Joe Westley
The Comms are Northampton’s new rock hope, delivering up snarling and fuzzy garage-punk to sweaty hordes. With new single ‘Pulled Apart’ just out New Boots spoke to singer and guitarist Liam Taylor.
How did The Comms get together?
Myself and Oli Rumens [guitar] have known each other since secondary school, and were previously playing music together in the same band. Last year we decided to concentrate on writing music together, which followed onto The Comms being put together in August 2019. We have had a few line-up changes since starting, with myself moving onto lead vocals in early 2020 and now performing as a four-piece with Oli, Tommy Mayo [bass] and our most recent addition Jack Sheeran [drums].
How would you describe your sound? Who are your main influences?
We mainly describe ourselves as a garage-punk band, and have recently started delving into the wonders of post-punk. Our main influences are Idles, The Stooges, Fontaines D.C., and Joy Division.
What was the reaction like to that first single, ‘Transmission One’?
We weren’t too sure what type of reaction we were going to get from ‘Transmission One’, as it was very different to music Oli and I have played before. Due to covid-19 we have been limited on how we could promote the single; it was unfortunate that we weren’t able to play live during the time of release. We received a great response from people, and we were happy with that.
Tell us everything about this new single, ‘Pulled Apart’.
‘Pulled Apart’ was one of the first songs myself and Oli wrote for the band. It was recorded with Adam Gammage at A&G Audio in July this year. Due to not having a drummer at the time of recording Adam stepped in on the drums for the song [he also features on ‘Transmission One’]. The song is about how toxic relationships are something a person never intends to get themselves into out of choice. ‘Pulled Apart’ was written in the eyes of a third person witnessing a friend having to deal with an unhealthy relationship with their partner. What seems visible to the outsider is never as clear cut to the person involved.
What are your live shows like?
As for most bands at the moment, gigs are very far and few between. Our performances are definitely filled with energy; we love having the audience interact with us during our gigs; we want them to have as good a time as us. We can’t wait to start performing again, even more so now we have our new full line-up.
Are you part of a wider scene in the region, playing with like-minded bands? Any favourite bands and venues to give a shout out to?
We love supporting the Northamptonshire music scene. We feel it’s important to keep well-connected with local bands and venues. With times like this everyone needs to support each other; whether it be attending a gig, buying merchandise or streaming a track.
Our favourite bands are endless. To name but a few, Deaf Trap, The Barratts, Torus, Rolling Thunder, and Jimmy & The Moonlights. We love playing at The Craufurd Arms and The Black Prince. We hope that once some normality returns that these venues are still here for us to perform in. We would love to give a shout out to Paul Rivers who works at The Craufurd Arms; he has been a massive support and helps to the band since we started. Finally a big shout out to Duncan Bisatt for featuring one of our t-shirts in his music video for ‘Crazy World‘.
What was the last album you bought/streamed?
Liam: Ugly is Beautiful by Oliver Tree
Jack: Rituals by Deaf Havana
Oli: Song Machine Season 1: Strange Timez by Gorillaz
Tommy: Dog Whistle by Show Me The Body
What is your burning desire for the band to do in the future? What plans do you have?
We have been working a lot on demos recently and looking to record more in the future. Moving forward we would like to take a different approach to how we record our next tracks. This year has been a write-off for live performances, but we are pleased with the music we have released. We will wait to see what 2021 brings.
‘Pulled Apart’ by The Comms is out now via the usual digital platforms
