Friday 25 September 2015

Coates Q&A

Your name:
Oli Coates.

Where are you from?
High Wycombe (its just outside West London).

Name of band:
Coates.

Who else is in your band? 
My drummer is Toby Pilcher. Like any drummer should be, he’s the real backbone of the act and plays with fantastic feel, he also produced the EP that's coming out. We’re currently using session bass players for live until we can find a mainstay player.  

How would you describe yourselves?
I would describe it as lyrically driven acoustic/indie music with something to say. Too many people sing about the same old rubbish. I believe that social commentary has also become stale and there's no imagination in what people in the mainstream are writing about at the moment. 

Who are your main influences musically?
I would say I am more influenced by lyrics than I am by music. Lyrically I’m inspired by the Morrissey, Alex Turner, Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg and Pete Doherty. I grew up around a lot of 80’s indie music like The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen as well as 90’s music like Oasis, Blur and Suede which I think is really evident in the tunes. 

What do you hope to achieve in music?
My only aspirations are in live music. I just want to play live as much and for as long as I possibly can. It’s the reason I write and the reason I play music. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?
I played a show in London at the 100 club on Oxford Street, before my soundcheck walking around looking at all the pictures of people that had played there that were on the walls, it was really inspirational, one of those moments that makes you feel like you know you’re doing what you love! The venue was packed and it was a great show. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?
I played a show at the beginning of the year in London, I started playing a song in the wrong key. I managed to blag it until I got to the chorus and had to stop as I had no idea where I was going! One of my mates was watching and coincidently that was the only part of the whole show he filmed, he sent it round my friends who decided to make a promo video out of it for the EP! Comedians...

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
I’d say Grin and Tonic. Lyrically it encapsulates what the EP is about and has a more personal story to it. Musically it has a driving uptempo feel, I’ve opened every show with it since it was written! 

Where can we listen to it?



Where can we find out more about your music?

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?
Yes, I have an EP coming out on the 25th September, the same date that I’ll be headlining The Spice of Life in Soho, London! 

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