Better Than Never - Interview

In this new occasion we have the great opportunity to interview the Pop Punk band Better Than Never from UK, here we will let you their FACEBOOK PAGE to give them a like and follow them.We have nothing more to say, so enjoy this interview!

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?  

James: Band names are just the worst, I always find you spend months and months just talking various names over with the guys, every time you think you’ve got something, someone decides they don’t dig it that much and then you’re back at square one. But it really just all stemmed from one of the guys turning up late, and someone else saying “Better Than Never”.

Will: Myself and Kane weren’t in the band when they came up with the name but I’m sure if we were we’d have something a lot better.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?  

Jim: I think it’s different for all of us, for example, if you ask James, he’ll tell you it’s because he’s loved Pop Punk for as long as he can remember. I couldn’t imagine him playing anything else. Although some of us (Myself and Kane mostly) are more into the heavier side of stuff, what draws me to playing this genre is just the amount of energy you can throw into it on the stage with your friends.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

James: Some of us did, and some of us didn't, Jim has been my best friend since I moved into the area.  Jim: *looks over at James and nods*

James: We originally started it all up, it was at first just me and him writing. Then over time we met other people, such as Will, and just really hit it off together and found we loved jamming and writing stuff together.

Will: Me and James had been friends for ages due to playing in various bands with and without each other in the local scene. When my old band broke up and James asked if I wanted to come and have a jam with the guys in this band I jumped at the chance and haven’t really looked back.

Jake: Yeah, at first I wasn’t really close with any of the guys in the band, we’d all known each other as we came from the same town, but since we’ve been in the band we’ve grown a lot closer to each other.. ;)

Jim: ….A little too close some would say… ;)

Max: I met the band through an online advert however it turned out that I had previously been in a band with James’ younger brother a couple of years before. Coincidence? I think not. It must be fate. I was the third member in the current line up, however with new members like Will and Kane joining it’s all happened so naturally and feels more like a small family.  Kane: I just saw their faces in a photo, that’s all I knew about them.

4. Each band members favourite band?

James: Such a tough one, I have so many I really dig, and I would struggle to name a favourite, but given how much influence they have given me over the years, I'd probably settle for New Found Glory, or maybe The Wonder Years, guess it would be a tie."

Jake: My all time favourite band has to be Enter Shikari, however in more recent years it would be a tough choice between A Day to Remember, Neck Deep, The Story So Far and A Trust Unclean. Although right now I’m really into Real Friends.

Max: I really dig Knuckle Puck who are comfortably my favorite band, however I love the new(ish) Turnover record and their new sound! Its super mellow but absolutely beautiful to listen to.

Jim: It’s so hard to pinpoint a favourite, but I’d have to say like my top few would be A Day to Remember, Every Time I Die, He is Legend, A Trust Unclean and Within The Ruins.

Will: Seems like we have all ignored the question and answered multiple bands. In that case The Wonder Years, Four Year Strong and at the moment Seaway.

Kane: An almost impossible question to answer, I’m really into metal so I’d say Trivium and Killswitch Engage as these bands really got me into metal, Mastodon are also another band I love listening to, especially the Album “The Hunter”, too many to list really.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?  

James: I just get this urge to sit down and write sometimes, I’ll usually get a riff or vocal melody come into my head, often at a super inconvenient time, like when I’m at work or something, and then try and write it down when I get chance, it’s often just a phrase I like the sound of during conversation or just me going off in my own world.

Max: I find a lot of my guitar parts come from listening to different genres of music and experimenting with new ideas to bring into the stuff we play.

Will: If I can write songs as good as McCartney, I can f**k girls like McCartney.   Jake: For me I find I just get inspired to throw in ideas from other songs I hear, things like gang vocals, beatdowns and gnarly riffs are always things I want to try and put into our stuff.

Jim: The boys never want to use any of my mad riffage, apparently we’re “not deathcore”.

Kane: I’m pretty new so I haven’t had a chance to sit down and write with the boys yet, I’m pumped for when we do though.

