PAUL: “You guys come from Rotherham, UK right? Why did you decide to start a band and what is the local scene like?”
RYAN “Yeah, Rotherham is gettin quite a rep! We started playing the Rotherham scene in like ’97 and we’ve seen it go through loads since then. At the minute it’s got a wicked scene which is mostly down to a guy called Bing and a venue called the Wellington Boot! It’s on the UK circuit which means all the Roth
kids are startin’ bands to get the support slots. At the end of the day though
its still a victim of ‘small-town-syndrome’.”
PAUL: “thisGIRL have quite a diverse sound, it seems as though you have a lot of influences. Which bands really helped to mould the thisGIRL sound?”
RYAN: “Tough one dude! It’s hard to say really as we all listen to loads of different styles. Whatever I put I’m gonna be in trouble for anyway so it’s
up to you to make up your own mind!!”
PAUL: “I was reading another interview the other day and I saw you describe your music as “posi-parent-core.” What the hell is that dude?”
RYAN: “Hmmmm. Well this all came from one interview that we did a while ago with a friend who runs a website. He asked the question “who has helped the band?” to which we replied the obvious; our parents! Well the press picked up on it and we’ve been labelled posi-parentcore! It’s all good though cos its true I
guess!”
PAUL: “You’re soon set to release your debut full-length record. How did the recording process go, and are there any memorable/funny/embarrassing moments
that you want to share with us?”
RYAN: “How long have you got? We were locked in a castle/cottage in the dark depths of a national trust forest so you imagine how many stories we got!! The whole process was amazing though as we were surrounded by nothing but trees so we were free to play/record whenever! Highlights were all the “Intoxication
Sessions” and me and Ceej getting well lost in the depths of the woods for
like three hours!!”
PAUL: “You’re getting quite a reputation for your live shows. How would you describe the thisGIRL live experience and how important is it to you to put on the best show you can do every night?”
RYAN: “Well the live show is basically what we’re all about! With it becoming harder and harder to drag people away from the TV to come out to gigs its important you go all out for ’em! We’ve always been an energetic band but since we’ve been on the road it’s got crazier! Not so much from me, but it’s always cool watching the other three go off!”
PAUL: “What is the most memorable gig that you have played and why?”
RYAN: “Another tough one! For me personally its either when we played a gig in Sheffield a while back when we were working hard to establish ourselves! The show was at the uni and through our own hard promotion work we packed the
venue with like 250+ peeps all with arms folded ready to judge! We went off
and the crowd went wild! I think its so special because it was only like our
6th show and from there it’s got better and better. Apart from that the
Lockjaw tour was packed with good shows and the Douglas tour was hilarious
from start to finish, we love those guys!”
PAUL: “Apart from the new record, what other plans do you have for the next 12 months? Any summer festivals or further tours in the pipeline?”
RYAN: “Well it looks like we’re gonna be on the road all year! We got this Metal Hammer tour in Feb then a co-headline in April with a wicked emo band. Then
a load more tours in the books for after that. The summer festival thing would
be ace, fingers crossed, eh?”
PAUL: “What kind of subjects inspire the band’s lyrics?”
RYAN: “You’d have to check that with Liam. His lyrics are quite personnal but I’m sure he’d fill you in if you asked him!”
PAUL: “If you could have any one person or band collaborate on a track of yours, who would it be and why?”
RYAN: “Huh, personally I’d love Trilok Gurtu for a track. He’s an amazing musician and percussionist!”
PAUL: “If you could tour with any two bands, who would they be and why?”
RYAN: “Wow, so many to choose from! Right, once again on a personal note it’d have to be Tool and Pearl Jam. I have the highest respect for both bands and
it’d be amazing to watch their show every night. I’d don’t reckon it’d be
much fun though! Not really party animal types…”
PAUL: “Define ‘success’ for thisGIRL.”
RYAN: “What we got now! Things have gone sooo quickly for us that we’re still stoked at gettin’ out of Roth. With more and more people hearing our music
I’m getting emails from all over the country from peeps who just dig what we
do. On tour we get to meet the fans and hang out with em. It’s the greatest
gift we can desire for our music to be understood and appreciated.”
PAUL: “Finally, why should all of our readers listen to thisGIRL ahead of the myriad of other up-and-coming new British bands?”
RYAN: “Well, we should all support every single British band. I know it’s a bit patriotic but getting a gig over here is hard. Touring is hard and selling
records is hard. So many of the kids over here are content with getting their music from the states and don’t see the UK struggle. Therefore any band that even has a go at it deserves respect! But as for us you gotta take a listen. We’ll be on the road all year and most likely playing down your local shithole. So come down and have some fun, if not we’ll be having fun anyway!”
PAUL: “Thanks so much for the interview Ryan, anything you want to add?”
RYAN: “I think that’s it. Support Punktastic!! It rules!!”
Check out www.thisgirl.co.uk for more information, and their debut record will be released later in the Spring.