instagram: @thematchboxband
Hailing from Hull, these boys are loud and ready to take the live scene by storm. You can hear catchy and storming riffs in songs in ‘Do You Wanna’ and recent single ‘Red Eyes’, it’s only the beginning but The Matchbox are making a statement of intent already! Was fortunate enough to ask the band a few questions, enjoy!
How did you all guys meet and what music brought you guys together?
I went to the same school as our drummer and guitarist – and knowing of each other I guess it was only a matter of time before we got together and had a go at being in a band I suppose. No one knew a bassist, or at least one that was suited for our tunes. Since getting with our new bassist Adam, things have been so free flowing and creative – we’ve never looked back to say the least!
We actually held such different influences, but in some ways I believe this doesn’t conform us to a genre necessarily – which in our opinion was always something we wanted to achieve. Me and Tom, we’re massively into guitar bands from naughties to present, whilst Cam is big on rock bands such as thin lizzy – this is probably where the huge melodic guitar parts come from in our songs. To take things further, Adam is into chilli peppers, which will be where the jazzy licks like the verse in Strong come from. It’s class.
How have you been finding performing live and recording music so far?
Playing gigs has always been the aim since we got together, it’s what you do it for ultimately. From playing pubs and open mics, to packed out shows with people losing their shit, we’ve loved every second of it. We enjoy going to different venues to play our set – we went to a place in Leeds once called Verve which was mad. It was just this underground venue out of no where, and it was absolutely packed out for our opening slot. You get to meet some great people in other bands, as well as promoters and general music fanatics – we love every second of it!
Being in studios wasn’t always where we wanted to be I don’t think. We were always about sounding massive live. Never the less, you’ve got to sound good on your record or people just won’t listen to your stuff! You’ve got to spend time in studios with producers as you learn so much, and this definitely has pushed us in the right direction in what we want to achieve from our tunes. It’s all so worth it when you speak to people who genuinely like your tunes. When we look at the stats of how many people have our tunes in their playlists, it feels unreal. We’re so grateful!
I hear a bit of The Kooks in your music? Have they been in a influence and who else has been?
It’s funny you say that! The Kooks and Luke Pritchard notably are a massive influence for my songwriting. You can’t necessarily just rip off another songwriter or you’ll get labelled, which is something I’ve been learning a lot recently. I feel like you need to pick and choose. It’s not just about your voice, it’s about lyrics, instrumentals, how you look on stage…there’s so much to think about, but you have to find your own identity. I used to look towards Van Mcann of Catfish and The Bottlemen a lot for my voice. I especially like The Hunna for their guitar and instrumental. Their guitarist Dan can turn a slow love song into a mosh-worthy live tune – and I love the outcome.
Loving the new track Red Eyes! How did that song come about?
Thank you very much! I remember writing Red Eyes on an acoustic guitar in my bedroom. I really wanted to write a song that sounded massive live, like the opener to your set for example. Once I’d come up with the intro riff it was all driven from there really. I had the song wrote in a few minutes I think, and it was quite simple but I didn’t really want anymore than that. It was just about sticking to the basis of what ‘Indie-rock’ guitar bands are all about. We’re not bothered about doing something never seen before that is massively over complicated – we just focus on how it’s going to keep the crowd loving it and wanting more!
Who would you like to tour with in the future (when the world is back to some sort of normality?
It would be class if we were able to play a show with The Kooks one day. That would probably be my life complete hahah! I’ve seen Catfish and The Hunna live, and the crowds are absolutely mad. The Sherlocks too. I’d just love the opportunity to present what we are as a band in front of people who’ve never seen us before and show them what they’re missing. It’s not an arrogant thing, it’s more like wanting to prove people wrong and vent our passion through sound.
British guitar music is rich in legendary bands and artists, who would you say are the biggest for you?
Gotta be the Arctics hasn’t it? They’re absolutely class. To be going for how long they have and still sound massive today is mad. The first two albums are timeless, but I’ve really been into Suck It And See recently. Obviously there’s bands from England such as the Sex Pistols and Oasis that have changed the world with their music, but I’ve gotta go with what’s happened in my lifetime!
Any songs you been thinking of covering while on lockdown?
I wanted to do Someday by The Strokes a while back with the lads but I guess lockdown ruined the chances of that happening! There’s a tune called Sway by The Kooks that I absolutely adore. It’s got melodic guitar work that all builds up to this massive chorus encore at the end. Think I might give that a go.
The Matchbox can be found on all streaming services and on instagram (handle above with picture). Thanks again for answering my questions guys and looking forward to speaking more in the future!