Tell us a little bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you meet?

Hi! Sam and Joe DS formed the band in GCSE music class but already knew each other before that. Joe Frampton our drummer was a couple years younger so joined later down the line. Although we grew up in Chichester we are currently Portsmouth based.

Where does the name Dutch Criminal Record come from?

Our original drummer Alex went to Holland on a football tour when he was 14/15. He had a good time all round and on his return we named the band after his adventures.

If you were to sum yourselves up in three words what would you say?

Surfy, energetic and groovy.

Can you tell us a bit about what your latest single Feel Good means to you?

Feel Good was written predominantly by Joe DS in London one evening after listening to the band Orange Juice. The lyrics are actually a take on the “slap a smile on it” attitude to mental health. 

Who produced this? Have you worked with them before?

We recorded it at Ford Lane Studios and it was produced by Rob Quickenden who runs the studio. We have a really good relationship with him and have recorded the majority of our output with him.

Are there any plans for a music video?

Yes there are, it’s on it’s way very soon so keep a weathered eye on the horizon.

What lies next for Dutch Criminal Record?

Apart from the video we’re hoping to get into the studio in August if permitted which we are very excited about.

What have you been doing to keep busy during lockdown?

Mainly writing songs actually which is a surprise as we were worried we’d have nothing to write about but it’s worked out better than expected. We’ve also played video games together which wasn’t as profitable but still good fun.

Are there any plans to go on tour or play any shows when we are allowed to?

Live shows are in the process of being rescheduled but we’re not sure when for as obviously everything is still up in the air at the minute. We will be back though that’s for sure!

What artists are you currently listening to?

Good question as well as our usual favourites we’ve been listening to: Haim, The Strokes new album, Lonely Benson, Beach Bunny, Chappaqua Wrestling and The Magic Gang’s new tracks.

Where can we find out more about you?

You can join our mailing list on our website: www.dutchcriminalrecord.com for exclusives and news. Alternatively head over to our socials which we update with all things DCR daily.

Anything else you would like to tell us?

Monsters Inc is much better than Shrek!

Controversial words to end the interview! I’d like to thank the guys for taking the time to answer my questions and hope to catch them at a show some day!

With the single released TODAY across all platforms, I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with Omar about all things music.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and where did music start for you?

I am Welsh/Palestinian, and I currently live in Cardiff, Wales as a student. As a kid I liked and like The Beatles, Thin Lizzy, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and once I got a guitar at 10 years old it was only a matter of time before I started writing songs of my own. I’m sure they weren’t very good, but I have done it fairly consistently ever since.

If you had to sum your style up in three words, what would you say?

I would say Chilled, Melancholic, and smooth probably. 

Tell us a little bit about your latest single, Easy. What does it mean to you?

Easy is a song I have been working on for almost two years now, constantly changing in style and feel. The lyrics talk about the people that go in and out of your life, and reflecting on whether things could have been different. It’s great to finally release it after all the time that I’ve put into it, and I hope that shows when you listen to it.

Where do you look to find inspiration?

Inspiration can come from anywhere, hearing new sounds from other artists, recording and sampling a cool noise, or even just being out in nature. It’s good to start from a new place with every project, because it forces you to try new things and experiment more, so I wont always be inspired by the same stimulus.

Pre-lockdown, did you get the chance to play many gigs? Are there any plans to play any when we are allowed back out?

I have not had the chance to play gigs as a solo artist. I am still working out my live setup because some of my songs can be quite complex to play, but I hope to be gigging very soon after lockdown.

What would you say is the hardest part about being a music maker?

I think finishing a song is the most challenging thing to do. I start new ideas all the time, but finishing a track to release can take a long time. There’s always doubt as to whether other people will like what you’ve created, and constantly wanting to improve it a little bit more. It can be easy to get lost in that and just never finish any music, but I’m glad I could finish this one. 

Which artists are you currently listening to?

Some of the artists I’m listening to now are L’eclair, Tame Impala, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, and Alvvays.  

