1. So firstly, why did you call yourselves Crowns?
Does it mean something more personal to you or is it to do with the imagery
behind the word?
Bill: Yeah, you've pretty much answered your own question
really! It's a bit of both really; obviously the imagery behind the word.
Jack: It's quite a good word. Also, it's a self
empowering thing as well, like you said, a personal thing. Because we're not
like royalists.
Bill: It's almost the opposite! It's like we're crowns.
Jack: I suppose a shortened version of "These Kids
Wear Crowns". We didn't do it deliberately and I reckon it's the same
message but we managed to get it in one word.
2. Your genre, which you dubbed as "Fish Punk", is pretty unique due to it being a
mix of punk and folk music. As you all were previously in just punk bands, did
you know that your music would be as it is today or was it at first more of an
experiment?
Bill: It was more of an epiphany I think. A moment of
playing in punk bands and then playing traditional Cornish music in pubs and
then going " Hang on a minute, it would sound pretty good through amps and
played a bit quicker and louder." Fish punk was a bit of a joke that got out of
hand because we consider ourselves more to be pubstep or clam rock.
Jack: Clam rock, yeah. I'd just like to say I made these
all up. I'm the most puntastic.
Jake: He's got a lot of free time.
Jack: Yeah, I've got loads of free time.
3.What would you say is the
band motto or philosophy?
Bill: I think the music is primarily good fun music so
without sounding too cheesy, it's about having good fun. There are too many
bands out there that are whining about being in pain and this and that. You
know, we're just having fun.
Interviewer: Saving the world from cutting and what not.
Bill: You could do it bit by bit. I think by making
people happy, that would be the best way to start saving the world rather than
shouting about, rioting.
Jake: Start with a few beers and some pizza.
Bill: The world is your oyster.
4.What's been the most memorable experience you've had
as a band?
Bill: Some of the festivals like the Red festival, that
was good.
Jack: We played a show with Blink-182 at the Eden
Sessions. That was pretty crazy.
Jake: That was like childhood dream. Tick. I think that was probably one of the most memorable
ones just because the gig was on such a scale that we've never seen before.
Jack: And it hit us during our amazing summer last
year when we were playing shitloads of festivals and we felt really
good.
Bill: It's that but it's also like that was memorable
because it was, like Jake said, a childhood dream but some of the best
things have been pub gigs as well. Like St Agnes was nothing but a taphouse when
we were first starting. We did our first UK tour and went down to St Agnes in
Cornwall and had really memorable times there as well.
Jake: Sambuca fight.
Bill: Yeah. Beer fights. Sambuca fights.
Jack: Seeing the manager of that pub come down, basically
looking like he'd been in an oil slick with black sambuca. I don't think I'll
forget that image or the image of his dog sneezing into Jake's face. That was
pretty good.
Jake: Or the image of you throwing up because you did three Jagerbombs in your
mouth. Because they had Redbull on tap..
Jack: When we start going into this, it's just like one
up in the chip, isn't it? This is where we're going to end.
Bill: To answer your question, there are lots of
memorable things but definitely the big ones like Blink-182 and the other good
ones have been crazy nights.
5. At the end of last year,
you played alongside Big Issue vendors up and down the country, supporting them
and making people more aware of the homeless. How has this experience affected
you and do you think you'll do something like this in the future?
Bill: One of them complained about us; we were on his
patch.
Jack: The first one we met.
Bill: He just didn't like it. You can kind of understand
it in a way.
Jack: It's obviously a great cause but on the vendors'
side of it, I think that it's almost disempowering for them if you're making
them into a charity case. I would definitely be up for doing it again but I
think we'd have to tweak the format a bit just because it's hard going straight
onto the streets with no promo or anything like that and essentially, you're no
higher than any regular busker.
Bill: I think for us, even if it
just gets out to people who like our band to buy the Big Issue, that's all we
could really hope to do but if we have more of a profile one day and could do
something for the Big Issue again, then definitely. It was just a case of
getting people who liked Crowns on Facebook to think about the Big
Issue and probably some people did.
Jake: One of the best things about that is for us,
we realised about how passionate the people who are behind the Big Issue and
the people who work for it are, especially the people from Glasgow who were amazing.
Bill: Glasgow's amazing.
Jack: It was good to meet the people behind it,
definitely. I think they've definitely got their heads and hearts in the right
place.
Bill: If it feels right in the future again then yeah.
We're not going to push it, because it can come across as a bit disingenuous with bands that sometimes do things really in your face with
charities. I think it's got to be well done and have spirit and real
meaning to it.
