I was amazed when I happened to come across Wild Front headlining a stage at the Together The People Festival. I was actually on my way home, but after half a song I could not bring myself to leave their intriguing alternative indie sound. Delving deeper into their material, their self-titled debut EP is a diverse experiment of rock, funk, pop and 80s galore that is as distinct as it is coherent. Once again, they have given us another gem with ‘Rico’ (out 30 September) that sounds utterly different to anything they have done yet still totally Wild Front. I met up with lead singer and guitarist Jack to find out more about him and the band.
Where did you grow up?
Croydon in south London. I moved to Southampton when I was 17, which is where I met Joe (lead guitar), Mike (bass) and Josh (drums).
What kind of music were you brought up on?
My dad is into a lot of folk, he is a big Neil Young fan. But my parents didn’t really influence me apart from the odd artist, I mostly just found my own way. Jack Johnson, embarrassingly, got me into playing the guitar.
Can you remember the first album you bought?
I think one of the first ones I brought was the early Muse album, Origins Of Symmetry.
How did Wild Front form?
I met Joe and Mike at college. Josh was a mate of Joe’s, he brought him in when we were looking for a drummer. I had a solo project before Wild Front which was pretty much exactly the same band but more chilled folky stuff. It was naturally taking a more rocky/funky root, so we decided to start anew.
Is there a story behind the name?
The name took so long to stick, but no real story. When we started out, we were call Tracy Island after Thunderbirds. Then we realised it was completely ridiculous as well as being a difficult band name to find on Google.
What are the band's main influences?
For me, stuff like Bon Iver and City & Colour. The others in the band are into a lot of neo soul, hip-hop and rock. We all love Tame Impala, they are a big band for us.
How do you approach the recording process?
Joe is our producer, he has a shed down the bottom of his garden which has a pretty sweet set up. All the recordings are done there which is really fun and there is no burden of having to pay for a session.
Tell us a bit about your new single ‘Rico’…
We are really happy with it. It’s a bit different to what we normally do but it has come out pretty much exactly how we wanted. We are shooting a video for it at the moment which will go live a week or two after the release date.
Is there another release coming soon?
In terms of an EP, we are undecided at the moment. However, we will be releasing a new single every month up until December. The track we were going to released in October will now be release in November – we accidently deleted all the files for it, literally every file. We don’t know how it happened but it did – those things happen.
What has been a musical eye-opener?
It has to be Bon Iver, although it doesn’t have much of a lead to our music. I don’t think I have heard anyone who has done what he has done to music, the way that he has flipped it on its head. How creative he is, the amount of attention he puts on the little things that in mainstream music doesn’t really exist. He changed my perception on how to approach writing as well as production and how things sound.
Who would be in your ultimate supergroup?
Arron Stering (John Mayer) is my dream drummer and Pino Palladino (John Mayer / D’Angelo) on bass – I don’t have a secret obsession with John Mayer but they are both amazing session musicians. The frontman would be between Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Yannis Philippakis (Foals) on guitar and vocals.
What would be your perfect line-up of any three acts for a concert you are putting on and where would it be?
It would be at the Hammersmith Apollo as it is my favourite venue, with Bob Marley, Jeff Buckley and Bon Iver on the bill.
If you could work with any artist, who would it be and what would they bring to Wild Front?
I would love to do a songwriting session with Tame Impala, that would be incredible. Or do one with Dallas Green from City & Colour.
If you could give a musical award of the year, what would it be for and for whom?
Neil Young for being the ballsy’ist guy ever. He just doesn’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks of him.
Do you get to go to many gigs?
I haven’t recently as money always seems to be the issue. I tend to see most people when we are playing festivals, like Fickle Friends and Everything Everything.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
I’m listening to loads of this band called Jaws. I’m really into Loyal Carner and Tom Misch at the moment. I’m really liking the writing style of Father John Misty. Turnover, in my opinion, released the best album of 2015 with Peripheral Vision – their track called ‘Cutting My Fingers Off’ blew my mind!
What are your future plans till the end of the year and after?
We play the Southsea Festival on 1 October which we are really looking forward to, playing just before Youth Club who I really like. We support Dagny at Patterns on 24 October. All the singles planned up to the end of the year, and maybe a tour and an EP at the end of it.
Facebook: facebook.com/WildFrontuk
Twitter: twitter.com/Wild_Front
Bandcamp: WildFrontuk.bandcamp.com