Festivals are the perfect place to discover new bands. The Great Escape is no exception, indeed its where I saw Snake Eyes for the first, and definitely not the last, time. The band have a new EP out on Friday Health via Alcopop! Records.
Could you introduce yourselves and share your roles in the band?
Thanks for having us, it’s a pleasure. We’re a 3 piece gritpop band from Brighton made up of me (Jim Heffy) on guitar and vocals, Nic (Nicole Gill) on the bass + vocals, and b (Thomas Coe-Brooker) on the tubs.
I have to ask, how did you come up with the band name! And how did Snake Eyes come together as a band?
I asked my Dad to send me a list of band names when I was first coming up with tunes for the band and I would name demos after the ones that I wasn’t a massive fan of. One of them was ‘snake dance’ and my friend misremembered it as Snake Eyes. It just hit the ear right and that was that. It’s nothing to do with the Nic Cage movie. Me and Nic did music at college together many years ago and me and b played in another band together once upon a time. Just drafted in my mates when nobody had the time to start up a new band. Very grateful for the gang.
Your new EP Health is your first on Alcopop! Records. Could you share the themes that the EP is influenced by?
Alcopops! are just lovely and passionate people who care about championing bands that they genuinely believe in and I feel like that’s why their roster is so strong. We’ve been welcomed into the family with open arms and we feel truly blessed. The record covers themes of mental health and how these can end up affecting your physical health. I think it’s really about accepting who you are and ultimately being proud of that. Times are tough and taking the time to appreciate yourself is important. That’s the headspace of this record.
The opening track is ‘No one is truly cool‘. It almost reads like a mantra, something to be mindful of else you go down a rabbit hole of comparison and pressure. Am I on the right lines?
I think that it’s pretty easy to get wrapped up in what’s cool or what’s popular but ultimately, that changes all the time. Being true to yourself and being authentic is the most important thing really when it comes to music so it’s more about being unapologetically you and not worrying about all the other bullshit.
You have a few live dates coming up. What does it mean to you to play live? Am I right in thinking you felt unleashed post lockdown and played as much as possible?
We’ve got quite a few live dates coming up, yeah. Lots of festivals and touring later in the year which will all be announced soon enough. We’re pumped for the future for sure. We took our time to get all the pieces in place and have a wealth of material now. The songs come alive on stage and I feel it’s the best way you can experience our band. We’re only just getting started.
If I looked in your fridge right now what would I find?
Been on a big mustard tip of late after having a wicked bagel at The Great Escape so a bottle of that, bunch of vegis, oat milk, sourdough, and a bottle of siracha. Need to do a big shop really.
For more information on Snake Eyes please check out their facebook and instagram.