Click Bristol introduces We Are Tokyo

by Leigh Goldsworthy. Published Tue 16 Mar 2010 19:23

We Are Tokyo

Members: Alex - Vocals/Keyboard
Tom - Drums
Rob - Guitar
Jamie - Synth/Bass

Location: Start The Bus



Everyone is loving a bit of electro right now, so imagine my excitement when I got to catch up with new “syth-a-licious” rockers We Are Tokyo last weekend.

Being compared to Calvin Harris, Bloc Party and The Killers maybe be tall order for most bands, but super cool We Are Tokyo are taking it in their oh so confident stride.

The Bristol-based band have a rare ability to infect your imagination through their music, whereby the song transports you to a dance floor no matter where you are.

Performing with outstanding sound quality, deliciously melodic vocals, and down right dangerous electro beats, these guys are most certainly a band to listen out for this year.

Click: Hi Guys! So how did you get together as a band?

Alex: Basically, it was about 2 years ago. I was starting a new band, (I’ve always been in bands) and wanted to find some serious people that wanted to make it happen. I had a tune that I liked, so I put it up on Myspace, and advertised, and then Tom came along.

Tom: I was persistent. ‘c’mon let me in the band!’

Alex: Yeah, and we got on really well. Then we found other members, erm which have now, gone. Due to um...

Click: Artistic differences? Where they Diva’s?

Tom: Commitment issues.

Alex: One of them moved to London and the other one was a diva!

(The band laugh)

Alex: So then we advertised on Gumtree, and found Jamie (Synth) and Rob(Guitar.)

Click: Do you find Myspace and Gumtree useful for creatives?

Alex: Gumtree, yeah. Myspace was good...

Rob: (Strained voice) Myspace is dead!

Alex: With Myspace, because anyone can sign up, you just get so much crap, that people sometimes don’t bother listening when someone sends a link anymore. If I’m honest even I don’t always look when I get sent one.

Tom: There’s new outlets as well now though, like Hype Machine.

Rob: It can all go in circles, Myspace was cool for a few years, now it’s all about Facebook.

Alex: It will be cool again in five years probably.

Click: Yeah, because it will be retro. Explain more about this ‘Hype machine?’

Alex: Hype Machine is this amalgamation of blogs, blogging music. But the blog has to be approved, the creator of Hype Machine has to think its decent, which means you get a lot of good music on it, lots of up and coming stuff. It was through Hype machine that I got to hear about Passion Pit, and heard they were playing in Bristol, contacted a promotor friend, and got to play with them.

Click: Wow! So aside from Passion Pit, what new artists are you guys into at the moment?

Rob: The Skints are my favourite band at the moment, a Reggae, ska band.

Alex: I’m quite into the Ellie Goulding remixes right now, she’s got a great voice.

Tom: We have to promote this guy Ninety Nine, this Canadian guy, he remixes a lot of our stuff, he’s brilliant! Heavy electro stuff.

Alex: He’s a big supporter.

Tom: We’ve become mutual fans of each other.

Click: Electro is really crossing over, and mashing up all the music genres right now. What do you guys feel about that?

Alex: Bit annoyed really! When I started the band, it was all very indie, guitar, bassist, drummer, standard. Then I was like, hang on a minute, Keyboard, yeah! And now, everyone’s got a bloody keyboard player, everyone’s electro!


TOM: Well a good thing about it is we’ve still got a guitar, some people just have synths.

Rob: ... A damn good guitar!

Click: What about your comparisons to Bloc Party?

Alex: Someone put our EP on their website, and in the foot notes it said ‘click here to download these Killers wannabes’ I was like Woah!? If you’re going to put our album up, for Free, don’t be a dick! But yeah, I guess Killers...

Rob: Whoa, slow down.

Alex: Well we are compared to their first album. I love the Killers first album. (TO ROB) Well what did you think when you first heard us?

Rob: I did think Bloc Party. It’s kinda like Synth Pop.

Click: I like the sound of that. Synth pop... could be “Synth’op”

Rob: Ha ha! Slop?

Tom: (LAUGHS) New genre!

Rob: Sloppy!

Click: (Highly Embarrassed!) That came out totally wrong.

Tom: Jamie came out with “Synth-tastic”

Click: Hmmm, what about Synth-a-licious?

Alex: Ooooh!

(ALL LAUGH)

Click: So what’s the plans for 2010?

Tom: New Single, and gigging really as well.

Click: So what’s the deal with getting on a label and getting signed?

Tom: We’ve had offers.

Alex: Yeah we’ve had interest. But I think they want us to prove ourselves.

Tom: Yeah, they need us to have had a couple of releases to know where we’re going with our music. We’ll see with the new single. We’ll just keep going really and see what happens.

Alex: Also I think having good contacts is going to help us. I’m a graphic designer, so being able to do the website enables us to look good, for free. Plus I did a music tech course, so I can do all the recording is done in the studio.

Tom: He’s very talented.

Click: So being based in Bristol, do you feel the city provides a good platform for new music?

Tom: I’d say they’ve got some good venues around here.

Alex: Poor to average. Well there is a lot of Electro clubs, but the music scene isn’t great. But I guess that could make it easier for us to stand out. Maybe... We want to create something fresh, but without forcing it.

Tom: But we don’t want to conform either, coz then it wouldn’t be different.

See We Are Tokyo Live at Start The Bus in Bristol, Thursday 18th March 2010. Tickets available at www.bristolticketshop.co.uk

Check out We Are Tokyo’s latest tracks at www.myspace.com/wearetokyo

Follow them on Twitter
twitter.com/wearetokyo

Or Find them on Facebook
facebook.com/pages/We-Are-Tokyo/

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