Bido Lito June 2021 Issue 114

SAN PEDRO’S VISION
The psychedelia fuelled five-piece explore experiences of the mind.
If you had to describe your music/style in a sentence,
what would you say?
Progressive psychedelia with bits and bobs of different
genres thrown into the mix.
Have you always wanted to create music? How did you
get into it?
Bottle: Everyone has always just wanted to play music.
Me, Sam and Stu had been in various different bands
together since we were kids, and found our way once
Chris, Alannah and Luke joined.
Your music sounds like a blend of grunge and heavy
psych. What drew you to the genre?
Psychedelics! Seriously though, we started off as a blues
band back when we were kids, and eventually moved
over to psych-pop. After that, we moved over to heavier
music that really summed us up as a new band.
Can you pinpoint a live gig or a piece of music that
initially inspired you?
Bottle: The first time I heard Floyd’s The Piper At The
Gates Of Dawn it blew my mind.
Stu: Pink Floyd Live in Pompeii.
Sam: Stop Making Sense, because it showed that gigs
can be more than just music. The possibilities for different
ways to entertain are endless.
Chris: Watching Anders Flanderz playing Girls Just Want
To Have Fun through a Vocoder. He was banging a water
tank over his head with bells around his ankles.
Alannah: My first gig was Alice Cooper when I was nine.
The drama of the show, the awesome performance, got
me really excited about music.
Luke: Alfa Mist and Yussef Dayes at Abbey Road, playing
Love Is The Message.
What was the biggest inspiration behind your new EP?
We wanted to elucidate the psychedelic experience of the
mind, the journey you go through, and the light and dark
that goes with it.
How do your latest release differ from your previous
work?
It’s a lot darker. We moved away from the psych-pop
sound we had developed over a couple of years. The
world’s a dark place and we wanted to capture it, but also
reach for the light too.
How was the process of making the EP?
B: I had been messing round with alternate tunings on
the guitar to form The Nerve Centre and Subconscious.
Chris brought in Reflection. Once we had Alannah join
the tracks gained that kick that made us think we need to
get these recorded.
Why is music important to you?
Music is the food of the soul. Everyone is the same when
it comes to feeling music. It’s amazing that something
personal to us is personal to someone else for a
completely different reason.
Photography: Olivia Hunt and Ade Henry
Subconscious Reflection is available now.
@sanpedrosvision
HENRY JONES
Searching for the melody through
method acting songwriting.
If you had to describe your music/style in a sentence,
what would you say?
Sometimes poppy, sometimes more experimental. I am only
recently beginning to own how inconsistent my style is.
Have you always wanted to create music? How did you
get into it?
I have always had an emotional connection to it. My
family are all music lovers, so I was always surrounded
by great music. I found music was always the best tool to
process my emotions, too. My mum says I used to sing a
lot as a child. Mostly school hymns.
Can you pinpoint a live gig or a piece of music that
initially inspired you?
I used to jam out to Give Me Oil In My Lamp in assembly.
I’m not Christian, but Jesus can sure write a hit. One time
me and my brother found a pile of rap CDs behind some
kid’s house. His parents had thrown them out, probably
because of the language. We salvaged them and gave
them a lot of spins over the years. I would say those
memories always stick out because that was my first
experience of discovering music for myself.
What do you think is the overriding influence on your
songwriting: other art, emotions, current affairs – or a
mixture of all of these?
I would say most of my creativity comes from when
I’m feeling down. Break-ups are usually my fuel for
writing. I always find I’m super creative when my room
is messy and I’m unwashed. It’s like method acting but
for songwriting, creating an environment that mirrors the
music I’m trying to make.
If you could support any artist in the future, who would
it be?
It’s between Alex G, Andy Shauf or Chastity Belt at the
moment.
Do you have a favourite venue you’ve performed in? If
so, what makes it special?
The Reeds was definitely a stand-out, it was so small
you were literally face to face with the audience. Sound
Basement was always a great setting for a good night,
too. It’s sad to a see a lot of them are no longer open. My
heart aches for them. That makes the memories even
more special now.
Why is music important to you?
I am such an anxious and shy person, so I always find
music helps me communicate with people better, there
isn’t anything in the world more intimate than listening
to music with another person and being completely in
silence for the whole song or album. To me, that silence
tells me more about a person than any small talk ever
could.
Photography: Michael Davies
Something About The Rain is available now.
@hank_markdukas
SPOTLIGHT 39