Spring King

Tarek: The Clash, Arcade Fire, The Beach Boys for me.

Pete: All of the above! Beck has also been a key inspiration for me; he’s explored so many different styles, often in an experimental way, but his songs always pop. I draw a lot from the energy of American hardcore too; Bad Brains, Minor Threat, stuff like that. 

James: I think we’re all fans of great songs, regardless of genre – Fugazi are one of my favourite bands, and have an amazing energy when they play live. Otherwise, Joy Division and Lou Reed are up there for me.

I imagine you get a great bouncy audience sing-along when you play live. Does it ever get over exuberant?

Tarek: I love playing live. My favourite shows are the ones where the crowd are giving you all they have, because it makes you push harder. They don’t necessarily have to be jumping around either. It’s in the atmosphere..you can tell when there’s a good vibe in the room. We supported Fidlar in London and that was my all time favourite show. I’m sorry to the band side stage; I had so much adrenaline going on that I threw up next to someone’s shoes as soon as we got off after playing.

Pete: The wilder the better!

Spring King are one of the hottest unsigned bands around right now although you have released stuff on various labels. You must have been getting lots of offers? Do you think you might start your own label?

Tarek: Pete actually runs a label called Happy Death for fun. We’d love to set up a label eventually. There is a lot of interest but luckily we get to focus on the music and leave our manager to the hands of the industry.

Pete: Yeah, I’ve released music on my own label in the past and I hope to again at some point in the future. I think when artists run their own labels it can be really exciting and refreshing. It’s definitely something we've talked about.

You’ve got a lot of songs up on Soundcloud already…do you have more up your sleeve ready for an album, especially now you have been awarded funding from PRS?

Tarek: PRS for Music Foundation have really helped us out time and time again. This time round they’ve given us enough money to go into a studio and record the album as well as tour. I’ve learnt to make do with what I have, having recorded everything up until this point in my room at home. Unfortunately I won’t be able to record in that space anymore but I am stoked to go in to a proper recording environment with lots of toys to try new things and open my mind to new ways of working.

Pete: We’re never short of songs! Tarek has made hundreds of demos over the last few years that we draw from. I’m really excited about going into the studio. I know it's going to be hard work, especially for Tarek as he’ll be producing the record, but we’ve been dreaming of the chance of getting a stretch of studio time to do Spring King for a long time.

Your sound is pretty lo-fi and garagey. How easy was it to come up with your own unique sound at the beginning?

Tarek: I think our sound has grown with time. I’m not sure what it is though.

Pete: I think if you listen through the music that we’ve released in a chronological order, there’s definitely a thread that holds them all together but there’s also progression in the scope of the mixes and production. I think Tarek has grown as a songwriter too, and the rest of us have learnt how to facilitate and add to his vision. More so than ever I think we know what Spring King is and where we want to take it.

What’s the motivation behind the band? Is it to have fun? Is it to exorcise demons?

Tarek: First and foremost for me it is to have fun. Playing live to a receptive room is my favourite experience. Performing takes a lot of energy out of us, and there’s definitely a release of stress and emotion going on when we play. I’m not sure we can play soft songs too well. Recording and writing is a time when I like to express what I’m seeing around me. I write a lot about things going on around me.

Pete: I’m motivated by my love of the songs, playing live shows and traveling with my friends. 

James: It’s definitely a lot of fun! The possibility of playing live with friends, in a band I love and travelling the world over is something I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a teenager.

I feel like when I hear a Spring King song I don’t forget it. What the secret to writing a song that is hard to forget?

Tarek: Write a song that genuinely makes you feel something and hopefully that will connect with people around you. If it comes from the heart then someone out there may never forget it.

Spring King play at Norwich Arts Centre on Thursday 8th October as part of Norwich Sound & Vision. Tickets and wristbands are available from norwichsoundandvision.co.uk.