What’s next for you guys?
We are writing lots of music, singing lots of harmonies and generally pushing and diversifying ourselves as musicians.
What would you like the band to do before the end of 2012?
Record and release a live album, tour it and see if we can get some high profile radio play.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you on tour?
Weird experiences follow TSG around! One which springs to mind is traveling through the desert from Phoenix, Arizona to LA and getting completely lost, running out of beer and having to stop at a shack in the middle of literally nowhere to buy a crate of Bud from a group of toothless old people sitting in rocking chairs in their porch.
Another strange experience was feeling completely out of our depth at an Oscars aftershow party we played back in 2009 when coming across Denzel Washington, Slash, Michael Buble, Tony Hawk and Paris Hilton and others. The experience got even more surreal when certain band members fell victim to the free bar and were to be found wandering around Beverly Hills. Not mentioning any names!
Who were your main musical influences growing up?
Trying to list all of the bands and styles who influenced each of us would of course be impossible and we all grew up listening to completely different styles often determined by the instruments we play, Rob to a lot of classical music and pop, Matt to jazz, ska and punk, Dino to blues and metal, Ben Matthews to a variety of ensembles and genres often with awesome drummers, Ben Daniel and James to lots of different pop and acoustic stuff – The Beatles would be a big one for them. I think it’s fair to say collectively we give a nod to The Police and Dave Matthews Band as an influence on our collective sound.
Which song do you wish you had written?
Bohemian Rhapsody. The vocals, oh the vocals! Also if we had written that we wouldn’t have to scrape around to find cash to make records with!
Have you got any advice for new bands starting off at the moment?
Listen to everything. Don’t take too much notice of what is in the top 40. Don’t aspire for fame, aspire to make great music that people enjoy listening to. Be savvy about the internet and new media (as well as the music industry), but don’t know too much about it. That’s not your job as a musician.
People are saying that British music is, um, dead… What are your thoughts on this?
Bollocks. Yes, a lot of the huge artists are American, but the world can’t help but watch Britain and respect us for making genuine music, which is often less glossy than that from the other side of the Atlantic but written about real people by real people and played with real balls!
What are you listening to at the moment?
We love that Gotye made number one! Finally, some real music in the charts! Love the harmonies, love the alto flute, and what voices!
You’ve supported many great bands – which tour did you have the most fun on?
We have had fun on (almost!) every tour we’ve ever done, and sometimes the smaller ones are nice because it’s less pressure. Having said that, a real highlight was playing with Jason Mraz in Portugal – the crowds were unbelievable! We also came home to do our biggest UK shows ever at the Hammersmith Apollo, as well as at the Birmingham and Manchester Academies. It was incredible to have our friends there, as well as to be able to play to such a massive audience.
Describe yourself in three words?
Two. Spot. Gobi.