Just before their sell out headline gig at Gullivers in Manchester's Northern Quarter on Saturday 11th January 2020, I got to interview Tinfoils in the green room. You can check out the gig review here.
I'm delighted to say that this was their first ever interview as a band (other than radio). The interview itself was chaos with the other bands coming and going, beers and buck fast were flowing/flying. We started off talking about the gig and the fact they'd sold out the venue.
Alex: This gig has got a lot of attraction! It's like sold out!
George: The most we've sold for a gig before is about 30.
Why did you drop the The from your name?
George: I wanted to... I was battling these for well over a year. I thought Tinfoils was better.
Will: I agree with it now - it sounds really great.
What do you guys do outside of the band?
George: I'm a secondary school teacher. I teach English.
Will: I work in recruitment screening.
Alex: Not a lot - I play the drums outside the band as well. I do all our social media and get all our gigs and stuff.
Debbie: So you're drummer/manager?
Band: Laughs
Alex: I'm not going to call myself that.
Where does the name Tinfoils come from?
Will: When I met these two they had the name.
George: I just was watching X-Files and there was thing with the Four Horsemen and this thing about the tinfoil hats. I thought that it would be cool to have a name as The Tinfoils. So I got all the names on social media before I discussed it with anyone.
The punk bands I've chatted to about how the current state of world affairs is a real melting pot for the punk movement. Other than The Hives I didn't really listen to that much punk music and yet since I've moved to Manchester I've found I'm listening to more and more. More and more bands are coming to the fore - As a band who's in the movement, why do you think that is?
George: it's not a massively popular genre. As I work in a school most of the kids listen to American or London stuff. Even though there's loads of northern bands, most of them don't listen to them.
Will: The time is right for it. There's a lot of anger in the world and a lot of angry people, there's a lot of people wanting to say something about that as well. There's a few people out there who want to shout about it and that's good!
George: That's kind of what we do, but it's not just about that...
Debbie: I think you guys give us a release. We forget everything that's going on... for just a few hours. When I saw you guys support The Sheafs, I couldn't believe it. I saw so many Tinfoils t-shirts as well.. way more than any other bands. It was a brilliant gig! Manalishi were sic!
George: We met them about as year ago do you remember?
Will: Yeah we got chatting to them outside the back of the George.
George: They offered us a gig when I worked at Whetherspoons, the only way I could do it is get 'Spoons to agree to give me an extended lunch break. So I worked about 4 hours, got changed went to Night & Day Cafe played the gig and then went straight back and then closed the kitchen.
Is there any influences who you haven't listed on Facebook?
George: We were saying the other day that because we kept getting compared to Arctic Monkeys when we first came out we said we didn't listen to them.. but anyone our age wasn't not influenced by the Arctic Monkeys.
Alex: I think they're a big influence.
George: It was the Fall, then Idols and then it'll be someone else.....
Debbie: Isn't it amazing how music is getting much darker. Even mainstream bands are making darker music.
George: It's just Tories Ain't it? Everyone's Sad and Poor!
Debbie: That's a great title for the interview!
Who's on your playlists at the moment?
Chvpa Cabra are really good; Pleasures; Blanketman; Calva Louise; Red Stains; The Battery Farm; Witchfever; Fontaines DC.
What was your favourite gigs last year? Saw and played?
Will: King Gizzard at Victoria Warehouse they were amazing.
Alex: Me and George saw The Blinders for the intimate gig at 33 Oldham Street. I think my favourite was The Chemical Brothers at the arena amazing!
George: I think I saw Idles last year. I can't remember..
All band: Peer hat was the best gig we played. It was so loud and the place was sold out.
Whats next for you guys?
Alex: We need to release more music. It's a long time since we released our last single and we've got so much material to release. As soon as possible that's our number one priority.
Will: We're also looking to play more gigs and festivals. We only played one festival last year. We want to play more gigs outside Manchester.
George: We've played Glasgow, we'd like to do more of Scotland.
Alex: Leeds too.
Who was the musician you first looked at and said to yourself that's what I want to do?
George: Pete Docherty
Will: John Paul Jones
Alex: Neil Peart
So I ask every band this question as a final question. I'm going to give you a tenner and you can buy any current album in any format or two classics, what do you buy?
George: Family, Music in a Dolls House and Theoretical Girls (self titled album)
Will: The Orielles Silver Dollar Moment
Alex: Muse Black Holes & Revelations and Gorillaz Plastic Beach
Debbie: Poppy has released a new album I Disagree - it's amazing!
My thanks to Alex, George and Will for being so generous and agreeing to do this interview. Do yourself a favour and go stream the lads on Spotify. You can find the band on Facebook, Twitter, Instgram and YouTube.
As a treat here's a video from the gig t Night & Day Cafe when I first saw Tinfoils supporting Sheafs.