We are positively spoiling you here at Cultured Vultures. If we’re not introducing you to your knew favourite bands via features like PULSE, we’re then getting you to know these new favourite bands of yours with features like ONES TO WATCH. We have a good chinwag, so you get to know the skinny and fall further in love.
Right here, we’ve got Bloody Knees for you to get know a little better. If you missed their recent inclusion in Pulse, Bloody Knees are a four piece coming at you from Cambridge with cuts of scuzz, punk, grunge, skater, and some old-school emo sensibilities, currently riding high on the release of their latest EP, Stitches. As ever though, you’ve already heard me drivel on long enough, let’s let the band say it their way – in this case the band’s resident bass rumbler, and bloody nice chap, Sam Conway.
Right then, firstly, hello and how the hell are you?
Yeah really good thanks! Been in bed all day watching Gossip Girl and celebrating my face being in the NME.
To catch any newcomers up to speed, how would you describe the sights and sounds of Bloody Knees?
4 kids having a really good time together whilst playing grungey punk? I’d like to think that anyway! People always say that we look genuinely happy to be on stage so fuck it, let’s just say I got it spot on. Describing your sound is always so hard, every single blog/magazine calls it something different and make up their own genre for whatever reason. I say just listen!
How’d you guys all get together in the first place? Mutual influences?
We all grew up together! Me (bass legend Conway) and Bradley went to primary school together and met Christian at secondary school. He didn’t want to be friends with us for ages but after a solid few months of following him around he agreed to start hanging out with us. When we were 14 we created our first ever band “5 Minute Phase” which rocked. We have known Tom for as long as Christian due to them being brothers.
This summer you released your newest EP, Stitches, how have you found the reaction to it so far? An action packed summer off the back of it?
Ahh it’s been so good! We had been sitting on the tunes for months so it felt like a huge relief more than anything to get it out. We were lucky enough to be able to work Dog Knights productions who helped make the record look amazing and yeah the reaction has been overwhelming. Â The summer has been good to us! We’ve been playing and partying a lot! I’m sad it’s over.
Outside of the band, and the music, what are your other big passions? How else do Bloody Knees like to get their knees bloody?
I mean apart from skateboarding there’s not much really! Bradley goes out on his motorbike a lot! Guess there’s a chance he could hurt his knee if he fell off! We do other stuff though. Tom helps out at school and teaches kids to play drums. Christian works at a day centre for disabled adults and I spend my time selling shoes and earning money so that I can get smashed up at the weekend.
What’s the big ambition for the band, or is it more about just enjoying the ride?
Yeah I mean, speaking for myself the dream has always been being able to go to any city in the world and have kids sing along and going crazy to your songs. Who wouldn’t want that?
Where can our keen readers catch you live at the moment?
We start our tour with Honeyblood on 16th of September going up and down the country which we are all massively buzzin about. There are a few London shows which are still yet to be announced and one more tour in November which again we can’t announce but is something that we are very excited for.
Aside from yourselves, who else should our readers be checking out right now?
All the Brighton massive, The Magic Gang, Birdskulls, Abattoir Blues, then a few more legends being, Nai Harvest and Crows.
Gun to your head, what’s been your band highlight so far?
Reading Festival this year. Not the biggest of stages but we pulled one of the best crowds of the day (on that stage and excluding little Jake Bugg’s acoustic set) Not only were a lot of our mates there, but there seemed to be a strong amount of people who were there to see us which felt amazing.
And the most important question of all, if you had a particularly cultured pet vulture, what would you call it?
Mark Watson.
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