Off-kilter pop trio Roxy Girls - none of whom are girls, or called Roxy - hail from Sunderland and create brief, propulsive nuggets of sound. They release their debut four-track EP today (February 16), and play a launch show tonight at Pop Records in Sunderland.
Who are you?
I'm Tom Hawick, I do vocals and play guitar with Roxy Girls. The other lads are Aidan Rowan on drums, and Matthew Collerton, bass.
Tell us something about yourself and how you came to be where you are today?
We're a three-piece birthed in the basement of Pop Recs Ltd, a record store, music venue and community space in Sunderland. Myself and Aidan volunteer there so it made sense to utilise the free rehearsal space.
Give us an idea of your musical style and influences.
We're trying to achieve the 'Sunderland Sound' cemented by bands like The Futureheads and Field Music. We've taken a lot of inspiration from them. We also draw from bands like The Yummy Fur - whose song 'Roxy Girls' we half inched for our name - Gang of Four, Parquet Courts and DUDS.
Explain the production and writing process behind your songs.
I guess we've got a pretty standard approach to songwriting, usually starting with a riff then just going from there. Aidan's studying music production, so that's quite handy when it comes to demoing.
Tell us a little about your new record.
Our new self-titled EP we recorded with Dave Curle at First Avenue Studios in Heaton, Newcastle. Dave was responsible for early Futureheads, Maxïmo Park, Yummy Fur recordings so there was no hesitation in deciding where to record. Lyrically, I suppose the EP is a brief (7min 24sec) look into my life. Song meanings are as follows:
'Straddling The Cannon': Failed Relationships.
'Dangerous Driving': Dangerous Driving.
'Taxi Cab': Failed Relationships.
'Interjections': Failed Relationships.
Can we catch up with you at any forthcoming live shows?
We've got a few things coming up in the North East:
March 9 w/ Casual Threats at Head of Steam, Newcastle.
April 7 w/ Myles Manley at Head of Steam, Newcastle.
April 22 w/ Tongue Trap at Cumberland Arms, Newcastle.
May 5 Meet The North at Head of Steam, Newcastle.
I think we may have some stuff lined up in Leeds/Manchester in the coming months. Keep check on our social media.
How's the rest of the year looking, plans-wise?
We'll probably record another EP at some point, perhaps with a second guitarist. Aidan's based in Leeds, and Matthew's in another band (Dose), which makes it difficult getting together regularly. This considered, it's probably going to be a while before we get round to that. We've got a couple of small festivals lined up over summer, which we're really looking forward to. The main goal is to gig as much as we can, if possible outside of the North East.
Where can we hear more of your music?
We accidentally put the EP on Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, etc a day earlier than intended, so it's already floating about in the cloud for all to hear. There'll also be a physical release in the next few weeks.
What social media platforms can we find you on?
Twitter // Facebook
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