Glaswegian trio Baby Strange chat to The Gryphon in the backroom of Belgrave Music Hall in anticipation of their headline performance at Headrow House in Leeds, accompanied by Elvis Costello playing along in the background form another well-constructed tour playlist.
Baby Strange certainly are no strangers to the city having played Belgrave earlier in February alongside fellow headliners Dolomite Minor.
When questioned on the notorious North/South divide between gig reception and atmosphere, the resounding “YES” to indicate their northern preference only cements the idea that their Scottish roots remain resonant, despite a period of tours and performances with high-profile bands including Palma Violets, Slaves and Iceage.
Since the release of their single ‘Pure Evil’, Johnny, Connor and Aidan have enjoyed relative success with comparisons to The Jesus and Mary Chain. With a UK Slaves tour already under their belt and a collection of their own headline tour in venues across the UK, the promise of success in store for Baby Strange seems imminent.
New autumn single Paradise City is only available online or through 100 limited edition cassettes, and the boys were blatantly excited for its release:
“It comes out this week, and we are very, very happy about it.”
The band also commented on the surge in usage of streaming sites to distribute music, with Spotify as the example, to promote and encourage music fans to interact with new music:
“It’s a good thing. We’ve found loads of bands through the related artists part. You probably can’t fight streaming, but there should be a way of doing it that’s more beneficial for artists. So artists can get more money out of it, because spotify doesn’t really help bands out in that way, only exposes them.”
Indeed the band’s own Spotify profile is home to a collection of spotify playlists consisting of inspirations and on-the-road listens, an activity they intend to continue through their experiences on tour:
“I think we’re going to make one for this tour. A playlist for the songs that we are listening to when we’re travelling. We were onn tour with Desert Action, being on tour we listen to them every night and we think they’re really great.”
Baby strange will be joining Slaves on their Autumn UK tour, having already supported them earlier in the year.
“It was great. We first met them when we were just another touring band playing King Tuts and it wasn’t that busy. To see them now it’s just great. It was great to go on big tours with them, everyone is friends, it’s all good.”
One could be forgiven for observing a gradual transformation in sound by Baby Strange from the release of Pure Evil in 2013 to 2015 single California Sun. However, as the boys explain this misconception emerges from the genuine versatility of their style and ability to flit between easier listening Indie Rock and edgier punk-laced numbers:
“It’s not been a conscious change, we’re just approaching songwriting differently. I think it’s public perception ‘cause California Sun, that was like the earliest rehearsals we ever had, where we also made Pure Evil. It’s just taken ages to come out. I think people when they heard it think it’s different but if they had been in the first rehearsal they would think oh the songs are different but the band is are the same’
It appears that the burgeoning success of baby strange owes not only to individual talents, but also the ability of the trio to collaborate and work collectively to produce material:
“We all chip in. When we first started out we’d pitch song ideas to each other. So like if Connor’s got this melody then he’ll bring it to us, ask us what we think of it and then we’ll just work on it. It’s quite a nice way of working.”
When asked about plans for the future the band effervesce confidence and the drive to produce new material:
“Especially recording this single, Paradise City. How it all came about, we just feel confident now that we can actually do an album we are all happy with. We want to have it out next year. We always have drunken ideas about what to call our album… and we’ll probably use one of them.”
Jessica Heath