Interviews:Toy Mountains

In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the Post-Hardcore  band Toy Mountains, from UK. Check out this band and give them a like on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

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

It's hard to remember now, but I think the inspiration for our band name just stems from seeing the Scottish landscape from a distance and feeling small at the grandiosity of our surroundings. We're lucky enough to be from a beautiful area of the world. Plus, like all other 3 syllable band names, I think 'Toy Mountains' just rolls off the tongue with ease.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

I don't think there was ever a defining moment for us where we were like "I want to start a _____ band" - much like everything else I think we're ultimately a sum of all of our parts. When we started Toy Mountains, it was because all of us were in different bands and relatively disillusioned with what we were doing at the time. This band has always been an outlet for us to do what we like without any restrictions - and that was the real attraction. I guess what we sound like now has just developed naturally through the process of writing together over time.

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

To different extents we did, yeah. Grant and I are friends from high school, and I met Greg and was in a band with him whilst at university. Matt was a friend of Grant's he met through other mutual friends who played in another great band from Glasgow at the time. But ultimately, the first time we were all in the same room together was the first Toy Mountains jam session.

4. Each band member favourite band?

We're all into roughly the same music but we do have personal favourites. Matt's would be Pianos Become The Teeth or Touche Amore, Greg's would be Title Fight or Deftones, Grant's would be Architects or Crooks, personally I'd go for Reuben and Blakfish, but we're lucky enough to be in the situation where we barely ever disagree about what records we think are great.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Just our every day experiences in our lives really, we can only write about what we know. It may not be the most interesting or important current events, but at least it's honest. Songwriting is a hugely personal thing for us.

Most of our upcoming EP is basically written about the highs and lows of being in an independent touring band, and the strain it leaves on your financial security, life ambitions and relationships with others.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last show was in the Tooth & Claw in Inverness, but by the time this is published chances are that will have changed. We leave for an 8 day tour with I Cried Wolf this weekend which we couldn't be more stoked about, and have a launch tour for the EP around the end of November.

7. Where would you like to act?

There's loads of venues in our home city that are real cultural institutions I think we'd have been honoured to play at any stage, like The Arches (R.I.P) or the Barrowlands or somewhere massive like that, but you know what I'd absolutely jump at the chance to do? A Toy Mountains set at a flat or a house party. I'm thinking something akin to The Chariot's tour video from Perth, Australia in 2011. That would be dope.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

There are too many talented bands on the UK independent touring circuit to even begin listing. In the coming months we get to play with I Cried Wolf, The Colour Line, Body Hound, Vasa, all of whom are super talented, hard-working bands. On a personal level, playing with our boys Donnie Willow is always just the best. If we were aiming for the stars I guess I'd like to say Deftones or Thrice or Glassjaw or someone like that. Real stalwarts of alternative music who have had a lasting impact on us and are still killing it to this day.

9. Whom not?

Definitely a more difficult question to answer. I'm going to say Lionel Ritchie. And that's not because he isn't good (He's dope. Dancing on the Ceiling is one of the best pop songs ever written.) but more because we wouldn't fit the bill very well. I doubt our merch would be flying off the rails opening at his shows.

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

When were younger more so than now. Toy Mountains is our current thing, but individually we've played in different bands over the years. I guess performing live is just like everything else, the more you put it into practice, the more natural it becomes to you.

11. What band´s have you inspired the most?

Ugh, that's such a difficult question. We've been inspired by so many bands this year. Touche Amore, Balance & Composure, Moose Blood, Thrice, Black Foxxes - all of whom have released amazing records that just blew us away. I think for this one we'll choose something a bit more personal.

The first tour we did with this band was a 4-day weekender around Scotland with a band from Crawley called Press to Meco. Greg and I had played with them before and we knew they were an amazing band, but the first time we saw them, they played in the bar at our university union to us, the sound guy and maybe like 3 other people? That was in 2011.

The last tour they did when they came to Scotland they sold out The Old Hairdressers and it was just an amazing thing to see a band who had worked so hard finally get back for the years of graft they'd put in. Not only that, but so many people in the crowd were people from bands in our scene who they'd made friends with over the years of touring relentlessly. It was amazing to see people from our music scene turn out in numbers for a band who had worked so hard for so long. That was inspirational.

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

I don't think a fan has ever asked us for anything particularly unusual. Someone told us after a show in 2014 that we could only crash at their flat if we had drugs. A dude at a show in Worcester told us the "5 rules of double fisting club" some of which included tying your shoelaces together, and wearing your socks over your shoes. We've met some interesting characters on the road, but I couldn't say for sure if they were fans of our music to be honest.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We are totally humbled by anybody who takes an interest in what we do, whether that's turning up to shows on the regular, parting with their money for our merch, sharing our music with their friends and families, it's just amazing. We played our first sold out show at King Tut's in Glasgow in January of this year and that was an incredibly humbling experience. It's true that we write music based on our own experiences and it's quite inwardly focused - but it's other people's interest that makes it worth continuing to do. Thank you so much if this is you.

14. Something to add?

Our new EP "I Swore I'd Never Speak of This Again" is available via Crooked Noise Records on November 25th. If you pick up a copy we'd very deeply appreciate it!