Radio Radio from South London won the second Band Of The Week contest with their mixture of modern indie, British punk and old school rock’n roll vibe.
Luke Gordon on drums, Louis Mueller – lead vocals & rhythm guitar, Walker Hill on backing vocals & lead guitar and Jude Ryan-Gray on bass are barely 17, but they already sound badass. Their debut EP “Capulets”, just released in the Autumn 2013, contains five very Brit sounding and sometimes nihilistic songs, put together in an impressively consistent for debut EP mix. My favorites so far? The opening “In cold blood” and “Fine Young Capulet” stand out!
So I chatted with the lead guitarist Walker who revealed some more.
How and when did you start the band?
We started the band in 2012; three of us, bassist Jude Ryan-Gray, singer Louis Mueller and myself, guitarist Walker Hill all knew each other from primary school and our drummer Luke Gordon went to the same school as
Louis Mueller. We had always played a bit of music together and decided to find a drummer, write some songs, and go for it.
If you weren’t called Radio Radio how would you be called and why did you pick this name?
We’re named after the Elvis Costello song of the same name and if we weren’t named Radio Radio we wouldn’t exist.
Who’s the oldest and the youngest in the band (and what age)?
The oldest is Louis who’s already 17 and the rest of us are turning 17 within the next few months.
Is there a real Alice under the name of the song “Weird Alice”?
There might be a real Alice but no one knows exactly aside from me because I wrote it. If there is an Alice, she doesn’t know.
What’s the worst and the best about growing up in London?
The best thing about growing up in London is that you can do pretty much everything you want to do and on the spur of the moment. Legendary places and venues are just round the corner. The worst thing is the weather but it can be alright in the Summer occasionally.
Did you watched the Grammy’s and if you have to choose a single award for Radio Radio to win as a band what it would be?
We didn’t watch the Grammy’s and I don’t think our music really needs to be validated by any awards, as long as we have a strong following who like our music, and we are happy with it, that’s what really matters.
Which bands have been the biggest inspirations for you?
The Libertines and the Arctic Monkeys are two more recent bands that have inspired our music but going back I think The Rolling Stones, Teenage Fanclub, Blur and The Clash have all had their small influences on our music.
We’re not trying to emulate anyone however, creating our own, unique music will always serve us best.
What’s coming next for Radio Radio?
This year we’re gonna gig as much as possible, release some new demos, get as much press as possible, build up our fanbase and drink loads of beer.
More about Radio Radio on their Facebook, SoundCloud pages, as well as on YouTube & Twitter and Instagram @radioradiouk.
