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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with unsigned UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with Ben from unsigned Isle of Man band Voodoo Bandits to find out more…

Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the band name?
Ben – Main vocal, guitar
Charlotte – Bass
Corey – Guitar, backing vocals
Nathan – Drums

We are from a small island in the middle of the Irish sea called the Isle of Man alongside orange sheep and cats with no tails. Hardcore trivia fact: the biggest waterwheel in the world is down the road from where we practice. Myself (Ben) met the twins Corey and Nathan at a teenage post-exams party through a mutual friend. Later that year I fancied forming a band, luckily I remembered how they mentioned that they play guitar and drums! Soon after us fresh faced 17/18 year olds were playing to the local pubs and bars, and we saw other members come and go. The band as we know it, with me now as the front-man and Charlotte on Bass came together late 2018, going through a rebrand and releasing our first songs in 2019.

The band name was something we came up with temporarily many years ago before the band developed into what it is now. We ended up with a logo we really liked so it just kind of stuck!

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Growing up I was left to my own devices musically and used to go to the charts to find songs. I always particularly liked the sounds of guitar though, and loved classic rock. I had phases of enjoying a large variety of genres as the years went on, but nowadays I have to say the band ‘Peace’ and their awesome tones and songwriting style first got me into indie pop/rock madness! Other bands came to my ears later like Circa Waves and more recently Cassia, playing their part in how I wish to craft my own sound.

How would you describe your sound?
We try to get across fun, high energy, vibrant sounds, aiming to uplift a listener. We enjoy tight rhythm sections and sunny leads, but also like to experiment with sounds, often creating soundscapes. Sometimes deep layered modded fuzzes, or high pitched wide laser-like guitar noise. Our set is very dynamic and explores many sounds whilst still sounding like us.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our latest song is called ‘Psych Beach’. Psych Beach is a metaphorical place to go for escapism, if life is getting on top of you or if you need to step back for a minute. It’s fun and got a lot of bounce, arguably our most sunny track. A big chorus and even bigger guitar soundscapes. It’s a unique track for us rhythmically, I’m a big fan of Cassia and Riscas, so I fancied a go at blending us into that more tropical sound for this song.

What’s your local music scene like?
The scene on the Isle of Man is very limited! There isn’t many facilities to play or record at and there isn’t much of an industry to work off. There aren’t many opportunities for musical artists and it is isolated from the rest of the UK. This creates difficulties for musicians who wish to share their music and perform to people to a wider audience.

Most gig slots are 2-3 hours long, so you have to play covers at most gigs, and most gigs are at venues where people will pass through on their night out and haven’t actually come to see an artist. There is the occasional chance to do a proper band night though, we have started to set these up ourselves, having 2-3 supports, all original music, and the locals have been fairly supportive so far!

What do you have planned for the next 12 months? Any albums or festivals?
We are in the process of sorting out our bookings for next year, we will definitely be popping up around the UK at shows/festivals. We are next in Manchester headlining at Gullivers, December 13th!

As for music expect a couple more singles out in 2020 and an EP is on the cards!

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
I would love to write music with frontman Kieran Shudall from Circa Waves, I’m really into what the band does, and their first album is in my top 3 for sure! Aside from that I would love to jam with Hockey Dad, the jangly fuzz pop duo from Australia!

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Our lead guitarist Corey must have set the record for most strings snapped live, it is not a question of will it happen, but when! However, we do not fret as we are prepared, once this has happened we get the chance to perform our Latin style waiting music song until it’s sorted out, where I will periodically shout out Tequila!

But once my very drunk cousin persisted to beg to play the drum kit at a gig (he is a drummer), but he totally sucked, there was no saving that song, but it was pretty funny watching the crowd watch the band go down in flames. Suppose the moral is always value a tight drummer.

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about your band?
We are Voodoo Bandits, we exist, we’re a new band, maybe listen to us on your preferred streaming platform.

You can find out more about Voodoo Bandits via Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Twitter or YouTube.