I recently had the pleasure of interviewing (or throwing questions at) Pete, John, Adam and Rusty of one of York’s finest rock bands Lost Trends. Pete and Rusty over a few pints at the Duke of York pub and John and Adam outside Fibbers after the boys played a storming set in support of Billy Bibby and the Wry Smiles. Click here for that review. If you have never heard Lost Trends or seen them play live yet then you really need to rectify that soon. But in the meantime find out a bit more about the band with questions about their musical influences, favourite chocolate bar, rejected band names and which of them reckon they could take Justin Bieber in a fight.
- Who are your biggest musical influences?
Pete – Funky, jagged, staccato sounds especially Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead
Rusty – Punk, funky punk, Foals, Bloc Party, Radiohead
John – Bloc Party
Adam – Foals, Arctic Monkeys, Motley Crue
- Where does the name Lost Trends come from?
Rusty – A previous band had an Arctic Monkey’s style song called “Lost To The Trend”
Rusty & Pete – Mentioned that they had considered Swedish Jesus and the Dyslexics. But the latter would be spelt wrong!
- What brought you together as a band?
Rusty & Pete – They were at York College and become mates after a friend of a friend introduced them. John’s brother was the original drummer and they found Adam via GumTree
Adam – Was looking for a band on Gum Tree (so it worked then!)
John – He took his brother’s place in the band
- Are there any Lost Trends side projects?
A resounding NO from both Pete and Rusty
John – A cryptic who knows!
Adam – Maybe some acoustic stuff one day
- Is there a particular song or musical passage that never fails to move you emotionally?
Rusty – Radiohead’s “Let Down” but perhaps the greatest impact is from Lindisfarne’s 70s classic “Lady Eleanor”
Pete – Thought about this for a while before deciding on a song that always makes him happy and upbeat, another 70s classic “September” from Earth, Wind & Fire. At a recent wedding they made sure the DJ played it.
Adam – Chose “Stay The Same” by a band that you may know, they are called Lost Trends. He is very proud of his bass on that track. He is also really keen on some good bass sounds in a Motown, Soul environment.
John – His choice would depend on his level of intoxication
- What would be your first big purchase when music makes you rich and famous?
Rusty – A recording studio
Pete – A Ferrari
John – Loads of kick pedals – he has a habit of losing them
Adam – A barrel of coconut rum
- Who were you, or would you be nervous to meet?
Pete – Kurt Cobain
Rusty – Was lucky enough to walk past David Bowie at Glastonbury in 2000, he didn’t know what to do (Rusty not Bowie that is) so he nodded hello and got a nod in return
Adam – Don Broco, he would love to tour with them
John – Jimi Hendrix
- Which instruments do you play?
Pete – Guitar, piano and backing vocals
Rusty – Guitar, piano, drums and vocals obviously!
Adam – Power chords on a guitar
John – Didgeridoo
- When and why did you start playing?
Pete – Grandad was in a York band called the Modernaires. They were once played on Radio 2 after being introduced by no less than Patrick Moore. It was his Grandad who bought Pete his first guitar.
Rusty – His Dad was obsessed with music and he had a Beatles book with chords for every one of their songs. Rusty learnt to play by borrowing his Dad’s guitar and the book.
John – Started playing at school
Adam – Started playing bass at High School as there were no other bass players there
- What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Rusty – “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles
Pete – No particular song, just plenty of riffs.
Adam – “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult
John – Can’t remember but probably something simple
- What are the best and worst things about the music industry today?
Both Pete and Rusty agreed that they really don’t like pay to play.
Pete – He said that nowadays reality TV has made the industry very hard to get into. There is more of a need to win a competition or to have a back story, particularly one that would tug the audience’s heart strings
Rusty doesn’t like the favouritism that many promoters and industry people show. Also the apparent lack of daring, no one wants to take a chance any more.
Adam – Worst thing is dodgy promoters who insist that you sell 30 tickets or more
John – A good thing is that there are often more opportunities at the moment
(Incidentally one thing that at least two of the band mentioned is that Simon Pattison of York is an excellent promoter!)
What tunes are you currently grooving to?
Rusty – Anderson Paak and the Free Laterals – “Come Down”. He also loves the new Jamiroquai album ‘’Automaton’, and is a big fan of the creative genius of Jay Kay.
