BAND NAME: KiNGS MEWS
BAND MEMBERS: (names including instruments)
Ben Faux -Guitar, Lead vocals
Ollie Friend -Bass, Vocals
Bobby Twoshoe -Drums
Davide Costantino -Keys,Vocals
Matt Sweeting -Trumpet
Kat Bouch –Tenor Sax
(sabbatical players….. Oddfrey Moore -Trombone, Joe Sharp -Trumpet, Matt Ellis -Trumpet, Tom Rider- Alto, Sax, Ellen Campbell -Trombone + others)
BIO: KiNGS MEWS are a Brighton based 7 piece with infectious, feel-good energy and horn-led
funky grooves you can’t help but move to.
How, when, and why did the band form? How long have you been together?
Myself, Ollie and Bobby formed KiNGS MEWS (formerly The Ben Faux Trio!) back in 2011 when I overheard Bobby outside The Latest Music Bar, asking if anyone needed a drummer. Ollie and I had been playing and writing songs together for about a year after we’d reunited at an Open Mic UK competition (after knowing each other briefly from the same university in Devon a couple of years apart unaware that the other had moved to Brighton on the same day!!). I approached Bobby and we got chatting, it turns out that Bobby had also gone to the same university as Ollie and I! We proceeded to play every week and gradually create the sound you hear now, the great thing about it is we all have VERY different musical tastes and this creates elements the three of us bring to the tunes that compliment the overall sound we’re trying to create. Essentially we all make each other sound better! It’s so much more fun on stage with your mates than it is playing songs on your own, I think that’s the main reason we started to play together.
What are the best assets and worst assets about the Brighton music scene, in your opinion?
There’s a really good music scene in Brighton, loads of good venues, great bands, and so many opportunities to showcase yourself. Unfortunately there aren’t enough paid gigs for bands playing original music from our experience, perhaps this is because we’re not particularly good at managing ourselves yet! We’re quite good at the music bit tho’!
What is your favourite music venue to play in Brighton and why?
*sigh* The Blind Tiger was awesome. It was always such a fun gig central location, great sound system, open plan dance floor/bar. Also, the guys who ran it were really cool. They also ran Playgroup Festival which was SO much fun. The Prince Albert and The Brunswick have probably been the venues we’ve had the most fun at. Oooh, also Komedia is a really great place to play the sound is fantastic!
Tell me, what else do you have coming up for 2016?
We’re mainly trying to book festivals and more shows at the moment. We’re also looking to try and sort out some form of management so they can do all the admin work and we can write some new tunes. We’ve built a ‘home studio’ so we can record ideas and hopefully start to release tunes ourselves.
Are CD’s a waste of time nowadays?
I think it’s the sort of thing where people are kinda reluctant to pay money for a cd at gigs. There’s always Spotify, Youtube, Soundcloud, even Facebook where you can instantly access tunes and download or stream on most phones. We’ve found that everyone loves a free cd however, it’s a good way to get your music out there! (a lot of people have cd players in their cars.)
What’s your ideal rider?
Ollie: A quiet space to sit by myself and reflect
Bobby: A Bottle of Buckfast.
Davide: A good old IPA.
Matt Jamesons: Kronenbourg is also a fantastic choice.
Kat: A couple of Hendricks G&T’s and some crisps.