Where can we find out more about you?

Soundcloud
YouTube
Facebook
Spotify

Anything you would like to tell us?

I greatly appreciate the work you’re doing, music blogs are a fantastic way for fans like myself to discover new music, so thank you!

I’d like to extend a massive thank you to Omar for taking the time to answer my questions, and wish him all the best with his latest single. So what are you waiting for, go check out Easy now!

Tell me a little bit about yourself, where are you from and where did your journey into music begin?

I’m from Turin, Italy, where I grew up and lived until two years ago, when I moved to
London. I’ve been a musician since I was very young. I started playing the drums at the
age of five and I fell in love with punk rock music. I managed to play in many bands when I was in high school and I was always involved in song-writing. When I was fifteen I started playing the acoustic guitar, to facilitate the composition of my band’s song. I remember that the more I played the guitar the more I discovered different genres of music, such as classic folk rock, such as Dylan and Young and new pop folk, such as Ben Howard and Mumford & Sons. When I was 16 I spent a summer in Ireland where I discovered that I wasn’t just able to play the guitar but my voice wasn’t too bad either. When I came back to Italy I had 5 brand new folkie songs and a stage name, Kiol. It has been given to me by some Irish friends of mine that after the summer we spent together they named me Ceol (pronounced Kiol) which means “music” in ancient Gaelic. That’s how I started my solo project and how I became a singer-songwriter.

If you had to sum up your style in three words, what would you say?

I always loved music in all its forms, and every time I discover a new artist I got inspire to write something different from what I’m used to. But if I had to sum up my style in three world I would say: guitar-driven alternative slacker-pop.

Where do you look for to find inspiration?

I believe in inspiration and I think it’s the fruit of genuine life experiences. But songwriting is an everyday exercise, the more you right the better you write. There are some times when you are full of things to say and you just need to grab your guitar and start playing. Other times it feels like you’re empty like a moonless sky and you’re just wasting your time, but it is never wasted indeed, it is a way to get better and better. Inspiration is everywhere, it lies in all the people you meet, the places you go, the things you do in your life. I’m used to write during the night ‘cause I feel like all my demons and wonders come to me to tell me the truth about my deepest thoughts and, of course, to smoke some of my weed (fuckers!!).

Tell us a little bit about your latest single, Lonely?

Lonely is about how important it is to enjoy our self-time. There are so many nights we feel the need to hang with people just not to stay alone. But when I grab my guitar, suddenly feel complete. I feel like I could stay by myself forever, writing songs and pretending to be on stage with my band. One night, I pictured myself with imaginary friends, they come over my house and we start to jam. I started playing and recording all the instruments I had in my room and that’s when the idea of the song came to my mind. That night, even if I just wanted not to be alone, thanks to music I ended up happy and with a new song I couldn’t stop listening to. You won’t never feel alone even if you are, if you let your passion drive you through the night. In these days of quarantine, I kinda see “Lonely” as my personal bible, to enjoy this strange period as much as I can, being creative with what I have at home and writing music all day long.

What makes it stand out from the rest of your singles?

I wrote it with a different mood from all the others. It is not pretentious, it does not need a full and soul voice to grab the listener. Lonely is the first song I wrote without caring about how my voice would sound. It is not a story with meaningful words, it is just a mood, the mood I want to have every time I feel alone.

Did you have any help with the recording and producing process?

I arranged all songs at home by myself, on my laptop. Then I went in studio with my
producer/guitarist and we figured out together all the sound we wanted to have. I would
have not produced the same song if it wasn’t for him. I was also helped by a keyboard
player to find the right sounds for the synths, I had the ideas but he managed to put them into colors and I was really impressed at the end of his recording session, he managed to capture the mood I was looking for.

What lies next for Kiol?

