Q&A with The Cheap Thrills
To the day one month ago, The Cheap Thrills from Liverpool have released their exuberant video “Party” and my reaction to it was a mixture of sadness and joy!
While Lewis Pike (vocals, guitar), Anton Eager (drums), Terry Eaves (lead guitar) and Callum Fitzpatrick (bass) have been visiting New York in March to play a few shows at The New Colossus Festival, they also filmed their experiences and the result is a love letter to New York. My City. The city that I have not seen in more than two months as we all stay put at home unless you are working in one of the essential fields. Every day ventures as ordinary as waiting for a train to come, riding the subway, or browsing through a record store receive new meaning and showcase what is currently no longer possible.
Melancholy aside, “Party” is a great song and big THANKS to Anton for having answered our questions because… we wanted to know a bit more about this British band who we sadly missed during a festival that happened despite all that was (not) happening.
Q: Visiting New York, and playing a music festival, what exceeded your expectations?
A: We had an amazing experience! Our expectations were pretty high from the start as we know what an amazing New York City is with a great music scene and great people. The first show we had in Pianos definitely exceeded our expectations though. Playing in a new city is always tough, never mind a new continent! We wasn’t sure how well we would be received or if there would be many people at the show but it was packed and the crowd responded really well to the songs it was one of our favourite shows to date.
Q: You might have had certain ideas of what to expect from New York. What was exactly as you hoped it would be? And what was maybe completely different?
A: We had a unique experience during our visit to NYC as it was prime COVID19 time. The first few days we witnessed the hustle and bustle of the city but as the days went on the city got more quiet by the last few days it was like a ghost town. All the bars, restaurants and cafes had closed as the city was self isolating. We got the opportunity to see the city at its quietest which a lot of people haven’t had the opportunity to do. It was surreal.
Q: At glamglare, we’ve been featuring cool indie bands from Liverpool before. How close-knit is the music scene? Are certain bands supporting each other?
A: The music scene in liverpool is going strong at the moment, the caliber of bands coming out of the city and making a name for themselves is brilliant. Bands are supporting each other more now than ever before in the city which benefits the community greatly. Some great bands from liverpool you should check out are; The Night Cafè, Red Rum Club, Paris Youth Foundation, The Jagz and Monks. I could list about 50 more but I think you get the idea!
Q: Let’s think of better times ahead! What’s one of your favorite venues in Liverpool to play at? Where should we come see you?
A: The Zanzibar in liverpool will always hold a special place in our hearts as it’s where we played our first ever show it’s under 200 capacity and the place has lots of character and a huge history of famous bands who have came through the doors. It’s in an area called “Ropewalks” in the city Center which similar to Lower East Side in NYC where there are loads of venues are a 5 minutes walk from each other. Liverpool is a port town and the area was given that name as it was the area were ropes were made for ships. Now a days the area is heaving with music venues, recording studios, dive bars and cool independent food places
You should come and see us in The Arts Club theatre (based in Ropewalks area of Liverpool) on the 17th October 2020 it’s 550 a capacity venue and it’s our biggest headline show to date.
Q: What’s the most bizarre thing to happen while you were onstage, in Liverpool, New York or whatever place?
A: At our second ever gig we played a headline show in The Picket in Liverpool. We were all ages 16 and thought it would be wise to drink loads of beer before the show. It was packed and all of our mates had came to see us. During the second song in the set, our singer Lewi stood on a monitor, fell off and broke his wrist. It was a disaster. Fair play to him as he carried on for another couple of songs before it got too painful to carry on playing the guitar, we had to cut the show short only playing four songs. Rock and roll hey!?
Q: Something we love to ask every musician/band: If you could choose to live in a decade (music, style, etc.) which one would it be?
A: Definitely the 80s we would have loved to seen bands like The Clash, Modern English, Depeche Mode, The Jam and The Smiths.
Q: And this seems to be a rather popular question these days, now that we are more home-bound: What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
A: The last song that was stuck in my head was Buttercup by U.S band HippoCampus it’s a really catchy indie pop tune.
Thanks again, Anton. Hope to see you either in Liverpool or New York again one day soon!
