Newly signed to Alcopop! Records, Brighton fuzz-pop quartet Beach Riot have just released their tune ‘Tune In, Drop Out’, a song about “the freedom to do what you want” – which at the moment seems to be ‘watch lots of Stars Trek’? And perform at this weekend’s Homeschool, obvs.
Hi Rory! How’s it going? Have you been up to anything fun today?
Hey! I’m doing goooooood. Today I have been mostly watching Star Trek: The Next Generation (quite the habit during lockdown so far…) playing guitar, and making pastry.
How have you found self-isolating so far, are any of you essential workers?
It’s been not too bad, none of us are key workers, so we’ve been all locked up and trying not to drink too much each day. For me personally, it’s gone in phases, at first I found I had little motivation to do anything, but more recently I’ve got into a good routine of getting some demos down, exercising, and generally trying not to lose track of what century I’m in.
What would you guys have been up to now if the pandemic hadn’t hit? Have you had to change your plans much?
So we were out on the road touring with our pals Gaffa Tape Sandy when this all hit, I’m pretty sure we were one of the last bands out there. We had to cut the tour in half, which sucked big time. We had some fezzies coming up too that sadly will obviously not be happening.
Are you able to record songs while at home? What’s your usual set up like?
So we’ve pretty much all got good setups at home to do demos, so we’ve been quite productive bouncing things back and forth and getting some good exciting things going. We also did a cover of a Cardigans song, which came out great, so we’ll definitely be doing a few more of them.
What’s your preferred way of socialising at the mo, are you the sort to do pub quizzes on Zoom?
Ha! Haven’t done any of those yet, might have to look into it. Definitely done a good few zooms though, but mainly just socialising with my cats.
Which of your bandmates would you least like to be stuck in lockdown with?
Wowsas, that’s tough! I’m gonna have to say Jim, because I’d be in too much awe of his talents at most things he touches and I’d probably have to just give up on the spot.
What do you reckon the best hobby is to do while stuck at home?
Star Trek. Nothing comes close.
Are there any tips or tricks you’ve picked up to make self-isolating a bit more bearable?
…Star Trek? There’s A LOT on Netflix to get stuck into. But mainly I think getting some kind of actual routine going, eating right, not buying yourself a nice bottle of single malt whiskey and accidentally drinking it in three days and realising that you really could have got a lot of food with that money.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do once the current restrictions have been lifted?
PLAY A GIG. Or you know, get a good old Brighton evening beach BBQ and piss up on the go culminating in a 4am stop at Buddies.
Beach Riot are taking part in new online festival Homeschool, which runs from 8th-10th May – visit homeschoolfest.com for details.
