Llanelli Music Scene interviews ‘Band of the Month Launch Night’ Headliners 'Beautiful Strangers!!!'

Interview Questions by Trudi Goldsmith

Can you introduce yourselves and tell us what each person’s role in the band is?

Hi, we’re Beautiful Strangers. We have Stuart Dade Davies on vocals, Mike and Richie on guitars, Jon on the bass and Dave Davies on drums.

Can you tell us how long the band have been together?

We’ve been through a couple of different lineup changes but the band has been together in its current incarnation since Autumn 2011.

How would you describe your music?

It’s just the whole band’s interpretation of what rock music is about to us. We all have a fair share of diverse influences but we manage to blend it all together and the result is what you’ll hear on the album.

Where do you get your influences for your songs?

East 17, Duran Duran, Bananarama, INXS, Go West, Milli Vanilli, Led Zep, Black Crowes, Aerosmith, KISS, Def Leppard, GIANT, Hans Gruber. Some of these are true, some not but you might be surprised which ones are which.

You were the winners of the Llanelli 2012 Battle of the bands competition, do you plan to enter the Llanelli 2013 Battle of the Bands that is being held in May?

It was great to play and win it last year. We won’t be entering this year. There’s a lot of young new bands out there that deserve the opportunity to play. We’ve got our hands full with the upcoming album at the moment so that’s taking up most of our time. We wish all the best to the bands competing.

So what does the rest of 2013 hold for Beautiful Strangers – Album etc?

Well we’ve got our debut album (Forgive and Regret) being released this summer so its going to be a big year for us. We’re going to be pushing and promoting the record and playing live as much as we can. The track we’ve released on the internet via Soundcloud (accessible from our Facebook page) has received a good reception so hopefully the whole album will be as well received also. ( Kick Me When I’m Down)

What’s the best and worst thing about being in a band?

The best things about being in the band we find is the creative process, writing, recording and jamming with your mates and trying to be the best we can be. We love playing live and try our best to make every show as memorable as possible for the crowd.

There’s really no great downside to it for us. We put a lot of time and effort into it and take what we do seriously so we take any difficulties in our stride. Everyone has a bad gig now and then (we’ve had a few!) but you’ve just got to take them in your stride. We’ve had a few ups and downs the same as everyone but we’ve come through it and we’re in a good place right now.

Do you have any memorable gig stories (good or bad things that stick in your memory from a gig)?

There’s a few but probably not publishable! In summary, There was one where Stuart found himself incapable of staying on his feet for an entire set and found anyway he could to fall over. There’s the Jonny ‘hold hands’ incident and a couple of escapades that none of us are particularly proud of!

Do you have any advice for people wanting to play in a band – i.e best way to find band members etc?

Get involved, go see local gigs, speak to people and find out if they have the same interests in you. Don’t bother wasting time with people who aren’t committed to the same goals you have. If you aren’t all working together it’s not going to work. We’re lucky that we are all close mates who share the same passion and ambition but it’s something we’ve worked towards. It takes time but its worth it.

Do you have any future gigs booked in the Llanelli area?

We’re in the Masons Arms on May 4th and we’re waiting on the specific date but it will be in June in the Kazbar.

Where can people find out more about the band and how to book you for gigs- eg website or facebook etc?

We’re on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/beautifulstrangersuk

and twitter @B_Strangers , we’re also in the process of setting up the website – beautifulstrangers.co.uk

To get in touch you can contact us on the Facebook or Twitter site or directly at beautifulstrangers@hotmail.co.uk

Photo at the top of the page of Beautiful Strangers performing at Llanelli Music Scene’s Band of the Month Launch Night on 30th March 2013 at the Kilkenny Cat by Emma Buckley

Check out Emma Buckley’s photography page on facebook www.facebook.com/ebphotographyllanelli

Second photo by Trudi Goldsmith

Kick Me When I’m Down by Beautiful Strangers is also featured on the forthcoming Downloadable  CD  available to download from Llanelli Music Scene on  13th April 2013 at Llanellitown.com/ yourllanelli.org.uk