Hopefully some shows!! But as this coronavirus situation it is still going on I don’t know
when or where, but I can’t wait to bring my new songs live with the band. I have an Album named “Techno Drug Store” that will be released the 23rd of October. Lonely and Polly, my latest releases, are part of it, and three more singles will be out before the album’s release. The next one is called Joy and it will be out the 17th of July.

Are there any plans for any music videos?

I’m shooting home-made videos for all the songs from my upcoming album, and I’m really liking it. I had never done it by myself before, but since I was in lockdown and I needed a video for Lonely I gave it a try. I loved doing it and I will be shooting cheap and funny videos for all the singles I’ll release before the album. Still don’t know what Joy’s video will be about, in these days I’ll try something out and I’ll see.

Which artists are you currently listening to?

I have a serious addiction to Dope Lemon, it has been 2 years that they’re in my everyday playlists and they are still in it. I really like Kurt Vile as well and the last two albums by Mac Miller. Gorillaz, Paolo Nutini and Eels are in my everyday playlists too.

Where can we find out more about you?

Everywhere on the web, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube, Twitter, Apple Music and of course on my website www.kiolmusic.com.

Anything else you would like to tell us?

It is a difficult era for young artists who wanna span their music. It is hard to be seen in this broad ocean of new music and algorithms, so supporting independent music is the best way to allow cool and interesting niche bands to have their own followers and to bring their music live in front of the right people. Nowadays many artists succeed ‘cause they have the right tune that goes into playlist and make millions of streams, but what about the others? There is a lot of alternative pop bands who deserves much more attention, that do not make music that “works” but that you can feel and fall in love with. It is not just about the catchiness and the numbers, where is it gone the interest for music that can last throughout time? That is not just bound to disappear once the trend dies? Where are all the true musicians that write music to say something, to represent something? Rock’n’roll is dead, I got it, but there are incredible artists such as Dope Lemon or others that are representing something true, so let this truth stands out once again in the mainstream world! Go to concerts, support the bands you like, live for your music and good music will never die.

Some truly great words there. I’d like to say a massive thank you to Kiol for taking the time to answer my questions and wish him the best of luck for the future.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and where did music start for you?

Hey. I’m a Londoner and my musical journey started a little kid with the Walkman and an ABBA cassette that I burnt to a crisp from playing it over and over. Then I discovered a mick Jagger bio on my parents book shelf at around 8 and became enthralled by the rock n roll fantasy world they inhabited. The music followed and I started to build a collection of Stones, Dylan, The Who, The Beatles, Cat Stevens etc plus a load of contemporary artists of the time, the ‘Britpop’ crowd 

If you had to sum yourself up in three words, what would you say?

Passionate. Kind. Dreamer.

Tell us a bit about your latest single Rolling Stone. What does this song mean to you?

It’s a simple Rock n Roll sing a long anthem with lots of La La La’s and an easy going nature. A tune about following your heart and a doff of the cap to my favourite band.

The music video looked like it was lots of fun to make. Can you tell us a bit about what was involved in making it?

Yeah it was a blast and I was incredibly grateful to all those who took part. The lads in the band sent over their parts from lockdown and then we received a whole tonne of clips from all over the world of people singing the La La La’s ! It’s got a good vibe !

Can we expect more music from you in the coming months?

Surely can. After Rolling Stone, our ‘Corona anthem’ , we switch back to prompting the second album (‘Love’ comes out in November) and have a new single out in September called ‘Get Me Started’ , a groovy funk infused number inspired by The Stones’ ‘Miss You’. 

Who produced this music? Have you worked with them before?

Jamie Brown from JBJ Studios. He’s a great mate and I he has produced both my FREEMAN albums plus other band stuff before. We got a great relationship and work together great 

How have you been keeping busy during lockdown?

My bassist was locked down with me and living bang on Portobello Road, we have been knocking out a gig a week from the windows on market day. A lot of people (2 meters apart of course !) and a lot of fun. Also kept busy promoting the band and we started a lockdown entertainment show called ‘House of Rock’. In last couple weeks, Jamie Brown has started work … he’s moving his studio into my place. Exciting times.

