LUVA GUNK
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 6th April 2011.
Leeds, UK, quartet Luva Gunk have a full length album coming out sometime soon, and in the mean time have a promotional demo out. We thought we'd find out more, so asked drummer Nikhil his thoughts...
Hi Guys, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions. Hope you are well?
Nikhil: We’ve just seen a man being beaten by a gypsy carrying a fish, so yeah, brilliant, thank you.
What’s the history behind Luva Gunk? How did the band form, and what’s the background of the various members?
Nikhil: The short version is that Liam (Gallagher) and Andy (McKinnon) were in a dead end job and started writing some songs between them. Liam came across myself at University and we ended up jamming. I worked with Sam and after our first bassist left, we got him in to slap it.
Who were the early influences? Do you all have similar listening tastes?
Nikhil: We all have very different tastes actually. In terms of influences, Liam is into classic indie rock stuff like Stone Roses and Hendrix. Andy is into his Gun’s and Roses, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana which you can hear in his voice. I'm into metal, mostly technical death metal, and Sam is not into music at all... and a bit of Brian Eno.
Did you know what sort of sound Luva Gunk was destined to have at the start, or has it developed a lot since you began?
Nikhil: It has developed massively since the start. It started very raw then got a bit silly, then got good. We have all matured quite a bit in terms of our musical ability and you can hear it in the newer songs. The older stuff is so tight now it makes women’s knickers melt off.
How would you describe your sound to somebody who hadn’t heard you before?
Nikhil: This is probably the hardest question we get asked. Because of all our different musical tastes, it’s hard to pigeon hole our music in one genre, however the base is definitely Rock n’ Roll and then we branch out and add all our different styles to the final mix. What would I say to someone that hadn’t heard us before? Listen to us and make your own mind up!
Where did the name come from, and what’s the meaning behind it?
Nikhil: The name is just meant to be completely unpretentious and if you put it into Google, we are the only thing that comes up. It’s whatever you want it to mean. And we didn’t want a name that starts with “The” cause we’d probably be a shit band if we did that.
You have a new release “Revolver” out now. Is it a full CD, an EP, a demo... what’s the story behind it?
Nikhil: The ‘Revolver’ release is a promotional CD for our full length that should hopefully come out before the end of 2011. It’s a three track assault on your senses that should give you a good idea of what Luva Gunk are about and should make you want more by the end of it!
How is it performing so far in terms of sales, airplay and feedback?
Nikhil: The response we’ve had from it has been absolutely amazing. In fact, it’s a lot better than we expected. It has even garnered quite a bit of interest from the States because of an online radio station. It’s definitely motivated us even more to get a full length out.
Was the creation and recording process fun, hard work, or a combination of both?
Nikhil: The recording process was great. We went out to the middle of nowhere in Wisbech to Regal House Studio to work with Lester Woodward (Deaf Havana, The First, JettBlack) whom we’ve wanted to work with for ages. It was hard work getting the songs exactly how we wanted to hear them, but I think the final product is a testament to the hard work we have put into the tracks! They were also mastered by Michael Fossenkemper in New York so that helped!
How do you go about writing your songs? Talk us through the construction of a typical track...
Nikhil: Liam or Andy usually bring in a riff that they have been working on and we’ll sit with one section and try to work out a quirky bass or drum line. We don’t like things being run of the mill and predictable, so we’ll try to vary things up, by adding a double bass pattern or an off time bass riff. Sometimes things don’t work and we just move on. We are all really open to each other’s suggestions but also very good at saying something doesn’t work. We then try to get your basic verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, ending structure and then add or take away elements to give it a unique edge.
Where do you look for your lyrical and musical writing ideas?
Nikhil: Liam writes most of the lyrics along with Andy and a lot of their inspiration comes from their past. The good thing about their writing style is that they don’t write soppy “I'm so heartbroken, let me touch your soul” bullshit. They twist it and make you think about it by adding metaphors and quirky stuff.
Is there a story/theme running through your songs, or do you generally aim for standalone tracks?
Nikhil: Because of our different musical styles, each song is a story of its own. We try not to have a theme or a specific genre running through each song because then they would probably all sound the same and we definitely do things differently. We’ll play a really ambient melancholic song and then blow your face off with something three times the speed with loads of energy right after. The best thing about it is, although each song is different, you can tell they are Luva Gunk tracks which is really important.
Do you do anything special or unusual in the studio to get your sound?
Nikhil: Not really to be honest. We go in and play our instruments the way we play them and hopefully it works!
Are there any particular tracks you rate highly, or is it all brilliant?
Nikhil: It’s all bloody brilliant. All of it. Even the stuff we haven’t written yet. No, not really, once again because of our different musical styles, we all have different tracks we like which is good because each will have its own energy. I love ‘Monkey Run’ because of its energy and it’s a crowd pleaser, but I also love ‘Into The Sun’ which is really slow and ambient with a great guitar solo to end it.
Talk us through your existing touring/gigging plans...
Nikhil: At the moment, we’ve been trying to push this promo CD release as much as possible so gigging has been going well. We are in the process of trying to get a place at Woodstock Poland which is the biggest open air festival in Europe so that’s pretty exciting. We are also trying to get a UK tour sorted for after summer because our last one was amazing and we got some great recognition. We also want to hit places we haven’t hit before and play some of the summer festivals.
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Nikhil: As a band, we do this to play live! That’s what it’s all about. So when we go out there, it doesn’t matter if we are playing to 2 or 20,000 people. We give it our all. Its loud, its raw, and you get to see our Toaster called R.O.Y. What more could you want?
What have been the highlights and lowlights of your musical lives so far?
Nikhil: Might as well start with the lows; I think working with useless promoters that don’t actually promote at all is at the top of the list. Or being asked to bring 50 people down to a venue 100 miles away from where we live on a Tuesday night. Highlights definitely include doing our UK tour and getting an insane amount of recognition and good press from playing a gig in Stourbridge. Also, I personally think the biggest highlight has been getting at least one person coming up to us after every single gig and saying, “You are one of the best bands I have ever seen.” That’s pretty special.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Nikhil: Not really, I think you covered everything! Very thorough. Ah, actually, we are in the process of making a music video with the BBC for our track ‘Revolver’ which involves a lot of killing and a very sexy stripper/dancer so watch this space.
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Nikhil: I’m gonna have a beer, play some FIFA, and then play some drums. The others will probably have a wank. Maybe i’ll have a wank actually. Or we’ll probably sit down and write the greatest song you’ll never hear. Or write some music for the deaf.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Nikhil: If you want to listen to something different and with a hell of a lot of energy, done by musicians that pride themselves at being really good at their respective instruments, then come to a Luva Gunk show; then afterwards, come and have a chat with us. We don’t bite unless you want us to and We Play It n’ Mean It!
Thanks again to Nikhil for his time.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Luva-Gunk/7870954837
