THE COLD FEW

Introduce yourselves and tell us what you've been up to recently?
Joe: “Hi, we're The Cold Few, and we're a group of 17 year olds from Marple that are constantly striving to forge an interesting, original yet uncontrived sound, with strong influences from indie rock and alternative music. Recently we've been upscaling our live act to make all of the gigs we're playing more of an experience for both the audience and us.”

And how did you get together? The name?
Joe: “Sean, Olly and I got together in the summer of '10 to play a few covers, but after bringing in Jack from my other band we started writing our own stuff, the quality of which we were all surprised by.”
Jack: “In regard to the name, it was brought to me by my GP when he diagnosed me with a “cold/flu”, and I thought that it could be made into a band name. Hence, we're now called The Cold Flu.”

Who are your biggest influences?
Joe: “Sigur Ros, Modest Mouse, Battles, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Biffy Clyro, Death Cab For Cutie, Arcade Fire, Dutch Uncles, The National, Manchester Orchestra... The only thing that really links them is that they're all awesome, and we're pretty sure we follow in that tradition.”

Here at Designer Magazine we're all about supporting the scene.. which are your fave local bands and why should we check them out?
Joe: “My favourite local band at the moment is probably Goodlife, with whom we played a Designer Magazine gig. They have a really nice Pavement vibe going, and they're an impressive live band to boot.“
Sean: “There's a great new band from Marple called The Cold Few. Check them out, if you like us then you're bound to like them!”

What's your biggest promo tips you can give to other local bands? How do you push your band forward?
Joe:”Think from the perspective of someone who would enjoy listening to your band's music, and try and make the kind of impression that would compel them to do so. Also, timing your plugging right is everything, as sometimes the first impression is the only impression you'll get the chance to make.”

Where do you go for pre gig food and where do you go post gig clubs in Manchester?
Joe: “As un-rock and roll as it is, I usually have a pre-gig salad to keep me feeling fresh. Afterwards I'll hang around the venue and talk to people before going home like the responsible 17 year old I am.“
Jack: “I like arse”
Olly: “I like your arse”

What do you like most about Manchester?
Joe: “The music, definitely. Bands pretty much always tour the UK, and besides the sprawling, untraversable mess that is London, Manchester seems to be the most common stop. With tiers of venues for all sizes of bands, I think it's probably the best city for live music in the world.”

Best gig you've been to of all time (and why?)
Sean: “One of the best and most memorable gigs I've been to would have to be Bon Iver. The power and the raw emotion in Justin's voice was overwhelming. Every song gave me shivers and I've never known music to affect me in such a way. I was in a group of about 6 watching their headline set at Latitude '12, and that has got to be the quietest we'd been all weekend; not because of any lack of sing-a-longs, but the songs leaving us literally speechless. And of course, there was that incredible moment when the most popular argument of the weekend was settled throughout the audience: the pronunciation of Bon Iver.”

Joe: “Probably Arcade Fire's headline appearance at Leeds in '10. Their set was perfectly timed; it was about 3 weeks after the release of The Suburbs, and the mainstream music media was just beginning to really publicise them. Despite earlier being thought of as the weakest headliner of that year they absolutely proved their worth (and more), with a set that was unfathomably grand and technically impeccable, all while being vulnerably human and moving. A truly religious experience for all involved.”

What one book would you say all of your fans should read and why?
Joe: “I'm pretty much a beginner when it comes to literature, so I'll just go for the 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' series by George R. R. Martin. A detailed and well-crafted world without the self-indulgence of Tolkien.”
Sean: “Anthony Kiedis' 'Scar Tissue', that book changed my entire outlook on life.”

Fave movie or TV show of all time?
Joe: “The film would have to be American Beauty or Pulp Fiction; they're everything films should be. As for TV, everyone who's watched it agrees that The Wire is the best TV show ever, and I'm no exception.”
Sean: “Favourite movie? C'mon, Mean Girls is such an emotional and meaningful film...”

Which football team do you support?
Joe: ”I “support” Wolves in the loosest sense of the word. Jack says he's a Man U fan, but in the 6 years that I've known him I haven't seen much evidence... Olly and Sean seem blissfully unaware.

Football is kind of a big deal for us.”

And finally we're all about the live sweaty gigs - final chance to say why we should check you out live?
Joe: “We always push ourselves to achieve new heights at every performance. When we reach the pinnacle of tightness we add a new dimension, perhaps even a new instrument to give us something to aim towards, and as a result we've created sounds that no-one has successfully pigeon-holed yet.“

And if we want to know more what's your facebook / twitter addresses

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/TheColdFew
Twitter - @TheColdFew

 

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All Interviews by Alex McCann unless otherwise stated
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