Any plans to go on tour when we are allowed to?

100 %. We were due in China Feb and March and had loads of plans for this year. We will aim to cross them all off the list in 2021 instead 

Which artists are you currently listening to?

Paul Weller ‘True Meanings’ , Purplesmoke, Armada of Secrets, David Bowie and Post Modern Jukebox 

Where can we find out more about you?

Best thing is to follow the Insta account @freemanrocknroll. That’s the most active social media platform.

Anything else you would like to tell us?

Thanks for reading and stay cool. Can’t wait to see you at a live gig sooooon !! 

I’d like to thank Charlie for taking the time to answer my questions and wish him all the best of luck with the soon to be released album. I hope to catch him on the road some day soon!

Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet?

We’re Voodoo Bandits, an indie rock, surf punk, pop (what are genres nowadays anyway). We’re made up of frontman Ben Donaldson, lead guitarist Corey Vaughan, Bassist Charlotte Wilby and Nathan Vaughan on drums. The twins Corey and Nathan, met Ben at an after-exams party, and started jamming together somewhere down the line. A cycle of people came and went on vocals and bass but eventually Charlotte joined the lineup in 2019, and Ben plucked up the courage to sing. Then we became Voodoo Bandits (again!). 

Where does the name Voodoo Bandits come from?

The name actually comes from a previous band member, but we kept it. Locally people knew us by this and we felt as though we had spent the time building up a bit of a reputation, it saved the confusion of a new name, and we’ve really grown into it. We feel it represents our current sound pretty well!

Tell us a bit about your latest single, Yesterday’s Jam.

Yesterday’s Jam is a sunny and explosive song; it’s all about the release and letting go, which has been attempted to materialised by the euphoric chorus. It’s definitely our quickest song to date and it really pushes the energy of the band. Lyrically it’s about breaking free from the influence of others in tandem with plenty of metaphors and colourful imagery.

Where did the name for the song come from?

It was inspired by a British comedy show, (if you know you know).

Is there going to be even more new music on the way?

We’ve just finished up the final mix for our next song which we’re hoping to release soon, so keep your ears peeled for that! 

Did you have any help with the writing and recording process?

Ben does the songwriting, then we collectively work on the fleshing out of the track. We recorded this track at a studio on the Isle of Man, and had it mixed and mastered by our producer/engineer in Manchester. We play a heavy hand in trying to get the production we want in order to achieve the sound we’re after. This can be hard, but ultimately we get there in the end and we are grateful to our producer who’s a great fit for us.

How have you been keeping busy during lockdown?

Nathan and Corey spent the majority of lockdown finishing up university assignments and dissertation, whilst Ben and Charlotte built a nifty ‘home studio’ setup so we could continue our musical output despite the social distancing measures. We’ve also done a number of livestream gigs. Right now, the Isle of Man has ended social distancing and we are getting back to playing plenty of shows, and we can’t wait to hit England again soon.

Any plans to play any shows when we are allowed to again?

We’ve got a couple of UK dates lined up at the end of the year in Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, supporting BAYBOARDS, LOLA and Bedroom / Boredom respectively. Fingers crossed they don’t get postponed further! We’re also in the process of organising a mini Scotland tour at some point towards the back end of this year but we’ll have to see what happens in terms of lockdown restrictions before anything gets confirmed for sure.

Which artists are you currently listening to?

We’re all buzzing for the new Hockey Dad album! Been digging Sports Team, The Dunts and Marsicans too.

– Where can we find out more about you?

You can check us out on all our socials and every major streaming site.

Anything else you would like to tell us?

Isle of Man cats have no tails.

Well you (might of) heard it here first. What are you waiting for, go check out Yesterday’s Jam!

I’d like to thank Corey for taking the time to answer my questions and I hope to catch the band at a gig as soon as possible.

Tell us a bit about yourself, where are you from and where you music begin for you?

