New Order vs U2. 90’s Britpop vs 60’s rock n roll. Motown vs Synth-pop. Add it all together and meet Apollo Junction.
The five-piece indie rock band from Leeds have been working non-stop this past year both in creating new music and working full time jobs outside of the band. Needless to say, their work is paying off, receiving support from the likes of Graham Norton, Steve Lamacq and Chris Hawkins.
Their 500k streams have resulted in them supporting Kaiser Chiefs, playing at the Isle of Wight Festival and expanded their fan base who, like us, just can’t get enough of Apollo Junction. Luckily on the 22nd Janurary 2021, Ben (bass), Matt (guitar), Jonny (drums), Sam (keys) and Jamie (vocals) are treating us to a brand-new indie bopper of a single, ‘On the Ropes’.
Prior to the release, we had a chat with the lads about all things Apollo Junction; including their unusual origin story.
“Funnily, we kind of accidentally started the band.
“We were all mixed across two bands that ended. Ben was in the middle. He was in a band with a couple of us but moved to live in Australia for two years and when he came back a couple of us had written loads of songs but lost another two members.
“At the same time a mate’s band was ending and we all sat down and decided to write some songs but with no aim to be an actual proper band. Then Lamacq played a CD of our first song and we started getting messages…
“We didn’t even have a band name; we hadn’t played live. We were avoiding being a real, proper band. But from the Lamacq play, it started. Funnily enough – the song was called ‘Begin’.”
Their unusual sound has perked the ears or many, wrapping up New Order vs U2 into three-minute song…although there are more musical influences which certain members have managed to sneak into the mix.
“We are meant to be a guitar band, but our keys player is 6 foot 3 so we can’t really tell him to turn the synths down…
“We love a collection of bands – New Order, U2, 90s Britpop, 60s rock and roll and Motown, 80s synth-pop. Add it all together and you find us. Ben is a bit obsessed with Dire Straits – he usually tries to convince us to put a bit of them into as many songs as possible.”
It has given Apollo Junction their own unique sound and style, almost as unique and humorous as the how they came up with their rather unusual band name.
“We got very drunk and decided that the last member standing got to choose the name but by the end of the night, we had forgotten to pick a name, so we just went with the name of the pub we were in (The Junction).
“We got home and watched Rocky. The next morning, one of us had written Apollo Junction down on a piece of paper and stuck it to the wall… We decided to stick with it.”
They have come a long way, from that night and are due to release yet another single which many of us can relate to as ‘On the Ropes’ depicts the difficulties people have faced, especially over the last year.
“So many people we know are going through a hard time and we’ve felt it. Life keeps throwing punches, but we all have to keep moving forwards. No matter how dark it gets – good days will always come. That’s sort of the focus of the song and what we wanted to put across. Keep getting up – Don’t let the bastards and life grind you down and that.”
Nevertheless, it is still frustrating knowing they won’t be able to perform it live and with a huge summer planned, they are desperately hoping live music will be able to re-emerge soon. If all goes well, Apollo Junction will be playing Isle of Wight Festival, Bingley Weekend, Carfest North and South and outdoor dates across the summer with The Kaiser Chiefs as well as Autumn dates, including their biggest headline dates.
From previously empty venues across the whole circuit to winning a radio award against Maroon 5 and The Strokes in France, Apollo Junction are charging forward, and it is unlikely that COVID will stop them bringing out new music – even if they can’t play it live just yet. It is clear that backing down is certainly not an option for these five
“Being a band is the best thing in the world. We have no idea what we would do without it. Whether 5 people listen or 50,000 – we will keep doing what we do. Life is short and you’re a long time dead. The good times will return, and we will be ready at the front to help lead the way.”
Check out Apollo Junction here and bless your day with some proper northern indie-rock bangers:
Check out latest single ‘On The Ropes’ below!
Awesome band, great interview
My favourite band