Five Minutes With ... The BOHOs

Words: Izzy B

There's not much to be had on Liverpool’s emerging young upstarts The BOHOs. Bar their intro into 2017 with debut single ‘Monday Morning’, despite their having been around in some form or another for a good 12 months before (albeit with different band members), there has been little else to mark them out.

So this year could be the one in which we see what they're made of, and with that in mind we sat down with the four for a bit of a chat, although we think they didn't take quite all our exceedingly serious questions in the same vein. This interview took place just prior to the band's Arts Club gig last week. Read on.

The BOHOs are: Fin Power (guitar, lead vocals), Elliot Gill (lead guitar, backing vocals), Ian Grant (bass), Jack Danily (drums).

Hi guys. Nice to catch up with you all. 

Fin Power: Hi. I'm Fin Power from The Bohos. We're all here and all going to be answering.

Great stuff. So how and where do we find you at this minute?

Fin: We're in Vulcan studios preparing for our Arts Club headline.

Please introduce yourselves to our readers.

Elliot Gill: I play lead guitar and backing vocals, Ian plays bass, Jack's the drummer and Fin's lead vocals and also plays guitar.

I believe you are all still quite young - teens or older? Fin, I think is just 17, is that right? So was music what you knew you wanted to go into?

Ian Grant: I'm only 12.

Jack Danily: I'm 8.

This is getting ridiculous - that, or you're all child prodigies!

Elliot: They're messing.

Fin: I wanted to be a chef but when I started my GCSEs the food tech course stopped. Then I went to go do DT instead but the teacher said I wasn't good enough. The only other course that I could actually do was music, so I started doing music and eventually I enjoyed it enough to start a band.

How did The BOHOs come together originally?

Fin: I wanted to start a band, back then I only knew Ian -when he couldn't play bass.

Ian: How many times with this story man...

Elliot: I joined last year.

Jack: I can't even remember when I joined; it was just after Ell did, I think.

Is it correct that Cast's John Power is your father, Fin?

Fin: My dad is John Power, but that's got nothing to do with the music I make.

Okay, fair enough. 'The Bohos', how and why as a band name?

Jack: Boats and Hoes.

Fin: One of the old band members suggested it and it just stuck.

Acting as your own PR, for those who don't know you, give us the spin on The BOHOs, the band, the music.

Elliot: We make a lot of different tunes.

Jack: Nothing really sounds the same.

Elliot: Yeah, we've all got completely different influences which makes our sound interesting.

Liverpool band, lot of good stuff from those parts. Do you feel you have a lot to live up to?

Ian: No.

Fin: There's this whole thing about being a 'Liverpool band', but personally I don't think it affects us.

Goes back to the old Beatles/Merseysound thing, doesn't it.

Fin: Just because the Beatles are from here doesn't mean every band has to be like them. It's like saying just because you live in Washington DC doesn't mean you have to be the president. It means nothing.

You just put out your debut single ‘Monday Morning’ in January, but I gather the band has been around for at least 18 months. Tell us the story.

Fin: Basically, the band started in 2015 but I don't like people messing me about and not wanting to practice, so I've been through a lot of different band members. Drummers and guitarists mainly.

Ian: I'm the original bassist.

Fin: But this line-up has clicked and everything seems to work now.

Jack: Yeah, we all work well together.

Fin: 'Monday Morning' was written in September, when I broke up with my girlfriend. It was recorded in December and released in January.

We seem to be hearing more about you this year, is that because you got fixed up with a good PR?!

Fin: Dave, our manager, handles all that stuff.

Elliot: Yeah, he does all the social media and the promo and stuff.

Ian: Shout out to Dave, aka 'the client'.

Big up to Dave then. You must have a good agent too - playing with The DMA's ain't bad!

Fin: The DMA's are one of my favourite bands: I got onto them before anyone else did, like before they were massive. I went to their gigs when there was literally like ten people in the room. I showed them my songs and eventually they asked us to support them.



How would you describe your sound? Livpop? Brit-indie? Nu-grunge?

Fin: I'd say those three are pretty much our style summed up.

Elliot: You have to hear us to decide. It's a mix of lots of different things.

Is performing live a big part of why you do what you do, or do you prefer making music, the writing and recording part of it?

Elliot: Live!

Fin: Up to now I prefer live because we only spend a few days in the studio. Also lives more fun because you get to show people the whole experience.

Jack: The Boho experience.

Right, let's crack on with an easy quick-fire few questions:

Who is on your headphones in the tour van?

Jack: In the john-mobile...

Elliot: Ice Cube.

Which famous person would you like to invite to a show?

Fin: The Rock.

Elliot: Ice Cube.

At karaoke night what song is your pièce de résistance?

Jack: 'Call This # Now' - The Garden.

Elliot: Ice Cube: 'It Was A Good Day'.

Fin: Anything by ABBA.

Elliot: Na, Fleetwood Mac - 'The Chain'.

Down the pub, what's your poison?

Elliot: Desperado and pol one.

Jack: Just a beer la.

Fin: Not arsed what it is.

Down the takeaway, what's your favourite munch to take away?

Fin: Curry fried rice and chips.

Elliot: Salt and pepper chicken with sweet and sour sauce.

Yum. Making me hungry there. What plans do the band have for this year? Tour? EP?

Fin: Its too early for an EP. Bands think EPs get you automatic pussy.

Jack: There's no point releasing a shit EP: we will release one when we think it's time.

Elliot: Probably doing more boss gigs and releasing more music this year.

What has been the most memorable point of your career so far?

Elliot: Supporting Cast was good -  that was the biggest crowd.

Fin: Any of our headlines. They've all been boss.

What's on your bucket list to achieve?

Ian: I wanna throw Jack into his drum kit on stage.

Elliot: I want to play a festival when its proper sunny and warm.

You now have a few sentences for your big plug to push whatever you might want to promote. Use it wisely. Go.....

Fin: New single coming out May/June time so look out for that. Go listen to our debut single 'Monday Morning' on Spotify and SoundCloud or buy it on iTunes, if you feel like it.

Last word: spill your word or words of wisdom. Say 'pass' if you have none.

Ian: Melt your pol more and do smaller chunks so you don't get big polly rockets.

Fin: Na, just make sure you're all ready for this next year is going to be big for us.

We'll bear that advice in mind, Ian. Thanks, guys.

Live Dates:

MAY
04 O2 Academy Liverpool (supporting The DMA's)
05 O2 Academy Liverpool (supporting The Night Café)
06 Arts Club Liverpool (supporting John Power)
JULY
07 O2 Academy Liverpool (headline show)

More info: FACEBOOK