Gigantic Backstage brings you closer to the music, getting to the front of the most exciting gigs and talking to the best cutting-edge artists. We got up, close and personal with rising stars FEET when they played Rescue Rooms, Nottingham on Thursday 1st of September. Support came courtesy of Midnight Rodeo plus Fat Bamboo.
Not only do we bring you a gig review of the wonky post punks stunning show, but we were also lucky enough to speak to the brilliantly bizarre band on the tail end of their major tour and even had a chat to groovy sextet Midnight Rodeo too!
GIG REVIEW
The night kicks off with the smooth sound of Fat Bamboo. It’s not often that you see a band swapping singing duties, drumming and bass, but these guys rotate flawlessly (if we all just pretend that mic was never kicked over), mixing up the evening nicely. Taking more than just a pinch of influence from The Doors; it’s the perfect groove for those that slide in early, and the promise and potential of their growling garage rock is clear, marking them as ones to watch in the Notts scene.
It’s clear that the time is now for Midnight Rodeo. Self-described as “spaghetti western, psych pop”, this sepia tinged six-piece has already been picked up by BBC Music Introducing after being championed by Dean Jackson and signed to FatCat Records, there’s probably as many people here to see these local gunslinging heroes as there is the headliners. And it’s clear why; with anthemic singles “Shootout Sunday” and “Now Your Gone” working their magic on the airwaves and now onstage at the Rescue Rooms. It’s no surprise they’ve been picked to play before the rising stars, as doubtless it will be there turn in the headline spot so soon, as proven by such a sharp and sassy set. Make sure you catch them when they take over The Bodega on 12th of November – tickets HERE.
There’s always something profoundly exciting with a band just on the cusp of breaking through to become truly huge, and everyone is standing to attention to enjoy Coventry quintet FEET. Fresh from having impressed at the final instalment of All Tomorrow’s Parties where they topped The Firestone Stage, plus recently picked to play before none other than The Rolling Stones; the laid-back indie boys have also been rallying fans on their very own tour, and the growing momentum can be felt in the rising levels of palpable excitement throughout the venue. There’s a timeless feel to this band, thanks to their retro look and style; but there’s a sharp edge to their slacker chic as proven by songs like “English Weather”, “Chalet 47” and, of course, first single “Petty Thieving” which are brimming with attitude. It's been three years since they dropped stomping debut album What’s Inside Is More Than Just Ham, but tonight it feels like they’ve only just got started. Hopefully, we’re going to hear a follow-up to their LP and 2021’s essential EP Walking Machine soon, because FEET most definitely have legs, and we can see them running for a long time to come.
INTERVIEW - FEET
You’re just finishing off the last dates of your huge 2022 tour. You played some great venues like the legendary Scala AND you’ve also been on the same bill as The Rolling Stones! How do you feel coming out of the tour? Has this given you the bug for even bigger tours and larger venues in the near future?
This year has defo been a biggie, Scala was a crazy night that really surpassed our own expectations. Let alone the Stones support, never thought I’d see our name on that line-up. There is lots of excitement around next year for us, talk of the big apple, talk of a big support slot. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Your most recent EP, “Walking Machine” saw a stylistic departure from the debut album, favouring a more focused punk energy. Can we expect to hear more of the same in the future, or will we see your sound continue to evolve in the next releases?
We are definitely still evolving but I think ‘Walking Machine’ feels like a far clearer platform to go off from for us than the first album. And now we’ve some new material out next month that’ll hopefully prove this new injection of ideas and energy, that we feel really confident in.
Your live shows are notorious for being high energy. Fans leave feeling like they’ve been given it all! What have been the standout gigs that you’ve seen this year?
Confidence Man have energy in spades, I’d say as a current group they have easily one of the best live shows going. Amyl and the Sniffers and Viagra Boys as well set the benchmark for the ‘rock show’, both with inspiring frontmanship
After a couple of months of touring you must have your van playlist down. Who are your go to bands to listen to on the road?
Once you’ve been darting around England’s motorways for weeks on end you soon burn out the playlist. Gold greatest hits radio, that’s the go to. Nothing but solid gold every time.
INTERVIEW – Midnight Rodeo
You all look like you have a lot of fun on stage, do you feel more relaxed playing in your (Midnight Rodeo’s) hometown?
We love playing in Nottingham! I think the fact that we’re usually hanging around the spots we play makes it so comfortable for us so we’re at ease during the whole process, but it’s so energising to see new faces while we’re playing so we can boogie on stage rather than on the dancefloor at 3am to George Michael. We’ve all played most of these venues before in previous projects too, so we usually know all those beautiful people behind the scenes and behind the bars so it’s nice to look after each other. Nottingham just has such a great scene, so there’s always a community of musicians in any given audience who show such great support to each other.
With six of you in the band, I can imagine it’s difficult to get together and write. How do you make the process as smooth as possible?
Well, we’re all incredibly noisy all the time, so it’s rarely smooth. We tend to break off into little emotional support groups while we’re figuring things out, but it tends to take a little while which is nice to really get into something. There’s a lot of tears and hugs and smoking on rooves. Usually, we push through until something is working, it’s really starting to get to the stage wherein we’re finding where we want to be with what we’re doing.
You have two amazing songs on Spotify now (“Now You’re Gone” & “Shootout Sunday”), can we expect to hear more from Midnight Rodeo in 2023?
Yes absolutely! We’ll be releasing something in the Autumn. I don’t think we’re allowed to say much more on that just yet, so in the meantime just rinse the other two I guess. Get our bills paid before the big price hike – we need money for flares and shandy!
You are doing a string of shows leading up to your headline show at The Bodega, Nottingham. How are you feeling about your biggest headline show to date?
Yes, we’ve got a tour in November which we’ll be announcing real, real soon so keep your eyes peeled for dates on Instagram etc.! The tour includes a date at our spiritual home The Bodega & we’re all tremendously excited. We actually played our first gig there as a band & it’s no secret that we spend more time there than our respective homes so to be back headlining together will be a party. At The Chameleon show in April we had a load of people dressed up in their best rodeo gear, so very much hoping for that to be magnified & to see some outrageous cowboy & cowgirl outfits. We’re thinking Smithers’ light up tasselled jacket levels of outrageous. Fair warning - don’t come down if you can’t tonk the tonk. There will also be tequila, lots of tequila.
