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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Scouting For Girls
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 8 April 2010
So, I think you either love them or you hate them, but you can’t deny that the Scouting For Girls boys have been pretty damn successful since their eponymous chart-topping debut album arrived on the scene in 2007, delivering as it did a plethora of single releases and a number of hits, most notably ‘She’s So Lovely’ and ‘It’s Not About You’.
Made up of Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Peter Ellard, SFG have come a very long way since Team CMU first saw them play a metal shed round the back of the Wireless festival a few months before that first album was unleashed. Now they’re back with album number two, ‘Everybody Wants To Be On TV’, out on Epic next week, the first single from which, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, is currently number one. We caught up with Roy Stride to ask the Same Six.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I remember being twelve years old and a drum kit was delivered to school by the new drum teacher (who was by the way the coolest person I had ever met as a twelve year old). Greg and I decided there and then we HAD to play the drums. I played drums quite seriously all through school intent on becoming professional. Then when I was fourteen I discovered an old acoustic guitar in the back of my mum’s cupboard (whilst searching for Xmas presents). I learnt a few chords and started writing songs. I was hooked from that moment.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
Musically, we went into the writing process with the aim of creating an album of ten singles. We wanted to write a classic. In the download world you have to deliver an album where every track is genuinely great, otherwise people will just download the single releases. We started with 50 tracks and ruthlessly culled this back to ten great tunes, which flowed together on an album, but also stood up individually. It took a lot of work to keep up such a high standard. In fact, it drove us mad and I don’t think I’ve worked harder in my life.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
It all starts with the song. And that all starts with the hook. Whether that’s a great lyric or a melodic or rhythmic hook. You need ten great hooks to create a strong song. These hooks come like magic whenever I play an instrument or sit down to write. Putting all these hooks together and building the song is the hard part. Sometimes it can take years.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
I’m always influenced by who I feel are the pop greats. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, REM, Elton John, Rolling Stones, any Motown, Madness, ELO, and even ABBA. I’ll also always go back to Britpop, the sound of which defined my early teenage years; Blur, Oasis, Suede. And I’ll always be listening to whoever is making great pop music at the moment. I’ve loved the recent albums by Keane, The Script, Florence And The Machine and some of the acts making great pop music like N-Dubz and Lady Gaga.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Time is so precious and there is so much available to do. So thank you so much for taking the time to listen to us. Come and see us play, as we fucking rock
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
We feel so lucky to be able to do what we love for a living. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I hope people enjoy the album and it does really well as I think it’s great and I’m very proud of it.
MORE>> www.scoutingforgirls.com
