Cigarette Social Club are an indie four-piece from Birmingham. In their brief time together, they have proved themselves to be a noteworthy band on the scene, with 4 energetic and catchy singles. Guitarist and Co-Songwriter Lukas Doughty joined me for an interview only days after the release of their latest single Tell Me How.
You have just released the single Tell Me How. What is the story behind the song?
“I wrote the demo myself… usually what happens with my songs is I’ll write the music and Harry (Harry Bott, Lead singer) will write the words for it. The lyrics are based around what was happening to us at the time… growing up, relationships etc. One of the lines was written by Harry in the studio when we were really pissing each other off. The way Harry writes is he never really knows what he’s writing until he has written it and then he can look back at it.”
Were you nervous about the fans reactions to the song?
“Yes and no. We’ve got a very supportive fan base. I was nervous that after all that time, effort and money, it wouldn’t do as well as we hoped. But it’s doing quite well at the moment… nearly at 1000 streams. So I’m very happy with the way it’s going at the moment.”
What did you differently on this single?
“The main thing is that we went out to a studio in London and recorded three songs with proper equipment. Tell Me How was one of them. It cost a lot of money but we wanted them to sound as good as it sounded in our heads. We are just trying to take it to the next level and make it a little more professional”
How would you describe the bands style?
“We pull inspiration from all sorts of places… my music taste is very eclectic. Tell Me How was trying to take modern rock in a new direction whilst keeping the same familiar roots.”
Despite your brief time as a band, you have attracted a decent following. Why do you think that is?
“We put a lot of effort into gigging when we first came onto the scene. We really want our music to stand out and we have the most supportive friends and family. I think it’s a combination of hard work and trying to make sure that, that the music sounds as good as it can. I think we have tunes that people can relate to and listen to quite easily. We don’t take it too seriously… we just try to connect with the audience.”
What separates you from the other indie bands on the scene?
“We take inspiration from so many different areas. We take things from so many different areas but combine them to make something you could hear on the radio. I also think Harry’s song writing style is quite unique as well.”
My favourite song of yours is Loop 96. Are there any artists who influenced that sound?
“In terms of the guitar tones I was using, Mac DeMarco was a big influence as he uses a lot of chorus and a lot of other spacey guitar effects. I have a little loop pedal where you can save a lot of sounds and that one was saved as Loop 96. Lyrically, it was certainly inspired by lockdown. Everyone was stuck inside and we just wanted to do something that might lift spirits up.”
How has Covid-19 affected the band?
“I think 2020 was going to be a really good year for us actually. We were just starting to get loads of gig offers and opportunities and obviously all that has stopped. At the same time, we have kept together through it and we are still here doing our stuff. We went a bit quite for the first few months of lockdown as nobody was really sure what it meant for us.”
Are there any particular artists from Birmingham you would like to shout out?
“The Novus, they are good friends of ours. Tom from The Novus managed us for a bit and helped us out a lot at the start. The VCR are great. I haven’t heard too much of his stuff but The New Consistent is doing some really interesting stuff as well.”
Who are the bands main influences?
“Harry would say Cage the Elephant. I wouldn’t class them as a main influence but I think every indie band is somewhat influenced by Arctic Monkeys. I like a lot of indie pop… I think Tame Impala is a big one for me. Kevin Parker is one of the most talented songwriters of our generation.”
What is your best song?
“I would say Tell Me How. We really went for it on that one. We had never been to a proper studio and I think it really paid off. The unreleased ones are also some of my favourites.”
Your songs have progressively been getting slower. Is there a reason for that?
“I think as we develop as songwriters, we get better at creating an atmosphere. Rather than just pumping out some chords, we have got better at writing things that sound bigger and deeper.”
When can we expect to hear new music from you?
“We have another song out in roughly two weeks and then another one out two weeks after that. We don’t have an exact date yet however it should be soon.”
Interview by Aidan McGuire. Special Thanks to Carlo Solazzo from Birmingham Promoters for making this possible x
Cigarette Social Club
Aidan McGuire
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