Rising British indie band Good Neighbours are closing out the UK leg of their ‘Adolescence’ tour with one last night at the Kola in Portsmouth. We were lucky enough to get a chance to sit down with Scott and Oli and have a chat about there love of A24, recording guitars in petrol stations, plans for festival season and Oli’s Magic Mike trousers.
First and foremost, you guys are finishing off your tour here in Portsmouth tonight, Kola is a nice tiny venue, how are you feeling?
Oli: We’re excited! Yeah, I think it’s been like, quite an interesting tour. We’ve come from playing to American crowds, like the big support slot with Foster the people to then be playing in sweaty venues. Which we love because we grew up on them. Yeah, it’s a different mindset, though you have to perform way more in this venue than you do in a bigger venue. I think that’s cool because people can see you. They can see what you’re playing, and like, it’s been good for us in terms of improving our game. I think we’re thinking the set through way more. Which we probably should have been doing anyway.
Have you been changing it up though, altering what you’re playing?
Oli: Yeah definitely and like doing more as well, doing more performing, more playing. Just like getting a better show together now, which is really fun.
So I noticed you’d been playing some songs, that I’m assuming are coming off of the upcoming album what has the response been to that?
Scott: It’s been good. Yeah. It’s like all stuff we made really in the past few months. So, like, they’re all really fresh and like I guess the way we’re playing them live and how they’re going down, is changing the way we are, like producing them a little bit, yeah. It’s been super helpful. I feel like they’ve gone down well.
Oli: We’ve had a few people come up and talk about, like, Wonderful Life and stuff.
Scott: I think a lot of the other ones are new still anyway, just because they’re old to us. Yeah, people still haven’t heard a lot them.
Oli: Yeah, and we also get quite a younger crowd on this tour. It’s like around the uni town, so they’re always very polite. They’re never like the grumpy old men. That are like I like this one, this one and this one.
But not so much this one?
Oli: Yeah.
So, with the stuff that you’re coming up with now, you’re playing; perfecting really. Before you record it, are you guys going to record it yourself like you did at Home, or are you getting a producer in?
Oli: We’ve done all of it ourselves. Um, we’re basically down to the last track and a half now. It’s been hard because we knew we wanted to put one out this year, but we didn’t know how many shows we were going to play, and we’ve just in the best way possible booked basically, most of our year out now with gigs. So, we are producing a lot of it on the back of a bus. Which was kind of a childhood dream, but so stressful. The shine wore off within the first two tries of trying to produce a track on the moving bus.
You know what that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest? Actually, I suppose you’re writing it on the bus. Which you practiced with writing Home in a car?
Oli: Yeah, we should be good on moving vehicles by now.
Scott: We, yeah, I think it’s the first time we’ve ever had, like an actual deadline, which is way harder than before when we were just doing it for fun.
Speaking of doing Home on the car trip. I have to ask, recording guitars in petrol stations. What was that like, were there people looking at you like what is this guy doing?
Oli: Honestly, no. It was quite bashful and like covered, the door was open so people couldn’t see what I was doing. It was a bit of a haphazard trip back, but it worked out for the best.
It got you here, which obviously wasn’t expected when you were just uploading 30 second clips to tik tok.
Scott: Not at all.
You guys have said, you take inspiration from A24, and you record a lot with A24 films playing in the background. Are there any songs that are specifically inspired by any films? Like, when you play it, that’s the film you think of.
Oli: Yeah there’s a running scene in, I think the film’s called Closer. It’s a really sad film, but it’s shot so beautifully! Kind of the same way this band approaches the art of songwriting. It’s a really sad story, but shot in a really beautiful, light, vibrant way. so juxtaposes itself and Keep It Up was that for us the song is about, like, struggle, and sort of coming up in the world, but the production’s really bright and beautiful. So there’s a running scene when they’re going through, like a tulip field and they’ve just been playing hide and seek. It’s right at the beginning, and it’s like the perfect Coming of Age shot, and we just looped it on my laptop. So we just looped it over and over again and the piano for Keep It Up kind of syncs up perfectly with that.
I’ll have to watch it while listening to that and see how that plays.
Oli: Yeah, yeah do it.
