Club Drive – Pop Voyage! 

The pop music world is a harsh mistress at the moment especially for the new up and coming acts. With the surge of nineties/early noughties  groups reuniting and certain pop megastars (who shall remain nameless) dominating the top twenty charts with virtually every track from their album, it has never been harder for say the five-piece from Bradford rehearsing in a garage or the next female jazz pianist in Peckham to get their music heard.

One band which has arrived on the scene with a bang is the four-piece band from Hertfordshire, United Kingdom called Club Drive. Having been compared to DNCE and Maroon 5 to name a few, they have a series of catchy tunes under their belt and have just released their new single ‘Voyager’.

Three members of the band very kindly sat down for a chat with us in their ‘Spare Time’ during a busy touring schedule. Here are their responses: 

Supplied By Artist

Christian (Drums)

 

  • Please describe your hometown in five words

Kinda dull, but good location.

  • Could you please tell me about your new single ‘Voyager’

A poppy, upbeat, fun to play track with lyrics that venture out of the usual feel good zone. I tend to get involved in some of the top line writing, but didn’t have any input on this one until later on, so it was great to just turn up to the studio and be treated to a full chorus! Musically it’s laid back, make you move your feet which makes it great to play live. Have a listen, tune into the lyrics and let us know what you think.

  • What two things have you learned never to do onstage?

Take your in ear monitors out mid set. Once the sweat gets in, it doesn’t get out! Think you have time to drink your water. You don’t. Trust me. Prepare for the awkward scramble or wet stage.

  • What is your current stage kit for drums, cymbals and sticks?

My kit is a custom build I assembled myself. 12, 16, 22 birch and mahogany loveliness. The shells were built in the UK by Alan Tocknell of Tee drums, shipped to me and I spent a weekend with a drill and careful measuring. It’s a great feeling when FOH techs compliment it and ask what it is. My snare is also a UK built steambent drum by Highwood Drums. Cymbals are all Zildjan, k dark hats, avedis 16″ crash, a custom 18″ crash and 20″ k custom ride. Sticks are Vic Firth Extreme 5a. They’re not a super common stock but they perfectly bridge the gap between 5a & 5b, with added length which really suits my playing style and grip.

Tommy (Guitar)

  • Suggest three great guitar intros in any style (artist, song, source album) 

Icarus lives – Periphery, This Charming Man – The Smiths, Lullaby – The Cure. All cracking intro riffs 👌

  • Which is the key pedal or stomp box in your stage rig?

My Boss CS3! Combined with my strat I can get pretty close to the compressed Nile Rogers esque tone, absolute essential pedal!

  • Can you tell me about your track ‘Spare Time’

Fun fact about Spare Time – I wrote the music when I hadn’t slept in 2 days and Aaron wrote the melody on the toilet! That’s how all good songs are written, right?

  • You are invited to play a solo on a Radiohead track…….which gear do you take along to the session?

Definitely my Giga Delay. I’d get infinite repeats going on the tape setting and try to sound as much like a hovercraft as possible.

Aaron (Lead Vocals)

  • Name a song by any artist that puts you in mind of the seaside or the coast?

Good question.. I think there must be a million songs that remind me of the sunshine or days out but specifically the beach would be a tough one. I’ll say “We Used To Be In Love” by Clean Cut Kid, because I actually watched them play this last year in Brighton at The Great Escape Festival and it definitely reminds me of being at the seaside taking in the sun, the sea and plenty of good music!

  • Is there a novel or a book that you would like to create a soundtrack for, if filmed?

I think they need to turn John Grisham’s “An Innocent Man” into a feature film.. And to do the soundtrack for that would be incredible!!!

  • Best recorded duet ever (any genre)

That’s seriously tough.. I’m going with “Whatzupwitu” by Michael Jackson & Eddie Murphy – for all the wrong reasons. Two legends in their own right coming together for one catastrophic track – shocker!!

  • Which member of the group is least likely to be on time?

100% Christian (ironic as he’s the one that keeps us in time on stage) but he definitely wouldn’t dispute it – he is late everywhere.. But somehow it just wouldn’t be the same if he turned up on time.

Glenn Sargeant

(Many thanks to the members of Club Drive, Pete Sargeant and Ant at Wilful Publicity for help with this article)

Club Drive
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(All Photos Supplied By Artist)

Club Drive’s new single ‘Voyager’ is out now and you can watch the official music video in this article.

Club Drive’s previous single ‘Spare Time’ and their debut EP ‘Dangerous’ are also out now.

For more information visit the band’s official website here: http://bit.ly/2rYMX55

In addition, the band will be embarking on a tour of summer festival appearances in the UK this year at the following locations: 

Club Drive
14th -15th July 2017 – Lovebox Festival, London, United Kingdom 27th – 30th July 2017 – Standon Calling, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom