Interview with James & The Cold Gun
Cardiff alternative rock duo James and the Cold Gun have announced the details of their debut EP False Start, set for release on April 29th through Gallows' label Venn Records and Seattle-based label Loosegroove Records, owned by Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) & Regan Hagar (Malfunkshun, Brad, Satchel). I got a chance to talk to the band about the debut EP, their favourite parts of touring and their single 'It's Mutual'.
Hi, how are you?
James Biss: Great thanks, we’re currently on tour with grunge legends Therapy?
How would you describe your sound to the readers?
James Joseph: We are South Wales’ Loudest! No gimmicks, no fuss, just unapologetic rock music.
James Biss: Yeah it’s fast and messy, songs we wrote in the garage together that we’ve taking all around the U.K.!
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
JB: We both love the energy and power of that early noughties guitar rock revival, bands like the Hives and The Vines. I listen to the Queens of the Stone Age self titled album pretty much every other day haha
JJ: Yeah we love rock and roll with no gimmicks, stuff like Rocket from the Crypt and early Foo Fighters comes to mind too!
How did your musical journey start as James & The Cold Gun?
JJ: We we’re both in different bands before we ended up doing a hardcore side project together, it was short lived but we realised we worked really well together and still wanted to do another band.
JB: Musically, Cold Gun is an itch we both really wanted to scratch. We started playing around with riffs in our garage, cranked up, just returning to our roots of first making music.
JJ: It felt like we were 15 again, but with all the knowledge of what it takes to be in a band already, it felt like the perfect start!
Your debut EP ‘False Start’ is out on April 29th, congratulations! How was the process of making this EP for you?
JB: Thank you! It’s been a long process for sure. We started the band months before the first lockdown so wrote the entire thing stuck in our flat! The first time we played with live drums was in the studio tracking the EP, it was really exciting to hear the songs as we’d imagined them in real life. We pretty much tracked everything live and loud, just how it sounds at our live shows.
JJ: We’re putting it out on vinyl through Venn Records in the U.K. and Loosegroove records in the US. In a time where streaming is such a big focus it’s been so refreshing to work on the design and layout with different artists and come out with this debut physical record! It looks amazing
What’s the song you are most excited for people to hear from ‘False Start’?
JJ: Probably ‘Seven’, we’ve been using that track as the opener to our live show and it always get us going, after that we’re 100% ready for the rest of the gig
JB: We wrote a song about losing your head during lockdown, it’s super fast and filled with guitar hooks, one of my faves!
Your new single ‘It’s Mutual’ is out now, what can you tell us about that song?
JJ: It's a song that embodies the feeling that you get when you hit a stalemate in a relationship, that feeling when you're both sat together but neither person is able to speak. We've all had those awkward silent car journeys where there has been an argument or something isn't right but we can't even chat about it. Next time you have an awkward car journey, grab the aux and chuck some Cold Gun on
Do you have a favourite lyric or line from the song?
JB: I love the whole song to be honest haha, but the chorus perfectly embodies what we were trying to get across with this song, everybody reaches that state at some point
What was it like working with Adrian Bushby on this EP?
JB: Such a blast! Ade is an absolute pleasure to work with, I think he really understands what we’re trying to go for and masters that loud, untamed, raw energy from the live show.
JJ: The first time we worked with Bushby, we asked him so many questions about working with Dave Grohl, Placebo and the Spice Girls I’m amazed we got everything done in time. He mixes loud, drinks about 20 coffees a day and is always down for a laugh, we love him
Do you have a favourite memory from recording this EP?
JB: Getting to know Ade and messing with all the crazy amps, pedals and guitars he had was super fun. It was the most fun I’ve ever had recording
What’s something you want listeners to take away from listening to ‘False Start’?
JJ: Roll with the punches because not everything goes the way you plan it! We started this band seemingly at the worst time, just before lockdown! But we’ve come out of it way stronger.
JB: Rock music is alive and well, it doesn’t have to be clean or crazy complicated, you can start a band tomorrow with just a few instruments and have the best time ever
James & The Cold Gun are a great live band, I have seen you guys a few times now supporting Boston Manor, Salem and Creeper, who are all incredible live bands in their own right, what’s it like being out on the road with them?
JJ: Thank you! We’re so grateful to have been able to jump on so many shows post lockdown. Will (Creeper, Salem) has become a great friend to us, we really appreciate the support he’s given to us as a new band, as well as all the laughs we’ve had all over the U.K.!
JB: Cold Gun is meant to be heard live, getting to showcase that to a new audience like 70+ times since last August is just what we needed after 2 years of twiddling our thumbs inside
Is there a song that you always look forward to playing live the most?
JJ: Plug Me In is always so fun, it’s so fast and cathartic. It almost feels as if we’re moments from falling apart but managing to hang on until the end of the song
Do you have a favourite memory from tour?
JB: Probably all the food stops, we’re all vegan so touring with Cold Gun is essentially a food tour of the amazing vegan joints in the U.K. haha. But playing a sold out show with Creeper at the O2 Ritz in Manchester was such a surreal and amazing experience for me!
JJ: Definitely all the laughs in the van/backstage, we’re here to have a good time and play our favourite songs every night, tour is the best time for us
What’s next for James & The Cold Gun?
JB: On the back of releasing False Start, we’re going straight into our debut headline tour all around the U.K. as well as a few festival appearances!
JJ: We also recently signed to Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam)’s record label Loosegroove! We’re over the moon and a debut full length is definitely in the works!
And lastly, what have you been listening to recently? Is there anything you want to recommend to us?
JJ: We actually put together a playlist of all our favourite bands/tunes at the moment here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3dzRUy5oHtqYYpsc3eAJ1g?si=sd6lBinrS8W_fbvbTO6v8A
Pre-Order 'False Start' here.
Listen to 'It's Mutual' here.
James & The Cold Gun website here.
All After Midnight links here.
Music submissions and enquires to aftermidnightblog1@gmail.com
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