to have an identity but I think the problem is that our identity IS a Salford/Manchester crossover. Between us all we live in both cities, we play gigs in both cities and go out in both cities. I love Manchester and it’s where I belong but I believe that Salford is an important part of Manchester life the same way that Manchester is to Salford.
Is timing everything? Guestlist Music describe you as "The perfect 90s throwback". Do you see yourselves as a throwback? Are we even far enough away from the 90s for that to be a valid description?
(P) It’s only natural to associate us with all that stuff, cos we were all starting to develop as musicians back then, so we’re bound to carry a lot of that influence with us today. I do think we’re taking those and other influences and making something fresh out of it though.
(W) Yeah, I think growing up in the 90s and going out seeing the bands we loved play live was what made us want to start playing. I’d say it’s been more of an inspiration than an influence really.
(L) Absolutely, britpop may have been what made us start playing but we’re not trying to recreate the 90s sound or anything. I’d say we’re definitely not a throwback…we’ve got more balls than britpop!
Do bands need the music industry? Has the internet opened opportunities for DIY bands, or is it as hard to break through as it always has been?
(P) It’s a double edged sword - the internet has opened so many doors to so many people, which is great, but it has made it harder than ever to stand out from the crowd. I’d like to think though that there will be more bands able to achieve a certain degree of success, though probably at smaller levels than the megastars. That age has definitely passed. There will never be another star as big as Michael Jackson, for example.
(A) God rest his soul.
(W) Well the internet’s certainly made it a lot easier to get your music out there but it’s still probably just as hard to actually get people listening to it - there’s so much out there that it’s very easy to get lost in the crowd. Also with all the illegal downloading that’s becoming so easy these days I think it’s harder than ever for new and upcoming bands to break through - when the record companies are tightening their belts it’s not the big acts that are suffering!
(L) I’m staying out of this one…I hate the internet…
What local bands have you played great gigs with?
(A) The Laureates and John Herring
(P) Suzuki Method!
Apart from yourselves, who should we be looking out for?
(A) A band from Chester called The Alfa Binding Theory – They are unbelievable. I’d also recommend a singer/songwriter called Paul Aiden.
What’s the best Manchester/Salford venue you’ve ever played?
(P) Tiger Lounge because we got some free sandwiches. We’re easily pleased. I hate Dry Bar though.
(L) The Wheatsheaf in Leigh…free drinks…all night. There was nobody there but nevermind, we had a top night!
(A) Academy 3/Kings Arms/The Roadhouse… I’m bad at making decisions.
(W) Still have a soft spot for The Roadhouse myself
Most bands experience the shit gig? Usually in Macclesfield, or a pub just outside Bolton. Where was yours, and why was it bad?
(P) We had a stinker of a gig in Blackburn a few months back. Andy and I got lost on the way there – twice, Lennie fell down a hole that appeared when the stage separated, Andy’s drums fell over, I broke a guitar string mid song – total nightmare! Will was the only member who came away unscathed. We still rocked it though.
(W) The Shed in Leicester - we ended up playing with 3 other out of town bands. Needless to say the room was empty!
(A) My mind’s gone blank – There must be loads!
(L) The Wheatsheaf in Leigh…need I say more?
(W) Yeah it got a bit messy that one…
What one thing should happen to make gigging in Manchester/Salford better?
(A) I think the main problem is that not enough people go out to local/unsigned nights. If they do, they only go and watch the one band – they don’t stick around for all the bands. We’ve discovered some great bands that have played before or after bands that we have planned to see.
I suppose you can’t really blame people when there’s promoters out there who are sticking random bands together on the same bill whose styles don’t suit each other and then charge people £6 to get in
Having said that, I don’t think it’s as bad in Salford as it is in Manchester and people seem more willing to randomly go out and check out new bands. There are also promoters in Manchester such as TJ Events and The Canteen who put thought into line-ups and charge a fair amount to get in.
(P) For a city with such a ‘world renowned’ music scene, Manchester doesn’t look after its musicians very well. There are too many unscrupulous gig promoters out there, whose only concern is how many people you can bring to a gig and nothing else - they aren’t interested in building a relationship with you, or even promoting your gig very well. There are some notable exceptions of course - but too many people see the music business as an easy meal ticket when the people who really matter go without. We simply need more people who love music to step up to the plate. We need a Guy Lovelady clone! Or 20…
(A) Let’s kidnap Guy and pinch his DNA!
(L) What we need is the Wheatsheaf just around the corner…
In the 80s and 90s Manchester shaped popular youth culture. The NME recently claimed that Manchester needs to revive its togetherness and spirit before it can claim this again. Is the past stifling the future by putting too much pressure on new acts such as yourselves?
(P) We were all children when the ‘Madchester’ stuff was going on, so it kind of passed us by and didn’t really mean anything to us until much later. So it can be kind of embarrassing to hear people going on about the best stuff coming from Manchester happened 15-20 years ago. We’re much more interested in what’s happening now. So should everyone else. If the NME actually bothered to come up here and take a look around, they’d find some great stuff worth writing about. They don’t really have a right to say things like that when they’re so London-centric.
(L) I love a lot of stuff from that scene but I hate it when you’re in a club in town and the DJ puts on a lazy choice like "I am the resurrection" Some indie clubs have been playing the same ‘mixtape’ of tracks since I first started going out dancing over ten years ago. It’s great music but there’s so much more to Manchester than that - what a waste!
Who is the best superhero?
(A) Was Danger Mouse a superhero? If not, Joe Strummer.
(P) No, Danger Mouse was a secret agent! Batman gets my vote. Or Rorschach from Watchmen. I’d be curious to see the outcome of a fight between Batman and Rorschach. And Danger Mouse v Joe Strummer!
(A) Danger Mouse had Penfold as a sidekick so he’d beat Strummer hands down I reckon.
(L) You’re all wrong…the greatest superhero stories ever are the curious adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
(W) Flash…
(L) Ah-ah…he’ll save every one of us
Finally, when do we get a Sandbox album? Are you recording one, and if so where will we be able to get it when it’s done?
(L) We are going to be recording an album next year. As for where you can get it…keep an eye on our facebook and myspace pages for that although it will almost definitely be available on itunes. www.facebook.com/sandboxuk www.myspace.com/sandboxuk www.listentomanchester.co.uk/sandbox
Sandbox play the Islington Mill, Salford on Saturday 30th Jan