I am originally from Eastern Europe and Israel, however currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. My love for music goes back to my childhood. I began to write songs and lyrics when I was 12 and had my best friend playing a guitar and so we were recording my first songs home (to be fair, I couldn’t sing at all back then and am very embarrassed to listen to these records now haha). Later on, the same friend of mine opened his own record studio and so we produced an album. Back then I was into rock music, so these songs are more of a pop rock (not exactly the type of music I do these days). I had to begin my studies in Switzerland shortly after that and so music had to be put aside. Luckily, when I finally decided to take a serious step towards it, I had a lot of talented people that supported it, and so the magic began.

If you had to sum yourself up in three words, what would you say?

Thats a tough one…I’d say: Emotional, Ambitious, Nostalgia

You recently released your latest singles Everlasting and Hurt. Where did the inspiration for these songs come from?

I always write about my personal experiences (and it has to do a lot with love and (unfortunately) breakups). I never really was able to express my feelings fully, and the only way I can do it is through my music and lyrics. Everlasting is softer, as there’s a lot of nostalgia in it for the good days. I had a lot of fun writing this one. HURT originally was released in Hebrew (and the English version will be released in a few weeks!). This song comes out from a very dark and painful place of a heartbreak (I think lyrics wise it’s the saddest song I ever wrote, and of course I wrote it following a recent break up). I got a lot of comments after it came out, where people who don’t speak a word in Hebrew still could feel the sadness in it and felt very connected to it. I think this is one of the best compliments an artist can get. 

Is this a hint at more new music on the way throughout the year?

Oh there is a very BIG hint:) Besides “HURT” that will be released in an English version in a few weeks, there are still 5 finished songs that I plan and hope to release by the end of the year. Three of them with a music video for each. Also, I believe that within few months, my second collaboration with Grammy award winner David Morales will be released (there is no official date yet). This one will be a house music project, and it’s called “LET IT GO”. It’s also very personal because it speaks about believing in yourself and doing what your heart wants and not caring about what other people think. I recently quit a very high end job in a financial world to finally concentrate on my music and pursue my dreams no matter what (a lot of people call me crazy for doing that, but we have to take chances and sometimes sacrifice our comfort zone in order to grow and do what you love).

The music video looked like it was a lot of fun to make. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Gladly. I teamed up with Omar Catalfamo, who was directing the video and we decided to shoot in Geneva. We found the best team of the coolest people that were all excited about the song and the video. My good friend from Israel, Tom Haimov (who is the main actor in the video) flew in to participate in this one. Everyone was supporting each other so much. It was the funnest (but still stressful) 2 days. We all grew to be very good friends.

Do you ever get to play any live shows, or is there any plans to in the future?

Unfortunately, because of the current situation in the world, a number of live shows (and a festival) where I was supposed to perform (Norway and Spain) got cancelled or moved. I’m hoping that things will get back to normal by the end of the year. Until then, I am fully concentrated on working and releasing new music.

Where do you hope to see yourself this time next year?

Fully booked for my world tour! 🙂 

Which artists are you currently listening to?

I listen to a lot of artists and a lot of them are not very known. I do however have few favorite ones. Currently I listen to Ali Gatie, Oscar and the wolves , the weekend, Post Malone, and my all time favorite Lana del Rey.

How have you been keeping busy during lockdown?

Well, I wrote “Hurt” in Hebrew and English, and got to fully produce and record it while being stuck in Israel. Lior Avramov (MyCasa studio) got the vibe of the song right away and produced it with me. I also planned a few video shoots for future songs,found teams to realize these projects, had my website built from scratch (by Maxim Livingston) and worked on my socials. In between there was a lot of food and Netflix 🙂

Where can we find out more about you?

My brand new website www.michelleshapa.com has all the updated information, released songs, videos, upcoming projects, and of course more personal information about how I grew to be where I am today. 

Is there anything you would like to tell us?

