Spring King have been ones-to-watch in the U.K. throughout 2015, and they’re soon to make their mark in the U.S. After being championed by Zane Lowe as the very artist he played on his Beats 1 radio show, they’re ready to make their mark across the pond. Spring King will join Izzy Bizu and Sundara Karma in the very first BBC Music Presents U.S. tour – showcasing the best U.K. talent in the U.S.
We caught up with Spring King’s before they head off on tour again to discuss their experiences so far, what they have in store for their U.S. visit, and of course, music.
You’ve got a pretty crazy November coming up with all these U.S. shows. What does it mean for you to be back playing in the States after your SXSW debut last year?
Tarek: It’s exciting for us. Last time we were over in the states we had such a great time and coming back again means we get to play to both new and old faces, hopefully, people will enjoy our set, especially now it has album tracks in it too!
Do you anticipate these U.S. shows to be different in any way from shows you’ve played in the U.K.?
Pete: I think and hope that they’ll be reminiscent of some of our early UK gigs. We’ve had to travel pretty light gear wise so the sound will be pretty rough around the edges.
What U.S. city are you most excited to visit? What do you hope to experience while you’re abroad for a month?
James: I’m really excited to head back to Los Angeles having been there once or twice with family, and I can’t wait to see Chicago – I’m a huge footwork fan so looking to grab some records and check out some local spots whilst we’re there.
We saw on Twitter that someone referred to your live shows as a hangover cure, so we’re pretty excited to see you at the BBC Presents tour stop in Boston. What can we expect?
Tarek: Expect loud and fast songs, it’s punk energy with pop sensibilities. Hopefully, we’ll all have a jump around.
Can you describe your sound/vibe to us using a combination of 3 well-known artists?
James: A lot of the time we’re described as a blend of The Beach Boys and The Ramones .. Chuck in The Clash and I think that describes us pretty well
We love the music video for “Detroit.” Can you tell us how the idea for that came to be?
Pete: The idea originally came from our good friend Jack Whiteley who directed the video. The song itself was written about a romance, but we wanted to twist the idea bit and have some fun with it. Also, we made it around the time of the EU referendum in the UK so we felt it would be cool to draw some inspiration from that strange atmosphere.
What do you see 2017 looking like for the band?
James: Hopefully we’ll just continue to build on what we’ve already achieved in 2016 – we’re touring with Cage The Elephant and Kaiser Chiefs early next year, and there will be a load more shows to come. We’re also starting to think about new music, and can’t wait to get some new material out in the new year!
For more information on BBC Music Presents US, click here.