Interview: Club Smith

This year we have featured Club Smith on numerous occasions ("Lament", "The Green Room",) we as a collective here at 1FTP feel they are heading for great things. Now we bring you a brief but brilliant incite into how the band tics. Straight off the back of the release of "The Process EP". Club Smith are Vijay on drums, Lee on bass, Neil on keys & samples, Sam on Vocals & guitar. Sam from the band recently took some time out to answer a few questions. here they are:


(One For The People) As an introduction for everyone, How did Club Smith come about and what is in the name?

(Club Smith) We formed after our last band had kind of fallen apart when the drummer left. Vijay came in on drums and we started writing with him and Club Smith formed! It's two words that have stuck in my head since I used to go round to a mate's house when his parents were on holiday. We were 17 and couldn't drink anywhere else so we called it Club Smith' (his name was Smith). it's not really related to the band but the name stuck in my head for years!


(1FTP) Your track "Lament" is a favourite of ours, did you set out to achieve the anthemic sound it churns out or did it just turn out that way?

(CS) It just kind of happened really. It felt quite right for the song, which was lyrically about failing to get round to do anything to justify all your angst, (i.e. you feel you're worth more than what you are and you're always moaning about it) but you never get anything done! It was kind of about that but also more the deeper reason, that people don't often achieve what they want to due to a lot of emotional hang ups. The big release of the chorus and the end bit (this part is written about my late mum) of the song felt really poignant and the big sound just seemed to happen really.

(1FTP) Moving on to more recent issues, "The Process EP" has been out since the 14th of July, how do you feel it's been received?

(CS) I think we might have released it a bit close to the first EP. It was an interesting choice to release two EPs so close to each other, but we wanted to get a lot of songs out there. The response all round has been great, I just think the process was maybe in the shadow of the first EP ("The Loss EP") because they are quite close and people are still digesting the first 4 songs. Not worth thinking about it that much! We're working on changing the songs a little now anyway, the releases were to kind of the get an idea of where we're going with a sound and I think we have a bit more focus now on how to improve the songs further.


"I don't think we necessarily sound JUST like anyone, but like a lot of reviews have said there's a fair few reference points coming out, so it's difficult to pinpoint"  - Sam Robson, Club Smith


(1FTP) Your first release from the new E.P - "The Green Room" - was shot in the Yorkshire Museum. A Museum which just so happens to have a green room.... Who's idea was this and how did it come about?

(CS) Lee our bassist works at the museum, so when it was being refurbished he noticed this green room where the light shone through a green skylight...... And the rest is history!


(1FTP) We have read reviews that have used you in the same breath as Yeasayer and others comparing you to White Lies, two very different music styles, how do you feel about this and what do you as a band class 'your style' as?

(CS) I've been listening to the Yeasayer album and don't really get the link. Maybe it's the synth sounds. I kind of hear the White Lies thing as it's atmospheric, driven guitars and big vocals but maybe we're somewhere in between the two. I don't think we necessarily sound JUST like anyone, but like a lot of reviews have said there's a fair few reference points coming out, so it's difficult to pinpoint.


(1FTP) Musically who did/do you look up to as kids / adults?

(CS) As a kid it was probably Oasis, developing to blur when I got some brains! Now I guess it's something like Bright Eyes. I'm quite taken by well executed, self-exposing lyrics these days. Still, Blur are pretty much the greatest band of all time over all their albums really, aren't they?


(1FTP) What are we to expect from you guy's in the future?

(CS) I think we'll turn up the guitars on the next recordings, maybe release them sometime soon and basically gig a fair bit. We've got Leeds / Reading Festival's coming up and we're probably touring Germany in November! Exciting stuff!


(1FTP) Ok last one, Club Smith Recommends?

Bright Eyes - Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers
Grammatics - Grammatics

AMAZING albums!


We would like to thank Sam from Club Smith for taking the time to speak with us and we can't wait to hear them guitars turned up! here is a stand out track off The Process EP, "Causing Doubt".... Enjoy.