6. Where was your last gig?

Max: Wembley Stadium supporting The Beatles, 1972 I think.  James: Obviously Max, the actual last gig we played was a hometown one at the Purple Turtle in Oxford, alongside the lads in Yearbook and Faux. It was such a sick venue because it's all sort of a winding underground cellar filled with comic strips on the walls and even table football, everyone loves table football.

7. Where would you like to act?

James: I mean the dream would be to go to either the EU or even US one day, but I think that's a dream most guys in bands have in the UK. Currently, Birmingham is just like, bustling, the scene is mad good, so many great bands are coming from there and the gigs we've played there have always been proper good.

Jake: Second that, I love the gigs we are playing at the moment, but I would love to go across to Europe, I’ve heard the scene there is crazy and everyone is mad nice there.

Jim: I want to be the first pop punk band to play on the moon.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

James: For me, there would be so many, to name a few I'd say New Found Glory, Four Year Strong, Seaway and The Wonder Years, but just as much as those guys have been a big influence, I'd also say playing with the lads in Landmarks and Coast To Coast would be just as good, those guys are proper good lads.

Jake: For me it would have to be Enter Shikari or A Day to Remember, those lads are just on point and it would make me feel giddy inside to feature alongside them.

Max: Our boys in Coast to Coast. They’re all super talented and have a great sound + they’re radical guys.

Jim: Been getting really into Kuhnewcklea Pook recently so it’d be cool to play with them.

9. Whom not?  

James: "There isn't many people in the world I wouldn't play with, I think it's important to respect anyone's contribution to art, even if it isn't the sort of music you would personally choose to listen to. Unless of course the band just keeps going round spreading purposefully hateful or derogatory opinions, I'm pretty happy to play alongside anyone."

Jim: Donald Trump.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?  

James: I used to find having the people watch you pretty difficult. At the time, a friend of mine suggested instead of looking into the crowd, look to a point just above them on the wall at the back, I found this really help ease me into being able to look at the audience without it bothering me anymore.

Jake: Back in previous bands I used to be pretty scared about performing but everyone in Better Than Never just wants to have a laugh and play a good show so it is a lot easier to get on stage. If you’re enjoying yourself a crowd can really feel it and it makes them want to get involved as well.

Jim: I used to get really nervous but it gets better with time, I find once we start playing it all dissipates and I just get really into the groove of the song.

Max: When I first joined the band playing was something I hadn’t really done before! Initially I used to be so nervous I would hardly move or get really shaky legs; one time I remember I was so nervous and my legs shook so much I actually sprained my ankle. However as time has gone on I’ve become more confident and now I get a nervous excited feeling and can’t wait to get on stage.  Kane: I get stage fright a little, but once first track is done I am fine, plus playing live is a laugh with these guys, which makes things far more relaxed.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?  

James: Writing-wise, I've found that so many bands have inspired me, I think the biggest inspirations I personally find are Four Year Strong and A Day To Remember, because they are two bands for me that really push the boundaries of what defines a Pop Punk band, the uniqueness of their songwriting has always struck a chord with me.

Jake: I’d have to agree with James, for me A Day to Remember pretty much invented a new genre and really inspired me to do what you want to do and not feel you have to follow trends in music.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?  

James: I've never really been asked for something weird to be honest, once a fan gave me a Spongebob Pez dispenser, that was a pretty odd gift, tasted good though.

13. What do you think of your fans?

James: Anyone who supports us we seriously couldn't be more grateful for, we really like to do our best to treat them not as fans, but as family, I've always thought it's way better to build a connection with someone and appreciate what they do in return for their appreciation of your work.

Max: I love connecting with fans whether that’s after a show or on social media. As a fan myself I know how awesome it feels to talk to a band you really dig, so I’d love for others to have that same feeling. I don’t want them to feel like we’re anything special I’d prefer to just be friends with them and not separate ourselves from them.

14. What do you think of our site?  

Kane: We really dig it to be fair, it's got loads of great content and is a great way to stay updated with the industry, any website that supports upcoming bands is a good website in my book.

15. Something to add?  

Our debut EP is coming out next year, 19th of February, so we'd love for anyone interested to have a listen and hear their thoughts on what we've done with it!