EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH UK ROCKERS PRETTY VICIOUS
“I think it just naturally happened.”
We all need rock in our lives, and Pretty Vicious is my next recommendation for that. Introducing the UK band that recently signed to Big Machine / John Varvatos, Pretty Vicious comes with a ferocious bite and an electric spirit. They have the elements of the best rock sound with screaming guitars and abrasive drums with intense vocals all intertwined into a melody, they’re just the band the doctor for angst ordered.
Pretty Vicious’ forthcoming debut album is a project to capture the emotions of the rebellious youth! Full of energy and attitude, this Welsh valley-boys stole the music souls of many and captured the London streets with their sound. They recently released their single “Move” and more recently just came out with an amazing new music video to accompany the track giving the fan a visual to enjoy.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jarvis from the band to discuss some of their journey, the music, and their future endeavors.
“We became a band about 4 years ago [teenagers at the time], some of us were friends from school and some of us knew each other. We just met up one night, we were all by a campfire and we were all drunk, and Brad, the front man, he was in a cover band, and he was upset because they wouldn’t play any of his original songs, so he was looking for a band to play originals. So, he said let’s just get together and make a band and see what happens.”
Simon Sarin
When directing the sound to rock, these guys knew exactly the path they were going to take. “I think it’s just the kind of thing we did. We all like rock music. I think it just naturally happened.”
When I asked him about his favorite performance him and the guys ever did, he was excited to respond with his answer which he claims he always says. “I would say Japan, because when we went to Japan in 2015 and it was just such a surreal place to be and we would travel 12 hours on the plane to get to Japan, and there was people waiting for us to get off the plane with pictures of us and they all wanted signatures, and I didn’t even know how they knew which airplane we were on, they were all just waiting for us. And we then did a gig at Assault Festival (which is a big festival in Japan), and there were a loads of people there and there were people holding up the Welsh flag which is where we’re from, we’re all from Wales and it was just so surreal.”
I then followed up with where would be one place he would like to perform in his life, and he was enthusiastic to say that Japan was the one, and that he really did make it to a place he has always wanted to perform in. He’d love to go back. He’d even love to move and live in Japan one day!
The journey for these guys has been an exciting and definitely unreal experience. “It’s been a bit of a weird situation, like I see the band in steps, and we’ve had ups and downs and we were signed really young. Like we signed to Virginwhen were all so young. I was 18, Brad and Tom were 17, and Elliott was only 15. It was good things were really good and then things went down and so were wondering how can we make this move forward again. We had like new management, a new record deal now, and I think it’s been really good. And we came to America.”
I then wanted to know between the UK and the American music scenes, how that differed for him personally, to which he replied” with influences and performances, I’ve always liked watching live music. I listened to recorded UK bands, but I’d rather listen to Nirvana and other light rock bands. So it’s always been a privilege [to be in the US]. I’ve always wanted to have that American thing, but then with the UK thing as well. It’s nice to be one of them, we are from the UK, with a lot of great rock bands. But it would be nice to be one of those big American bands like the Foo Fighters. So, I’d say the scenes are very different, but I would prefer the American thing.”
I then jumped into asking about the inspiration behind their new single from the upcoming album and the visual that went with it. “Brad wrote the song, and basically it’s just about in a club when you’re out all having a drink, and when guys are checking out the chics at the gig, and it’s just about having a good time and stuff and dancing, and the video we were just having a bit of fun, I really have no idea where the idea for the visual came from,” he chuckles.
Continuing the conversation, my favorite question is always who would you love to collaborate with to which, with no hesitation Jarvis answered, “Queens of the Stone Age definitely. I think that could be possible.”
Another one of my favorite questions to ask, but usually a tough for one for artists is what is your favorite track you’ve written so far. Jarvis explained, “m y favorite song is “Little Molly.” It’s an album track. It’s actually the last song on the track, and it’s like a six, seven minute ballad and it just starts off really slow and then there is this massive outro, where all of the guitars go mad and the drums go mad, but it’s really meaningful and it’s about like growing up and you’ve gotta listen to it to really get it, but that song gets me every time.”
For the fans out there, I had to ask if there were any fun facts about the guys that we probably didn’t know. Jarvis laughed, thought for a moment and then began to spill how “Elliott the drummer, loves watching himself in the mirror, he’s full of himself.” He starts laughing as he prepares to start describing himself and the other guys saying, “Me and Tom are quite the lazy ones. We like to sleep in, me and Tom could sleep for hours. And Brad’s like, if you ever meet Brad, he’s like his own person. He’s like this little guy that gets up and does his own thing and Brad’s always in his little bubble. Brad’s always in his bubble, me and Tom are always sleeping, and Elliott’s always in the mirror.” He sums it up for me as we both laugh over the phone.
I then asked him what is the best part about being a band rather than being solo, and he describes like this: “I think it’s the people you’re around. I think if I was solo I would never enjoy as much as I do with the boys and the band. It’s a friendship, like I said we met in school and stuff and so we’re just really friends and it’s really fun. It doesn’t seem like a job or anything. We just get on with it, like today we traveled out to do a music video but it doesn’t feel like we traveled up here to do a music video, we just came somewhere as friends. I think if it were solo it would be harder and this has just been such a massive journey together.”
Advice for all you aspiring rockers out there? He’s the scoop from Jarvis himself: “Don’t stop, just keep doing it, never give up because there’s a lot of times where it feels like it could be the hardest thing in the world but if you keep going something will happen. The music will speak for itself. Just never never quite, just keep going for it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.”
With not even a second to spare, when I asked Jarvis what was an album he could live with for the rest of his life if there was no other album in the world, he answered, “Ohhhhh Nirvana Nevermind for sure!”
Please be sure to check them out on Spotify and to follow them on social media: