FEATURE: Spotlight: NOISY — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

NOISY

___________

BECAUSE I have been listening a lot…

PHOTO CREDIT: Alannah Williams

to their single, Young Dumb, I wanted to throw the spotlight on NOISY. The Worthing trio have been receiving love from a lot of different sources lately – including the guys at NME (I shall quote from their recent interview soon). I will work to 2021 and the interviews conducted then. Before that, 1883 Magazine spoke with the band when they released their debut E.P., Press Space to Play:

“First off, can you tell us about the band name, and what made you decide to come up with NOISY?

We always wanted a simple one-word name that people could remember easily. Also wanted it to contain only 4-5 letters, so we didn’t give ourselves a lot of options! We had like 50 names that we whittled down to 1, which was Happy Sad. Although it wasn’t the short snappy name that we first wanted, it seemed to create a buzz between us for a few days. Thinking back now, I’m glad it was an option as the logo we use today wouldn’t have been created. After realising Happy Sad wasn’t for us, “Noisy” quickly came around and stuck immediately. We felt like it fit our whole vibe and everyone seemed to be hyped on it from the get go.

You all worked within the NHS when you were signed. During these times that must have been an interesting experience. What was it like working such an important role while also pursuing creative passions?

It was actually a really good time for us. There was no pressure on writing back then so we were smashing out 2-3 songs every week whilst discovering what we wanted Noisy to be and sound like. People at work knew us as “the boys in the band” so it felt like a constant news update on what was happening and what we were up to. Working 7.30-4 and then going to the studio after to track in some lyrics that I’d snuck off to the bathroom to write that day, was the norm for me.

Congratulations on the new EP! How did you feel about releasing this body of work?

Can’t actually believe it’s out in the world. We’ve been sitting on I Wish I Was A… for well over a year now as it never felt like the right time for it to drop, and I’m glad we waited. This release feels like we’ve really arrived now. From start to finish it sums up our band, lyrically and musically. We’ve built the Noisy foundation with these last 2 EPs and now it’s really time to go.

What are you most looking forward to in 2021? What can we expect next, word on the street is that you’re hoping to start your own club?

Shows hopefully. It’s getting boring now haha. Feel like everyone just needs that release. We also have a lot of new music to share with the world, so we need dark rooms to play it in. Fast FWD To Friday is a club night we started back last October and was a huge success. The plan is to put more on around the country in the future. Less of a gig and more a messy night”.

They created quite a bang with that E.P. I think that, despite the pandemic hitting, the trio has accrued a healthy fanbase and distinguished themselves as one of the most promising young acts around. I know that they will cement that when they play live and can finally get out there to the people!

This year, BN1 highlighted the incredible and compelling NOISY. We discover about the group’s unique sound and how they have fared during the pandemic:

“Their sound is unique as they portray a roulette-style genre; you never quite know what you will get with a Noisy song. Rather like a good cocktail, a combination of hip hop and drum & bass, their style is rich and glitchy and lunges from pop one minute into a hybrid indie-rock/rap-esc concoction. After asking each of them to describe their music in one word, we were left with “euphoric”, “youthful” and “energy.” Everything about Noisy is outer-worldly, with their music keeping you on your toes.

Being a new band, they have found it challenging to have had the opportunity of live shows confiscated from them so soon after entering the scene. Cody explained, “that’s kind of where we thought we would grow the most.” However, from the true spirit of their music, it is clear they collectively will not let obstacles get in the way. “Lockdown has allowed us to be quite creative; we wrote the whole next body of work or at least what we think it’s going to be.”

Lockdown has provided the band with the time to experiment in ways they maybe never would have: “we have become social media wizards.” Relieving the pressures of being on tour, eliminating time restrictions on creativity is often when the best comes out. In the face of having time to make music through lockdown, the trio is ready to get back on the road and endure new experiences to bring into their work.

Growing up in a small town with not much to do, provided Noisy with an environment of focus, allowing the boys to put the majority of their energy into creating music. “If we lived in Brighton or London, there would have been so much more to distract us.” The band perfectly represents the rebelliousness of today’s youth, drawing on the experiences of young people growing up. “Lyrically, we write about going out with our mates and, you know, regretting it in the morning.” The familiarity of their strain and ability to relate to the listener makes this band unique. They are all about going out and having a good time, making you want to leave nothing behind and just live the Noisy life. The boys’ affinity with their hometown and all that comes with it has become a pivotal part of their musical experience. “The space you’re in definitely inspires you to make stuff and usually it is a reflection of where you’re at and who you’re with”.

Before closing things and urging you to investigate NOISY, it is time to get to that NME interview. It must be a big honour for the band to be recognised by one of the most reputable and popular music sites/magazines in the country:

“The frontman of the Worthing-based band – who are completed by guitarist Connor Cheetham and producer/guitarist Spencer Tobias-Williams – is recalling the moment they signed to Island Records in April 2019 without a single release to their name. After NOISY’s team played some demos to label execs at some ungodly hour post-pub, a deal was swiftly agreed. “Our management showed them a few songs and they were like, ‘We need to sign this, now!’” Thomas-Matthews recalls excitedly. “And then we got an offer in the morning.”

NOISY’s swaggering hybrid of dance, rap, drum’n’bass and jungle can certainly inspire such instant thrills: their pick’n’mix approach to chopped samples and self-produced beats liberally experiments with genre conventions. Arriving in a Day-Glo blaze with the ‘Press Space To Play’ EP in January 2020, the band have spent the following year and a half churning out impossibly massive-sounding singles in preparation for a long-awaited return to their natural environment: sweat-drenched, laser-filled nightclubs.

With a brand new single ‘Young Dumb’ now out in the world, NOISY want to replicate that “utterly euphoric” feeling for fans at their festival slots this summer. NME hopped on a Zoom call with the trio to chat about how they rose from the ashes of their previous band, FIFA 22 and their live plans for the rest of 2021.

Your background was originally in indie-rock. What prompted the pivot to explore dance, hip hop and jungle influences?

Connor: “We’ve always listened to those genres of music. Even when we were in an indie band, people used to come to our gigs and the pre-show playlists were stuffed with American rap and dance music, and everyone in the crowd would be like, ‘What the hell is going on?!’.”

Spencer: “There was definitely a Skrillex song on there, plus some Dr. Dre and Baauer. So yeah, it was a bit mental! Thinking about it now, people must have been spinning out a bit before we came on stage… But also, in a way boredom propelled this: there’s only so far you can take two guitars, bass and a drum kit in a room. We wanted to get a bit weirder, and we couldn’t really do that with the classic set-up.”

Your music looks outward: you sing about escaping from the drudgery of your day-to-day routine and seeking out raves and new experiences. Has it felt strange releasing these songs throughout a time where clubs have been closed?

Cody: “It’s really not been great because we’re not a TikTok band, we’re a live band: I feel like that’s how we’re going to make new fans. To have that taken away, and for this long as well, has been quite intense. But I feel like we’ve managed to get through it, and we’ve used the time to get better at writing as well. I think that’s one thing that we’ve taken out of it: we’ve written a lot of really strong music.”

What have you learned about yourselves on this journey so far?

Cody: “Being able to quit our jobs and do this for a living was obviously a massive blessing. Spending every single day with each other has been sick. Sometimes we sit here thinking, ‘This life is a proper dream’”.

I am going to leave things here. Make sure that you check out and listen to NOISY. There are a lot of terrific new artists around. One can tell NOISY will be around for a while and have a lot more to say. They are incredible, tight-knit and creators of some memorable music. Check out their social media pages to see where you can catch them play live. After a trough and strange past year or so, they must be eager to get out and release some of that pent-up live energy. If you can catch them on the stage, then make sure that you do not…