Are there any films that you’re like, I really wish we could have scored that, or I really wish we could write a song that fits with that film.
Scott: Loads, I mean, we’ve been really lucky. This year, we have a couple of really exciting things lined up and that’s always something we’ve really wanted to do.
Oli: We are very lucky. Um, I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to. I’d love to rescore Stand By Me, the film. I think that’s wicked. It already has like a really great score. Yeah, great soundtrack, but it would be a nice one if they ever recreated it. You could see it done in the stranger things way, but like upbeat.
Coming off of an American tour with Foster the people, was that crazy for you, getting to perform on the same stage as them?
Scott: Yeah it was definitely crazy. Yeah, we heard the set like maybe 30 times and still by the last night we were, like, I love this song. As soon as we hear it, it just takes us straight back to being like 16.
Oli: It doesn’t actually sink in, I think, because we’ve had everything. So, like, thick and fast, yeah. from the beginning of last year. Even when you’re on tour with them. You don’t deep that you’re on tour with them. Like, I don’t know how to explain that. I felt like I was still just going to watch Foster the people play a show. I forgot that I was a support act before them. Don’t deep those things. I’d be like that was actually insane. That’s one of my favourite bands. So, yeah, it was just very cool.
Now I have to ask, you guys did an interview where the interviewer told you that Mark (Foster) had really small hands. Did you guys notice that, like it was at the front of your mind?
Oli: He’s quite a small man. He’s quite I’d say he’s compact as a human being. He’s quite yeah, he’s just. He’s gorgeous. Yeah like everything good has just been really compacted.
Scott: It’s not even that small.
Oli: We’re just really big. I’m just jealous of people that are compact because I’m flimsy and long.
I wouldn’t describe you as flimsy and long. Tall, yeah?
Oli: Yeah, thank you. That was originally one of our first ideas for the band name Lanky.
But Good Neighbours is a great band name, and also fits really well, because obviously the name comes from you guys working in studios next to each other. So, how did you guys kind of end up working together and what is it like going from being a solo artist? To doing that on your own and then moving into creating with somebody else and having to kind of merge yourselves together and perform. together, instead of just a singular person on stage?
Oli: I think for me, it’s been good like I didn’t like being a solo artist. Because, I don’t know. I found I got quite insular about things that maybe I didn’t need to get insular about. Whether it was the right scene or like how I was performing whereas this, it’s like, it’s Scott and it’s all of our friends from home that are in the band. So good for morale, like, especially like going through, like tough times, and like hardships when we’re away. Um, although someone will have an off day and you’ve got four more people there to like back you up if your not up for the show. You’ve got the rest of the band. Yeah, like that is invaluable. I think especially as a touring act, and then when we’re in the studio, same thing like, if I’m not feeling up to Scott can carry it and vice versa, sort of thing. It’s just it lightens the load, I’d say.
Do you guys have a pre-show ritual before you go on as a group?
Oli: We have a little hug, a little team talk. It’s been lacking on this tour because the venues are so small so we haven’t had our tunes playing and everyone is getting hype.
Scott: Yeah, we’re just in like a basement or a stairwell trying to scoff down food before we go on stage.
So basically what I am now imagining in my head is the pre-show scene from Magic Mike XXL, this is showtime not bro time.
Oli: Yeah, that is what it’s like, basically, and we really think of that comparison quite a lot. The shows are quite like Magic Mike as well.
Scott: Yeah, so similar.
Oli: It’s only baby oil, that’s the only difference. More friction with us.
I’ve now got this image in my head that I don’t even want to shift.
Oli: And run with that.
Just run with it yeah, I’ll be watching the show like, hey, this is not what I was promised.
Oli: Actually, these trousers come straight off if I rip them.
I did notice getting here you guys have already got fans queuing outside the venue. Is that weird for you?, there were some fans in merch as well, some homemade hoodies and other bits…
Oli: Oh, great, there’s been a boy here since like 4:30, seems like this might be one of his first concerts. He’s just so small, but he just didn’t want to get lost at the back. We need to go and find him and make sure he goes to the front.
(Side note to this, little man did indeed make it to the front and got a shout out from the boys during the show, which I like to think would have made his night)
What is that like? Having people sitting outside venues waiting for the show?
