Tell me a bit about yourselves, what have you been up to over the past 12 months?
So right now it's night 4 with Bombay Bicycle Club. This is the first proper tour that we've done, first proper tour of this year, 2024, and it's kind of the only support tour that we've done in the past 12 months as of yet. We've been away for a while, writing and recording, old school style. Just kind of locking ourselves away and making new music and having a bit of a hibernation in a good way. We've come back and this is our first proper thing back supporting our childhood favourite band so it's not a bad way to return. So for the past 12 months we've just been mostly writing and recording and perfecting what the KAWALA sound is. In a room about this big. In a room, for the people listening right now, we're basically in a cupboard. But you know, we're on the road with Bombay Bicycle Club, we're trying a lot of the new material. I'm glad we've took the time off the past 12 months because I think the way it sounds now, KAWALA 2.0 is probably the best we've ever sounded.
Where did the band's name come from and how did you form?
So the name, it's obviously a play on the animal name, origins are that Jim is dyslexic. I saw him once, it was the day before our first ever gig or even the day of, we didn't have a name and I saw that Jim had for some reason written down the word KAWALA. It made me laugh immediately and I said that is going to have to do. Then he went 'Ah I love that, what about KAWALA but spelt wrong' and I remember I went to him 'What do you mean spelt wrong?' and that is when something special was formed. Yeah we're all just mates, we grew up in North London and we were in the same friendship group. We didn't even realise that we both did music and then we were like let's give this a go. Then the band was formed, our electric guitarist is a brother's mate and Ben, our drummer, is a very old friend of mine from school. We're just pals hanging out which is really nice.
So your most recent single 'American Adrenaline', what is it about and has the writing process changed compared to your first few tunes?
I think it has changed, I think first and for most we have got a lot better at writing songs. Lots and lots of practice. Who would've thought practice makes perfect. Oh perfect is strong. Practice makes better I think is the saying. I think in the past we've always been slightly anxious about being too upfront about what we're trying to say in our songs, almost as if we're embarrassed to be honest. But with the new material, we've defiantly dropped our egos in a sense and are able to talk about personal experiences and personal beliefs far more openly. I feel like the new song, we wanted to write a kind of a loosely anti-capitalist protest song but in form of a big shiny pop song. It's the popiest we've ever gone but it's also the most political we've ever been. It's kind about this falseness of this thing that we're chasing which is the fancy dream land that just doesn't exist and forced down our throats basically. Like the American dream so we've presented that in a way that if you were American you would go 'this is a tune' but wouldn't realise it's a big more targeted.
Do you guys have any pre-gig rituals?
Do you know what, we're not that young anymore so we use to have a lot, now it's just we get a bit funky and a bit weird and dance about a bit. I mean I think when it's our shows and you're really feeling the pressure there's a lot more getting in the zone. Our electric guitarist, he loves funk and when we go on tour before we get on stage he just whams on his funk playlist. It's gets all the energy out and gets us ready to go. It's kind of weird, I remember being younger and going on stage was terrifying in equal parts that it was unbelievable and amazing and the best feeling ever. It's just the nerves disappear away as you get a bit more kind of use to it which is really lovely. It's great you know. First show back a few days ago was still nerve wracking but yeah we kind of just relax before. Everybody gets nervous on their first day of the job. And also what we're forgetting because we haven't toured in a while, how tricky it is to eat. Not even just eat well, just finding time to eat, it's so difficult. It's like you're out and usually you're driving somewhere when you're meant to be having lunch, then you get there, then you soundcheck, then you're on when dinner time is. We've had so many dinners at 4pm this week.
What's next for you as a band?
Busy. We've been away for a long time so it's just getting back in the swing of things. We've got out own UK/Ireland/European run that we're doing on a support tour that we're doing with a band called Giant Rooks in Europe. they're like monstrous in Europe so that's just crazy shows. Then just dropping lots more music throughout the year and festivals. We've been hiding for a long time so it's nice to know what we've got in the bank. We're proud of.
By - Katie Graham
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