Pete – A big fan of the new Bonobo album
John – Chase and Status
Adam – Sofi Tukker – “Drinkee”
- Best Saturday night record?
Rusty – King Curtis – “Memphis Soul Stew” or “Milk and Black Spiders” – Foals
Pete – “Move On Up” – Curtis Mayfield
John – “Upside Down” – Diana Ross
Adam – “This Girl” by the Kungs
- Best Sunday morning record?
Rusty – “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers. This was a particular favourite with an old housemate and would often get them properly woken up on a Sunday. Rusty is also partial to a little Ralph McTell on a Sunday morning.
Pete – “Daydream In Blue” by i Monster
Adam – “Sunday Morning” by Velvet Underground
John – Kruder & Dorfmeister
- What is your favourite book?
Pete – Autobiographies, Anthony Kiedis is a great one
Rusty – Tolkein, plus Luke Reinhart’s Dice Man, Kerouac’s On The Road and Atonement by Ian McEwan
Adam – Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
John – Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
- What is your favourite film?
Pete – Nothing in particular
Rusty – Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull
John – Pulp Fiction
Adam – L.A. Confidential
- What is your favourite TV show?
Rusty – Twin Peaks, Breaking Bad
Pete – Game of Thrones, Red Dwarf
Adam – Residue (Netflix)
John – Better Call Saul
- What is your favourite chocolate bar?
Pete – Boost
Rusty – Double Decker – he is a fan of the girth!
John – Another vote for the mighty Boost bar
Adam – Wispa Gold
- What is your favourite board game?
Rusty – Pictionary, Cards Against Humanity
Pete – Monopoly – and yes like everyone he cheats!
John – Risk
Adam – Another vote for Monopoly, no admission of cheating from John though
- What is your favourite place in York?
Pete – Mansion House, down Stonegate towards the Minster
Rusty – Back of the railway station near the Iron Bridge out towards Acomb. It is the contrast between old and new that he loves.
Adam – Museum Gardens
John – York Dungeon
- Could you beat Justin Bieber in a fight?
Pete – Definitely
Rusty – Definitely
John – No
Adam – It would be a close one which Adam might lose on points
- What do you sing in the shower?
Rusty – Falsetto stuff, maybe Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”
Pete – Doesn’t sing in the shower, he thinks!
John – Pretty much anything by Diana Ross
Adam – “Bad and Boujee” by Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert
- Who is your favourite super hero?
Rusty – Spiderman
Pete – Batman
Adam – Gambit from X Men
John – The pink Power Ranger
- Who is your non-musical hero?
Pete – F1 legend Ayrton Senna
Rusty – Marlon Brando, the man who changed cinema
John – Adam!
Adam – Not John, but Jeremy Corbyn
- What band names did you reject?
Lucas AIDS
- What was the first single you owned?
Rusty – “Bad” by Michael Jackson
Pete – “The Locomotion” by Kylie Minogue. The first video that he owned was Wacko’s Moonwalker
John – “Ooh Ah Just A Little Bit” by Gina G
Adam – “Here To Stay” by Korn
- What was the first album you bought?
John – Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai
Adam – Dandy Warhols – 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia (because Bohemian Like You was on it)
Pete & Rusty – Bad – Michael Jackson
- Who is the richest – Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark?
Pete, John and Rusty – Tony Stark, he sells weapons and Bruce Wayne gives too much to charity.
Adam – Bruce Wayne
- Use three words to describe yourself.
Pete – Unsure, confident, contradicting
Rusty – Bright, angry, sexy
Adam – Very very lovely
John – Can Bang Drums
- What is your favourite website?
Rusty – Daily Mash
Pete – Digital Spy
John – BBC Sports
Adam – YouTube
- Tell me a joke.
Pete – No idea of a good one that I remember
Rusty – What is the difference between a large blue whale and a small white whale? Size and colour. J
Adam – An English man, an Irish man and a Scots man walk into a bar. The barman says is this some kind of joke?
John – (You need to read this one out loud) An English cat called One two Three and a French cat called Une Deux Trois decide to have a swimming race across the English Channel. One Two Three won because Une Deux Trois Quatre Cinq …. Cat sank……geddit?
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 