I just want to express my gratitude for all the people around me (friends, fans, and professionals) who always support me and believe in me no matter what. I feel like without them and their love I would not be able to take these radical steps and make life changing decisions about my career. Everyone who is following, listening to my music and most importantly connect to the vibe and the lyrics- are making my heart warmer. It’s the best motivation I could get as an artist to move forward. So, Thank you! 🙂

I’d like to thank Michelle for taking the time to answer my questions and wish her all the best luck and success for the coming future, and I hope to catch her on tour one day!

With the release of their latest single Stranger today, I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with the band. The band is made up of Ernest (lead vocals, guitar), Lou (vocals, piano, guitar), Stell (lead guitar), Nick (drums) & Keenan (bass) 

Tell us a bit about the band. Where are you from and how did you all meet?

(Stell) Ernest and Lou had been writing and demo’ing some tunes together, and they asked me to lay down some guitar tracks for them, and before we knew it this became a permanent thing as the three of us. After the recording of our first EP ‘Show Me Something’ it became obvious that we needed a drummer and a bass player so we could do what we really wanted which was to play gigs. That’s when Nick and Keenan came in.

Where did the name Cheekbone come from, and why did you decide to use it?

(Lou) I was really into The Mighty Boosh as a kid and there’s this episode where they subscribe to a music magazine called CHEEKBONE. I don’t know how many bands are named after an obscure joke from a surrealist British comedy, but I like to think we’re one of the better ones.

You recently released your latest single Stranger. What does this song mean to you?

(Lou) Well we’re really proud of it, it’s one I had for the longest time and it’s taken several different forms. We think it’s one of the best thing’s we’ve written at this point and we’re just excited for people to hear it on June 19th.

Where do you look for inspiration?

(Stell) At the time, I was listening to bands like Cigarettes After Sex – really chilled and mellow tunes, and I had a riff that was based on their stuff which I got bored of soon enough, so I sped it up and put some distortion on it, which ended up sounding like something not too dissimilar from an early Arctic Monkeys tune.

Is this single a hint at more new music on the way?

(Ernest) We had two or three songs that we were thinking about as the next single and Stranger wasn’t one of them but we were blessed that we had laid down the basics of the track before lockdown started so, when we were left with no way of rehearsing or recording, we had that one to turn to and all it needed was mine and Lou’s vocal to be put down. But yes this is a massive hint to new music coming on the way, we want this song to push us towards a position where we have to make an album. Stranger is a song right for this time, it’s an upbeat summer tune and more new songs will be coming sounding similar and bigger that we’ve been keeping locked away for the right time.

Who produced this music? Have you worked with them before? How was it working with them?

(Lou) We produce all our own stuff ourselves, in the case of Stranger, Keenan (our bass player) messaged me asking if there was anything he could be working on in lockdown, so I sent him what we had recorded of the track and he added a bunch of layers and did this amazing mix that really changed the way we looked at the song.

What have you been doing to keep busy during lockdown?

(Ernest) We’ve been busy challenging each other on Fifa and pretending it’s Euro 2020 , we’ve been ringing each other up and crying on the phone about how much we miss going to the pub, we’re all separately writing a lot of new music and sending it to each other as voice notes and we’ve been having at least a pack of 4 Guinness a day to keep our minds strong and make sure we don’t lose the plot! You know just the usual.

Which artists are currently on your release radar?

(Ernest) We love the new Strokes album and think the world really needed it and we’re enjoying listening to Fontaines DC and looking forward to their second album dropping, we saw The Big Moon at the Roundhouse and thought they were class, apart from that, not much else going on that we feel the need to mention.

Where can we find out more about you?

(Stell) You can find us on Facebook, Insta, Youtube and all streaming platforms as Cheekboneband. But the real action is on our OnlyFans page

Anything you would like to tell us?

(Lou) Just to listen to Stranger when it’s out on June 19th and to check out #saveourvenues

I’d like to thank the guys for taking the time to answer my questions and wish them the best of luck in the future! (you can check out the OnlyFans for yourself, I’m not linking that)