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Let’s start with a bit of background. How did the band come together, and what musical; paths got you here?
Kicking Edgar: The band initially started with Dave and Jake jamming cover songs. We’d cover bands like Nirvana and RHCP with the intention of eventually writing original material. It wasn’t until Joe joined the band that we started creating original material. Soon after, Jordan joined, adding another layer of unique influence which became integral to our sound. After some time, we decided we wanted a second guitarist to thicken out our sound and free up Dave to add another dynamic to our live performances. Charlie then joined the band as our second guitarist; this line-up has been the Kicking Edgar line-up for some time, and an overlap in our individual influences moulded our unique sound.
And before you were called Kicking Edgar, you went by another name, but it caused a few issues for the band. Can you tell me a little about that?
Kicking Edgar: Good question, Dave. We used to be called Pretty Vacant, but, as you can imagine, it caused a-number-of issues, particularly as our sound started to move away from Punk. And in hindsight, Dave look’s terrible in leather, Joe doesn’t have the ears for a Mohican, and Charlie doesn’t know what a power chord is. We still have some punk influences in our music, though it’s certainly been overshadowed by other influences.
There is quite a mix of sounds and styles going on in the band, is that a conscious effort or is it just the way things turned out
Kicking Edgar: We didn’t set out to play one specific genre. We have always let our songs develop naturally and haven’t tried to push them in a certain direction. I think it’s also a testament to the fact we have such a wide range of musical interests both as a band and as individuals. We always try to serve the song and have even been known to rewrite and re-develop previously established songs that we felt may work better in a different style.
What would you say are your main influences, musically and perhaps things that inspire you from outside the sphere of music?
Kicking Edgar: We have a wide range of influences, both musically and otherwise. Musically we are influenced by everything from soul to metal. We’re big fans of modern psych rock, bands such as The Oh Sees, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and more classic psych music like Pink Floyd and Hendrix. Dave likes Bob Dylan. In terms of influences external to music, we also enjoy art and take great pride in ensuring the artwork that accompanies our music and merchandise is high quality and stands up on its own. We have recently collaborated with local artist Nikki Ellie Soutar and feel her artwork perfectly complements our sound.
Are there any plans to record and release your music?
Kicking Edgar: Yes, as a matter of fact, we have just released our latest single called “In My Head”. It’s one of our grungier tracks – and one of our earliest songs. It was recently featured as a showcase track on BBC Introducing. It mixes our grungier influences, which are apparent in the heavy riff played throughout and the aggressive vocals. We also currently have three tracks recorded awaiting release. The next release, “Fever Dream”, will be released on the 5th of September, with the remaining recordings, “Red Light Fantasies” and “Speculation”, to be released before the end of 2022.
What would you say is your best gig to date and why?
Kicking Edgar: Our favourite gig was at the Victoria in Swindon when we released our latest single – “In My Head”. It’s not the biggest venue but is renowned locally, and the intimate size makes for a great atmosphere. We’ve also had some great experiences gigging around the southwest at venues like The Fleece in Bristol and hope to gig further afield in the future.
Are there any common messages or conversations that you want to start through your songs?
Kicking Edgar: Honestly, we’re just looking to make music that people can connect with, on whatever level that may be, whether through finding a personal meaning or just a surface-level enjoyment. We don’t tend to focus too much on putting across a message, political or otherwise. We’re just trying to make the best music we can that excites us as well as the audience.
And what are your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself in a year or perhaps five years’ time?
Kicking Edgar: Our biggest goal for the near future is to get on the festival circuit and get our upcoming releases out to as many people as possible. To achieve this goal, we are looking forward to gigging at larger venues across the UK, further afield than we have done previously. Long term, we’d love to be touring, maybe even internationally, and to have built up a significant catalogue of recorded music.
Thanks for your time, Dave.
And thank you too.
