They have smashed America and Japan and have given themselves quite a name in both. Nevertheless, enough about The Strypes past as with a new album on the way (Little Victories) the future for the teen, Blues Rock phenomenon that is The Strypes is looking to be just as bright.
They have been storming through their tour with so far playing Ireland, the majority of England and Wales with support from fellow Irish band The Raglans and Liverpool band The Sugarmen. They're then doing two final England dates then moving on to Spain, France, Belgium and Scotland in June. Recently I caught up with the Irish Blues Rock prodigy that is The Strypes on their 'Flat Out' tour at 'Fruit' in Hull to see what was the craic.
Interview starts:
What are you names and positions in the band?
Josh McClorey: Guitar and some singing sometimes.
Ross Farrelly: Singer, harmonica and some a bit of guitar.
Pete O'Hanlon: Penis enlarger and bassist.
Evan Walsh: Drums.
Which one of you writes your music or do you write it together?
Evan: Josh writes most of the music and then he brings it to us and we jam it out, Pete the penis enlarger has got one that he wrote on the album as well.
This being your first time in Hull how was the response?
Josh: Yeah the response was good, plenty of people jumping around and having a good time.
Pete: That's all you need from an audience really.
You've just done a gig with 'Foo Fighters' at 'The Stadium Of Light' before you came to Hull, how did it go?
Pete: We were on four hours before them but it was still great, loved playing it.
Ross: We will be playing with them again on Saturday at Slane Castle in Ireland.
You weren't around long before your debut album Snapshot, how did it feel growing so fast as a band?
Josh: Well, contrary to popular belief we started out about three or four years before Snapshot and we did about 300 gigs before we got signed.
Evan: And that was just in Northern Ireland.
Josh: I think it was just when we came over to England we did a lot of gigs in such a short space of time and there was already label interest, after a few gigs in England it was straight in to talking to labels and it moved fast from there. So to everyone in the UK it appeared that we hadn't gigged at all but we did work hard for it.
Have you got used to playing massive arena gigs from playing small venues in Northern Ireland?
Josh: I don't remember when we got used to it, it just gradually happened. We still feel disbelief, especially when we were asked to play with Arctic Monkeys and the Foo Fighters. Like when we were first told about that we were like 'Oh that's class!' you know? But because we've gigged so much it all just gradually ramps up and you just have to adapt to it.
Where has been the craziest gig you've ever played?
Evan: On this tour, tonight was particularly energetic.
Ross: On our last tour we did a gig in Glasgow and people were pretty mental there, chanting all the way through it and just loads of t-shirts were getting thrown on the stage. The mic stand was really not nice, it kept getting t-shirts on it so it was real sweaty.
Pete: It was recorded as well was that gig.
Evan: Yeah we've had some pretty mad gigs on this tour, Southampton was pretty mental and so was this gig (Hull) tonight as well.
What's the maddest thing that's ever happened at one of your gigs?
Ross: Somebody threw a toothbrush on stage then everyone started chanting toothbrush.
Evan: First somebody shouted 'Do you like my toothbrush?' really aggressively.They then dragged Pete into the crowd because it was his birthday and started singing happy birthday.
Ross: There's been other stuff, quite a few bra's have been thrown up, stuff like that. There was a guy dressed as batman in a dingy getting carried across the crowd one time.
Ross: You always get a young crowd moshing out at the front but you do always get an older generation as well at the back, or sometimes in the mosh-pit on the odd occasion.
Evan: I don't think we attract anymore than anyone else, there's an interview with George Ezra where he says the up the front are all the kids, the middle bit there's students and at the back are the parents which is pretty accurate really.
When, as a band, did you first feel starstruck?
Ross: Never really.Really? Nobody?
Evan: We've met some cracking people but there's nobody we've felt starstruck with as we've never really got overly excited. There's people we've met where we've been like 'Holy sh*t, they're really important' like Bob Geldof and Paul Weller.
As a band what has been your biggest challenge?
Evan: Getting this album done (Little Victories).
Josh: Yeah the second album, wasn't a massive challenge it's just taken a lot of time which makes it challenging.
Ross: We haven't really had a massive challenge I think agreeing on everything on the second album was a massive challenge.
Josh: Yeah that was a big challenge.
Evan: But I think we're better people for it you know?
Josh: Well I definitely am a better person but these lot are still d*ckheads.
Evan: Ross is the biggest d*ckhead.
Ross: I agree completely, I don't know how anyone can be in a band with me.
When's the album due and how does the recording sound so far?
Evan: It's due on the 24th of July.
Ross: It's called Little Victories, it's not too bad.
Pete: The response has being pretty good, the new songs have made their home in the set quite nicely.
Ross: We've been working with two producers, Charlie Russell and Bradley Spence.
What label is the album being recorded with?
Ross: We're signed with Virgin EMI or as I like to call them, EMI. Sounds cooler.
Pete: It's pretty cool being on the same label as Paul McCartney and The Libertines.
Ross: And Rihanna and Kanye West but f*ck them.
Well thanks a lot lads and good luck for the rest of the tour and the album.
Ross: Cheers, all the best.
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