Most bands who’ve been going for barely a year count themselves lucky if a decent venue will give them a good support slot or if someone vaguely recognises them in their local boozer. Heck, to have your own badges is wring-your-knickers-out exciting.
So for my interview with James Smith from glow in the dark, neon heroes Hadouken! to open like a phone in from Live & Kicking with myself, James and a record company rep in conversation, I realise that Hadouken! aren’t like most fledgling bands.
What are you up to today then?
I’ve just been trying to write some lyrics for the last few tracks on the album at home, which I’m kinda demo-ing in my bedroom and then I’ll get them out to the studio later in the month in around September time. I’ve just gotta try and get them finished basically, but I’ve got plenty of time.
How is the album going?
It’s going really well. We’re about 9 tracks in of 15, 16 and we’re just gonna pick the best 12 or 13 - see what fits together nicely and that should be out in January time. We’ve been recording and I’ve been producing it with an engineer in London and we’ve been sending it out to get mixed by a guy who does stuff like Foo Fighters and Muse, which is pretty cool.
And you’ve got a tour about October, haven’t you?
Yeah, we’ve got quite a long tour, 14 dates around the country and Scotland too, which I’m really looking forward to. We had quite a nice tour earlier this year around England, Wales and Scotland. It was a real success, so we’re all looking forward to getting back on the road really and doing our thing.
You only formed in the summer of last year; did you think you’d get so far, so fast?
No to be honest, I didn’t really expect the kind of response we received. It’s been a rollercoaster ride. It’s kinda weird to think it’s been going just under a year now. It’s such a short space of time where everything’s happened but I take it as it comes really and just enjoy it for what it’s worth.
Do you think that any of it’s to do with being tagged ‘nu rave’?
I think that initially we probably got a bit of press exposure but you’ve gotta have the tunes to keep coming back, which is fine and I think our fans respect that and get that it’s the music first and the ‘scene’ second.
So if it all hadn’t happened so fast would you have been prepared to go at it for years?
I think I’d always be making music regardless of whether I was making money or having a job from making music. I don’t think it really matters. It’s a nicer, much more pleasant position to be in doing it full time but I think if it all ended tomorrow I’d be making just as much music, if not more sometimes, because it’s a lot harder to make music when you’re on the road and on tour.
Do you ever get a headache when you open your wardrobe?
(Laughs) Yeah, I do actually!
Do you have your dress down days?
Yeah absolutely. I mean I wear lots of bright clothes but that’s mainly on stage. I’m kinda getting a bit fed up of it myself actually. I notice that I’ve bought a lot of brightly coloured clothes at the moment. I haven’t bought any ‘normal’ clothes so if you just wanna go down the pub with your mates you look a bit of an idiot! I’ll have to buy a lot of black and white stuff and just boring jeans. But it’s just trying to develop a look different from other bands and I think the fans have enjoyed the bright clothes.
Okay, if you could take anyone on in a thumb war, who would it be and why?
‘Thumb war’? Erm, probably our bassist Chris cos he loves doing slap-bass solos when we’re in rehearsals which gets really annoying. You need to use your thumb for that so if I could break his thumb he’d probably stop doing solos!
As well as starting the band, you’ve also been finishing your degree. How did that go?
The degree went well, yeah. I got a 2.1 and my dissertation, which I did on Grime music. That was pretty cool.
Are you alright? Have you got a cold? You seem to be sniffling a lot.
I have actually. I’ve just come back from Japan and everywhere’s got air conditioning and when you drink and go from a hot place to a cold place it gives you a cold for some reason.
Were you in Japan with the band?
Yeah, we had a couple of dates there. I only got back yesterday. It was a really good response; we didn’t know what to expect from the Japanese people, whether they’d love us or hate us, but the two dates we played went down pretty well so we’re pleased about that.
I’ll bet you’re clothes were quite down dressed for there!
Yeah, we fitted in alright! Japan’s a really colourful place, really exciting place to be.
Have you been anywhere else with the band?
No Japan was our first foreign trip but I’d never been to Wales and Scotland so I’ve done that with the band and that was pretty exciting, just to go to different parts of the country cos you don’t have an excuse otherwise. That’s why I can’t wait to go back on tour.
With Hadouken! hitting the road again in October, look out for James & Co standing out like a sore thumb in a pub near you soon!
Words: Cassie Smyth