Scott: It’s the first time we’ve had it really.
Oli: Yeah but i think it’s because we haven’t had our own tour to be fair. We’ve been on other peoples tours so we don’t really think about the queue that much. But yeah, it is really weird. I feel bad for them most of the time. I feel like you don’t need to queue for us. But obviously they want to.
They want to make sure they have a good spot.
Oli: Exactly, it’s very amazing. I just kind of forget that this is for us.
And it’ll be the same after the show I guess, you’ll have people waiting to meet you.
Oli: Yeah we try to say hello to people as much as we can. It’s nice to be in these venues and be more personal, like we get to know who are audience are. Its not feasible sometimes in the bigger venues to meet everyone after the show. You just want to lie down but these venues its great because you can just hop off stage.
So the dream then? You guys have got a viral song which is fantastic and your listenership is constantly going up but what is the dream? Where do you want to be?
Scott: We didn’t set an end goal, I think if we did we would just be stressed about it. We just take it Month, I mean even week by week.
Oli: We’ve never tried to put an aim on it because I think we’ve always said that, like the ceiling thing. If Brixton is our end goal, you could get to Brixton within like a year and then you’re like I don’t know what we do now. So I think for us it’s more like the music always has to come first. Be really proud of the music, then whatever happens happens. And so far, it’s been amazing. Like, I feel like we’ve been putting out the right vibrations that, like, the positive results have just been coming towards us, and we work really hard. Play as hard as we can, and I think that really generates a lot of results. Yeah. We’re living the dream
So you’re off to New Zealand for the first time?
Oli: Yeah, I can’t wait. Only we’re not there longer. I think we’re only there for?
Scott: Two days,
Oli: Yeah, a few days. But yeah, that is, like, that’s the crazy part for me. I think it’s more you’re like, I’m going there just to play because people want to see our band. Like, that’s the really cool bit to me. Going to a country that I could like, never go to before sort of thing.
So America, Australia, New Zealand, UK. You’ve got festival dates coming up as well
Oli: Yes, Europe stuff as well, we’re going to be doing later on in the year. And then, yeah, a lot of European festivals this year, which is exciting. And our first American ones, which is super exciting.
Have you got a European festival you’re really looking forward to?
Oli: Rock on Seine, in Paris.
Scott: That’s a crazy line up for us. Vampire Weekend, Chappell Roan…
Oli: It’s a really good weekend.
Scott: Back to back with reading and Leeds for us, so it’s just like three in a row.
There’s something different about European festivals, I’ve never seen anything quite like it
Oli: I’ve never been to one
Scott: I’ve heard they have the best catering
Oli: I’ve never been to one; we did three last year. We did BBK which was really cool. BBK is beautiful. I wish we could have stayed longer. We were like darting off to play another show, but its on like the top of a mountain basically and the stage opened up. I think they shut it when we were on stage. But, uh, you could see through the stage. It was just a mountain range behind. It looked unbelievable.
You don’t get that here. You can have mud and rain.
Scott: Yeah, we just got very lucky for our European festivals. They’re all like on top of a mountain, so it’s so good.
Oli: It’s our brief, we only play at high altitudes.
Obviously, with Reading and Leeds coming up you’ll get to be washed out and muddy I’m sure.
Oli: We’re really excited for that. We’re on the main stage this year which is going to be pretty scary
Now I would say would you guys like to play Glastonbury but I know one of you already has.
Scott: A long, long time ago yeah but were holding out for it.
Scott: People always bring this up.
Oh yeah and I guarantee it will continue to be brought up
Scott: I can’t erase that, apparently.
Oh no, it’s like one of the first things that comes up. It’s like Scott played Glasto.
Oli: Youngest person to play it.
Allegedly I mean we can’t prove that anymore.
Oli: Yeah, Greta Thunberg. She blew you out the water on that one,
But would you like to play Glastonbury together though?
Oli: Yeah, that’s a big tick for us to do. Although just to be there.
Well thank you guys this has been amazing, We appreciate you taking the time to talk with us.
Good Neighbours are currently finishing off their tour with dates in Australia, America and New Zealand. So don’t miss your chance to see them play live. For more information including dates and tickets head here
