Music Features

Bromheads Jacket

Bromheads are ready to roll in St Albans!

Often talked about in the same breath as their fellow Sheffield band The Arctic Monkeys, what many people don't know is that one of their number, Jono, is originally from St Albans!

So, it may be for that reason that they are playing The Horn in the city as a warm up to their festival appearances in Reading and Leeds over the August Bank Holiday. Or it may be because of a certain late night snack!

Bromheads Jacket

Writing punk rock songs about everyday life's highs and lows, the Bromheads are said to write genuinely humorous stuff, where everything's a target! They've even written about the aforementioned fast food!

Lead singer and songwriter Tim reveals all, including the most bizarre story I have ever heard about where the band got their name from and why coming to St Albans is a very special treat!

How would YOU describe your style of music?

Tim: Punk rock. loud and not quite as heavy as we wish we could be.

You write songs about ordinary everyday life, is anything or anyone a target?

Tim: Yes so watch out.

What would you say are your musical influences?

Tim: Ross Orton, I monster, Nirvana, Jonny Cash, the Mevins, MC5, the Sex Pistols, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin Rage Against the Machine, The Kinks, Captain Beefheart, Steve Albini, Scratch Acid, The Small Faces, The Who, The Clash, The Stooges, Wire and PJ Harvey in no particular order.

How did the band form?

Tim: At uni about 4 years ago at bingo club.

Where did the band name come from?

Tim: We once had a conversation with a guy selling the Big Issue about where he got his jacket from.

He told us a long story about when he first started out living on the streets he had nothing and it was the middle of December one night when he was so cold he thought he was going to die.

Finally he drifted off to sleep in a cardboard box. He had a dream that this guy came to him in a desert and offered him the jacket which he said had been passed to a guy called Bromhead in a dream he once had.

When he woke up from the dream he was wearing the jacket which saved his life and kept the guy warm all winter. He's hoping he gets to go in someone else's dream to give it to them but I think he might have been on drugs.

Anyway we liked the story so we stole the name.

What is it about Sheffield that is making people say that it seems to be the new hotbed for music?

Bromheads Jacket

Tim: People say a lot of stuff about Sheffield. I'd say about 90 per cent of it is bollox. I reckon there are cities all over the world that are producing as good a music as 'some bands' are here, it's just we haven't had a chance to hear it. Sheffield has a long musical history which has enabled people that live there to be inspired by bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, and Human League, not to mention all the bands the most people have never heard of. I don't know that much about that though cause I've only been here five years so I'm still learning.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

Tim: Most of that stuff above.

Of all the songs you have written, what's your current favourite and why?

Tim: The new stuff is always the most exciting. I won't say what they are cause it's a surprise.

What's your most memorable gig and why?

Tim: The Paradiso in Rotterdam. Blood and smashed guitars all in one night. What more could you ask for?

What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever done / sent to you?

Tim: Our fans aren't weird, and no they haven't done anything weird to us.

What's the worst thing about the music industry today?

Tim: You may regret asking me that question.

There isn't a worst thing it's everything about it. Taking away people's natural creative ability, using it to try and make millions of pounds and at the same time killing it. Taking away a person's rights to write and release their own material because they don't think it's going to make them millions of pounds or sell lots of records. Signing a band and then encouraging them to spend all their advance on 10 grand videos and 50 grand albums when (a.) it's not necessary and (b.) to keep their mates in a job.

Forcing bands to work with producers they don't want to just so they can create a 'radio friendly sound'. Generally signing bands based on the fact that they can exploit them rather than because they are talented. Signing bands because they have a mainstream 'radio friendly' sound when actually they are boring and shit. Convincing the general public that a band are great/ the next big thing when actually they a pile of shit.

Forcing lots of shit music onto the general public in the hope that it might stick. Using ridiculous amounts of money and influence to get bands in people's faces as much as possible so that eventually again the shit sticks. Putting new bands on tour supports with massive acts racking up huge costs for the band members so they end up in debt as well as the videos and the recording. Not letting bands grow and develop naturally building up its own fan base in an organic way.

I suppose the worst part is when old fat guys in suits think they know what a good band is, and think they know what young people are into and what they care about. There are 'some' people however in the industry who are not like this. However I don't think many of them work at major record labels. By the way marquis cha cha are a sound bunch and don't fall in to this category.

What do you consider to be your big break?

Tim: I don't know. Have we had one? Maybe it's this interview? What is a big break?

I'm not sure I belive in them if it's what I think it is. We have grown from playing to 30 people driving around in a Ford Mondeo and it has grown from there over the past year. If it continues to grow then that's cool but I don't think you get on Top of the Pops overnight, not that we ever could now of course.

Name one unusual fact about each of you.

Tim: I'm loud. Dan's quiet and Jono is somewhere in between.

If you could record a collaboration with ANYONE - who would it be and why?

Tim: Kurt Cobain or Jon Bonham, Iggy Pop or maybe Jack White. Because they are all very nice people.

What's the band's ultimate ambition and what's your biggest fear?

Tim: Our ambition is to be able to live off our most favourite thing which is making music. We have already achieved that so now we hope it will last forever. Our biggest fear is the dark.

I can't believe that you wrote a song about my favourite late night snack (the B-side of ‘Lions On The Prowl’!) How pleased are you that The Horn is across the road from the chicken roll place in St Albans? Are they really the best?

Tim: Very. I have it on local knowledge that they are the best. We'll be in there after for definite. It's religion when we go back to St Albans. Thank god it's Jono's home town otherwise we would never know what a chicken roll is.

Do you have any dressing room diva type demands?

Tim: Cashew nuts and German beer. We don't get it, we ain't playing.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?!

Tim: Not really, I think I spoke enough. Thanks for your time.