EAT FAST (fka EAT before running into naming issues with an 80s act of the same moniker) is a four-piece group based in England who play fast, fuzzy indie rock. With only a few singles released to the world, the band has already begun to receive critical praise online among bloggers and fans.
When you do a bit of digging into EAT FAST, the level of interest from music lovers and writers presents itself, but there also lies an air of mystery. Sure, you can stream songs like “Byker Drone” and “Stammer”, and you might even see some show listings. But Adam (guitar/vocals), Mark (bass/vocals), John (guitar/vocals) and James (drums) are enjoying a buzz that focuses on the music, not the musicians.
As they get ready to release their debut EP Fenham Dread(Lock) (UPDATE – it’s available here) tomorrow, May 13th, the guys indulged our prodding a bit in a quick and dirty Q&A below:
Tell us about how EAT FAST came to be as a band.
EAT FAST: EAT FAST began as a recording project. I started writing songs again after a long break at the beginning of last year. I got to a point where I was writing several songs a day, and my plan was to put the best of them together and stick it up on bandcamp.
All these songs in the first batch are anchored in youth, and are songs that I’ve needed to write for years. When I showed them to the lads in the band, they persuaded me to turn it into a live project as well.
How quickly were you hunted down about the band name?
Not long after we uploaded “Byker Drone”. I was pretty gutted at the time as I’m shit at thinking of band names, and it took me ages to settle on EAT.
I can understand why they wanted us to change it, though.
What’s it like to be perceived as mysterious simply because of your roll-out? Has it had a positive impact on buzz?
I’m not sure, it’s hard to measure. I have absolutely no idea where this mystery thing has come from… nor why it is such a big deal.
Perhaps it’s more indicative of the music industry’s desire to know everything about an artist before she/he/they do anything of note. Strange… the artist is not the art.
Walk us through some of your initial marketing tactics as an indie group making their debut. What do you think worked?
I think what is working is a lot of preparation – writing and recording a good amount so that we have the luxury of choice.
In an age of so many platforms for reaching new fans, what advice do you have for young artists when it comes to balancing their efforts online?
Perfect the art of privacy before you show anything to anyone.
How have your features on Apple Music/iTunes impacted your reach? Are you seeing a response on social media?
It’s been great, had a lot of positive feedback from different areas due to that feature, which came as quite a surprise to us all.
Your sound seems to span a few decades in terms of influence. What are couple of bands you’d feel right at home touring with?
Ummm… well, for the sound we have right now, I think a lot of the independent music made early this decade: No Age, Cloud Nothings, Parquet Courts, etc.
Also, this morning I’ve been listening to a lot of Boredoms and Deerhoof, they’d both be cool to play with.
What excites you most about the UK indie scene right now?
I don’t really know what the ‘UK indie scene’ is to be honest! But in terms of new music, we’re all really digging TVAM. ‘Gas & Air’ is a great song.
Similarly, what are the most commonly faced challenges an indie act in the UK faces in 2016?
I can’t really speak for other people and their challenges. However I know that money is a common problem.
Not just having to graft in a job to support and survive while you work – that’s a given considering how the arts are currently valued by our government – but money for equipment, travel, initial press and everything else.
Maybe it’s easier for other people, I don’t know. I’m hopeless with money.
Tell us about your plans for the rest of the year!
Finish writing the second album and play some more shows!
Tags: byker drone eat fast eat fast band featuring indie stammer UK