6.Now, your single
"Four Walls" off your debut album "Stitches in the Flag" is
being released on the 11th of March. How would you sum it up in under 10 words?
Bill: Four. Walls.
Jake: Shanty.
Bill: Ballsy.
Jack: Rollicking.
Jake: Bollocking.
Bill: Melodic.
Jack: Jubilant.
Jake: Triumphant.
Bill: Fun.
7. Your music videos seem
very genuine as you seem very close in the videos , focusing more on the
content than any visual theatrics. Would you say this is an accurate reflection
of your songs and your attitude as a band on how you make your music?
Jack: I think it's a more accurate representation of our
bank balance but it does help and it works for our music.
Jake: The thing with the video is that it was a
very low concept; the song's called Four Walls and we were in a tiny
room which reflects the claustrophobia of that because we all do live
in each other's pockets.
Bill: That's the deeper look at it. It was a big metaphor
for our relationship.
Jake: We edited out the kiss at the end as well you see.
Bill: Yeah, the four way kiss! If it works, then you
don't need to spend loads of money on the video. I think it's got a good
power to it and it represents the song; " All we need is all we got"
kind of thing. Us.
8. A couple of days ago you guys announced you're playing at Download. That must feel pretty awesome!
Bill: But there's still a sore point as we're not playing
on the same day as Rammenstein. That's the only band I would like to see out of
all of them.
Jack: Or Slipknot instead. I can't remember who else there was. You see,
the best thing about Sunday is that you've got Rammenstein and Limp Bizkit.
Jake: I think it's going to be really really fun. I think
we're one of those bands that's just on the border of between like indie pop or
punkier stuff so whatever festival we play, it's like we're generally the out
band but this one is going to be really fun because everyone else playing at
that festival will use at least one distorted guitar.
Jack: I think we're the band they book, you know like
Daphne And Celeste at Reading one year, just to throw piss at.
Bill: Gogol Bordello
are playing the same day as us.
Jack: Yeah, and they had bands like Flogging Molly on the
main stage last year. I think there is a good crossover point and I've heard it's a
friendly festival.
9. Lastly, a message to your
fans! You can say anything you want.
Jake: Wow, that's a lot of pressure... FUCK YEAH! LET'S
PARTY!
Jack: Thank you so much for your continued support. I
think that sounded quite political, didn't it?
Bill: This is a political broadcast by Jack Speckleton.
Jack: Under my bed, or near and around my bed there are a
couple of hundred t-shirts; someone buy one so I don't have to sleep on the
band's merch anymore.
Jake: No, that's terrible! If you do one thing this week,
watch the video for "Four Walls" because it's awesome.
Jack: And pretend you're in the video.
Nandos; yay or nay?
Jack and Bill: Nay.
Jake: We were talking about this just today actually.
I've never been to Nandos.
Bill: I've been once and I'll never go again. You know,
you go and serve yourself and you think you're going to have a chicken or
something and it comes out and it's like a pigeon dipped in peanut butter. You
get all these sauces that taste the same and it all costs a lot; it costs too
much.
Jake: I'm still open minded.
Bill: Jake, you would hate it.
Jack: You didn't like paying five quid for the chicken
donner the other night, let alone you paying sixteen quid for this.
Bill: Chicken donner?
Jack: Yeah, we had a chicken donner kebab.
Bill: Is there a thing as chicken donner?
Jack: Whatever it's called.
Bill: Lamb doner.
Jack: Chicken...
Bill: Shish?
Jack: It just wasn't really chicken...
Jake: I think that's an overwhelming Nandos nightmare
actually.
If you had a superhero
power, what would it be?
Jake: I don't think Jack should be allowed a superhero
power; he'd take it too responsibly.
Jack: Yeah, I would be a super bad person.
Bill: I don't know.
Jack: I'd like the power to turn the lights off. Just so
I can really annoy people.
Bill: I'd have Bernard's watch.
Jake: The power to unlock any car would be quite fun.
Bill: Just get a breadknife, slide it down.
Jack: You've got to pick a better one than that.
Jake: I could have the power to click my fingers and Jack
would be naked wherever he is. Walking down Oxford street. *click*
Bill: That would probably be Jack's superpower as well!
What's your favourite word?
Bill: Ooh. Is that a word?
(Cue emphatic oohs)
Jack: I like plinth. I remember my English teacher told
me it was his favourite word; he was a doctor.
Jake: So you just decided to copy him!
Bill: That is a nice word. Mine is probably kaput.
Jake: Like something onomatopoeic?
Bill: Maybe kaput is something onomatopoeic.
Jake: Mine's pizza. It's a good word. I like how the two "z"s
make a "tsz" sound.
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