Interviews: Gaffa Tape Sandy

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Garage Rock/Punk Rock band Gaffa Tape Sandy from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, was it planned and has a meaning, or did it just come out like that?

Like mostly everything to do with our band, it was totally unplanned. If you say "gaffa tape is handy" out loud, it kinda sounds like "gaffa tape sandy". We discovered that on our first band rehearsal and ran with it. Also, it kinda suits the ethics of our band as we hold most of our equipment together with gaffa tape. We love to be as DIY as possible and somehow now our band name feels like it fits with that.

2. Why did you want to play this genre of music?

We all grew up listening to indie/garage rock, and I think we all gravitate towards it because it can be a really emotionally expressive type of music. We love merging hooky sweet melodies with crunchy guitars... 

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

We did, but not half as well as we know each other now. We all met at a music college and we were making music in bands that didn't quite fit our desired musical directions. We formed when we realized that we all wanted to make something a little louder and rawer. We've since all become the closest friends and treasure each other dearly. The band really survives because of our close friendship, it's such an amazing bonus to being in a band.

4. Who is each band member's favorite band?

Robin: Swans!

Kim: Talking Head!

Catherine: PUP!

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Kim: I often find inspiration for songs in random patches of conversation. Sometimes someone will say something that sounds musical to me, and when I hear those musical words I try and pluck them out and write them down somewhere. A lot of Gaffa Tape Sandy songs have sparked from those small expressions. Another source of inspiration for me comes from films. I find that if a film has a really strong atmosphere, I can often write lyrics based on the imagery and mood of that film!

6. Where was your last gig? How did it go?

Our last gig was Latitude Festival (UK) on the Alcove Stage. We headlined the Saturday night of the festival and the reception was amazing. We're so grateful to Latitude festival for continuing to bring us back to play and grow with them.

7. Where would you like to perform the most?

This also includes going back in time to when it was open... But, CBGBs in New York!!

8. Whom would you like to feature with on a track?

Mark Holley from the band Black Foxxes. He is an amazing musician who played with us at a show this year. His songwriting is so inspiring to us, and he's such a close friend of the band. We'd love to have him on record with us!

9. Whom not?

Thom Yorke. His voice makes us all too emotional and I don't think we could handle that.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Yes! All of us respectively! But thankfully, not to the degree that we've encountered any real problems. Robin... Brought up some of his lunch before playing Glastonbury, Kim quite often has mini-freakouts in the green room, and Catherine burps a lot, but never anything too serious.

11. What band careers have inspired you the most?

Bands of the 80s/90s that adopted the DIY ethic have been really influential in choosing how we want to run our band. Bands like Fugazi managed to maintain a DIY approach throughout their whole career. We love the idea of being a self-sufficient agency.

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

Our fans are pretty timid and gentle, we've found. Normally they're very polite and cordial when we meet them!! No super weird requests so far; but we're open to them! If you have anything weird you wanna ask us, go for it.

13. What would you like to say to your fans?

Keep on rocking in the free world.

14. What do you think of our site? 

IT HAS TURNED MY CURSOR INTO DEVIL HORNS. HELL YEAH. 10/10

15. Anything to add?

Thanks for the chat, appreciate ya, love ya, Gaffa Tape Sandy out.