IN our latest edition of Radar Spotlight, we turn our attention to SOAPBOX – a Glasgow punk band with a penchant for chaos.
With two singles out in the world – ‘Value Added Glasgow’ and ‘Mad Jungle Beat’ – the four-piece have spent the last few months building a loyal following thanks to riotous gigs at King Tuts, Hug and Pint, Flying Duck and The Priory to name a few. Inspired by punk veterans like The Damned as well as modern icons like Soft Play and Amyl and the Sniffers, they’re a classic punk band in every sense of the word – channelling social disillusionment and discontentment into hard and sharp anthems, full of grit, high energy and sardonic wit.
A band you don’t want to miss, they make their TENEMENT TRAIL debut on Saturday 7th October alongside many of the nation’s top new acts. Get your tickets here.
So, ahead of what is sure to be one of the most hotly anticipated sets of the weekend, we had a chat with them below.
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT YOU AND HOW DID YOU START?
Aidan wanted to start a band. He put out an advert looking for a lead singer for a punk band and Tom was the only person to respond, so he was stuck with him. We picked up the twins (Angus n Jenna) along the way.
WHO ARE YOU INFLUENCED BY?
We’re a punk band so the music has so many obvious influences from The Damned to more modern stuff like Soft Play, Amyl And The Sniffers and Viagra Boys. Our writing is more influenced by our life experiences, we all come from quite different areas and have all worked a lot of shite jobs. So we draw from a lot of the frustrations we find from just getting on with life.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST MOMENT AS A BAND SO FAR?
Probably the biggest was our sold-out headline at Tuts, But our favourite as a band was playing the closing night of the Priory with SNASH. It was a venue that we saw a lot of shows and in did a lot of drinking in, so it was brilliant to play the final gig in a venue so important to us. The crowd were absolutely incredible and SNASH were terrific to play with as well.
WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS AS AN ARTIST?
We all have a severe praise kink so as long as people keep listening, we’re happy.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOUR SET AT TENEMENT TRAIL?
Moderate nudity.
WHAT ACTS DO YOU WANT TO SEE ON THE DAY?
San Jose are a must. Everyone has to see them. We have so many talented friends playing this year that we have met on the Glasgow circuit. Milange, Tina Sandwich, Junk Pups are all class. Walt Disco will be amazing too.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FESTIVAL MEMORY?
Jenna: Chilling by a waterfall at R & Dub festival.
Aidan: Tickling a bald man’s head at TRNSMT 2019 … Apologies.
Angus: Spraying folk with silly string at Doune the Rabbit Hole while watching Sister Sledge.
Tom: Holding up Jehnny Bath at Primavera while she sang Heroine.
WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU GOT COMING UP?
We’re playing a few dates on Dead Pony’s UK tour this month. Then we’ve got another single in the works for this year, after that we’re away down south to spread the good word of Soapbox to all our English pals.
Get your TENEMENT TRAIL tickets here.
