London punk has a new voice, a fierce, no-nonsense barrage delivered by Pretty Pistol and their new EP Welcome to the Dead Club – out on 13th April via SaySomething Records.
Recorded with John Mitchell (Architects, Enter Shikari, You Me At Six), Dead Club is a release drawing on the finest traditions of riot grrrl and garage punk. A short sharp shock to the system, led by lead track ‘Cry Wolf’, a one-take hit and a sub-two-minute statement of intent.
Sitting somewhere between Be Your Own Pet, Milk Teeth, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, Pretty Pistol are made up of Laura Le Rox’s vicious vocal attack, and backed by Emma Waller (drums), Billy Larsen (guitar), Rich Cooper (bass). Having recently supported punk legends Penetration, Crazytown, the band are due to undertake an EP release tour in April. Check out Drive Me To The Dogs below!
We managed to catch up with the band as they talked about their upcoming EP and more!
So how pumped are you for the release of Welcome to the Dead Club?
We’re beyond pumped! We really feel like this is the best representation of what we’re about that we’ve captured so far, and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it. And we mean everyone – you, your nan, your nan’s dog. We wanna blow every single one of those eardrums. Maybe not the dog’s.
Can you tell us something about the EP no one else knows?
We had full orchestral backing for one of the songs but the string section got into a massive brawl with the woodwinds, so we had to scrap it. It was pretty ugly. Surprised it wasn’t in the papers, to be honest.
What is your favourite track from the EP?
God, that’s an impossible question. ‘Hurricane’ is a real favourite right now, and we think it’s gonna surprise a lot of people when they hear it. It has ideas that we’ve not really experimented with before, but we think we’re the kind of band that can do anything, so hopefully we’re not wrong.
How have the guys at SaySomething Records been helpful with this release?
In terms of making music and playing live, we’re a pretty good band. In terms of actually getting our act together and sorting shit out, we’re a terrible band. We shouldn’t have even made it this far. By rights we should be dead in a ditch somewhere by now.
Seriously though, we couldn’t have done this without the guys at SaySomething. Not only were they really important in the actual mechanics of getting a record made, they gave really great, creative advice on the direction of the songs, so we’re forever thankful for that.
If you could work with any band or artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
If Courtney Love wants to come and do guest vocals on a track, we will start rolling out the red carpet right now. Half the band met at a Hole show, so we would literally not exist if it wasn’t for her. Whaddya say, Courtney? It’s the least we can do.
Will you be touring or any festivals lined up in 2018?
We’ll be heading out on tour soon, hitting up a few places outside London, if only to get some non-toxic air in our lungs. Hopefully you’ll see us popping up on a few festival bills. If not, you’ll see us passed out in a tent at a few of them anyway.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
We’re all keen gardeners and have a band allotment. It’s spring now so we’re just starting to see the first green shoots coming through, so it’s pretty exciting times at Pretty Pistol HQ.
What inspired you to get into music in the first place?
We all had different reasons, but one shared reason was that we just felt like we had to. We’re not gonna get all wanky and say that it’s our ‘calling’ or whatever, but there’s something inside all of us that makes us need to pick up a guitar or a mic or a drum stick and just tear it up.