10 Questions with Bandicoot

1 Tell us about yourselves, (Names and role in the band)

Rhys Underdown is the vocalist, guitarist and saxophonist of the band, Gareth Goss is the lead guitarist, Jamie Morgan is the bassist and Billy Stillman is the drummer

2 How long has the band been together?

We’ve been together for 3 years I do believe. Three of us went to the same primary school.

3 What are your musical influences?

As a band, our musical influences are mainly Joy Division, The Smiths and The Doors. However we each have very different music tastes. At the moment Rhys is listening to a lot of Radiohead and The Talking Heads, Gareth has a found a new love for Mac DeMarco and he loves a bit of techno, Jamie listens to a lot of The Stone Roses and Billy is a massive blink-182 fan. Our most current songs have been heavily influenced by Wolf Alice, a band we all love.

4 What is it about your band that makes you different to others?

I think what makes our music different to any other band is partly the fusion of all our different music tastes coming together. By doing this we are creating something new. The use of sax in some of our songs is something that usually gives people a shock too!

5 What plans have you got for the rest of 2016?

We’ve got quite a few new songs to release so we’re looking forward to see what people think of them. We’ve also got a load of gigs coming up which we’ll be keeping everyone up to date with on all of our social media! Apart from that, we’ll just be writing new songs and begin recording ourselves in a studio we’re in the process of constructing!

6 Are there any funny stories behind why a particular song was written?

There is one song that we don’t play anymore called Bryn. It was the first song Rhys and Gareth wrote together. It’s a song about Gareth’s younger brother living in a forest with wild beasts. Actually I’m not even sure if that’s true, I’m not the right person to ask..

7 Are there any messages you are trying to get across in the music?

Most of our songs are quite personal to Rhys who writes the lyrics so include mainly personal feelings. But one of our new songs, ‘Pongo’ is about a fictional guy called Pongo who wins the lottery and spends all of his money on needless materialistic things. So I guess the message in that song is to be grateful for what you already have and to show that money isn’t everything!

8 What are the downsides/upsides of being in the band?

There are so many upsides of being in the band that it’s hard to think of any downsides! Everyone looks at us weirdly when we walk down the street but I’d say that’s an upside too.

9 What can people who come out to see you at a gig expect?

They can expect a good night! When we play we absolutely love seeing people bobbing their heads and enjoying our music. It’s wonderful. We’re quite energetic on stage and we like to get people moving, so if you’re someone who likes a good ‘ol dance then you’d a love a Bandicoot gig! Our sound is something we feel is new and fresh to the ears, so if you’re coming to one of our gigs expecting something new, then you won’t be disappointed.

10 Where can people who want to know more about the band find out about you?

We’re on all the social medias! We pretty much post something every day to keep everyone in the know. We’re also in the process of creating a new website so keep your eyes peeled! Here are some of our links..

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3S3gHwGPL54Hn3UXDWvAFE

https://www.facebook.com/bandicootswansea/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&__mref=message_bubble