By Monk
We were first introduced to south Wales punk rock upstarts Penny Rich just two short weeks ago, when they shared their ‘Last Meal’ with us as part of our recent Singles Club focus on the wealth of talent here in the Über Kingdom of Rock ‘n’ Roll. With two EPs already under their belt, the single is the second tasty appetizer (sic) from their forthcoming debut album, which is due to land early next year.
So, I took the opportunity to catch up with frontman Anthony B to find out a bit more about the band, what they’ve been up, what drives them as a musical force, his in depth thoughts on social media and streaming platforms, and their plans for the future. I started by asking him how he, bassist Chris Hampson and drummer Tobias O’Reilly came together as a unit:
Myself and Tobias worked together briefly in a café. While Tobias worked in the kitchen and I worked front of house, we didn’t speak much. That is, until Tobias noticed I was playing a plethora of grunge on a close one night. Turns out we were both after a new project, and the rest, as they say, is history, with Chris joining later to complete the trio.
Personally, as a historian, I have an interest in etymology, so I feel have to ask about where the band name came from and if it has any special significance…
Penny Rich is a nod to the expression ‘penny for your thoughts’, as our whole ethos is essentially centred around cathartic expression, be that lyrically or through our sound.
Music is categorized into various genres and sub-genres. How would you define your sound? What individual and collective influences do you draw on for your sound?
Tough question, but I would say we mainly centre around noise and grunge.
Key inspirations include Metz, Idles, Nirvana, … However, there are many more random or surprising ones that have a subtle influence over our writing process, including DIIV, The Murder Capital, Soundgarden, etc.
As we mentioned above, you’ve just released your new single, which we were very happy to feature in a recent Singles Club feature: can you tell us a bit about it?
It’s a straight up angry punk number, addressing the topic of empty pleasures through the metaphor of a prisoner’s last meal.
Are there any particular lyrical themes/personal issues you are addressing in this song? Are there any particular issues/subjects that are important to you that you like to address in your material?
So ‘Last Meal’ was a bit of a random one. One night, I couldn’t sleep so I started watching this TV documentary on death row in the US. Obviously, it was a sad watch, purely driven by morbid curiosity. It did get me thinking though. What came across is that the final deed is as nothing compared to the limbo the inmates find themselves in, sometimes for years, even decades. This makes the notion of a ‘last meal’ almost a bit of a kick in the teeth, a bit of an empty gesture for temporary gratification.
The song tries to capture that moment, the moment where the inmate realizes that this meal means nothing, that this empty pleasure only serves to amplify their own sense of dread and foreboding, almost like they’ve been kidding themselves and been found out.
This spoke to me, as this is something I think we all do in everyday life. Whether kidding ourselves about our appearance, mental state, deadlines… we all do it. That vulnerable moment of self-realisation, that’s what the song is about.
Structurally, the song is made up of ‘two voices’, albeit using the same physical voice. One before and one during the ultimate moment of self-realisation. I am essentially having a conversation with myself. Considering this is something that usually goes on inside one’s head, it is incredibly cathartic to perform live.
This is an approach I tend to use for most of our lyrical content. For the energy to be there live, it has to be something personal, something that really forces you to tap into your emotions.
How important is social media in getting your music out there? Do you think it is useful for bands like yourself who maybe don’t have that big “corporate machine” behind them and dominating traditional media outlets?
It’s kind of crucial for any unsigned band these days in terms of getting your stuff out there, having audience interaction, etc. That being said, it will never be a true indication of what a band sounds like live, how good their music actually is, etc. To be cynical, some bands are better at playing this game (or have more money to throw at it) than others, making it hardly meritocratic. We actually noticed fairly recently that our views on social media actually spike after people have seen us play, which of course is very encouraging.
Is it more important than, say, streaming outlets especially given the fact that the financial returns for streaming can mean a band doing a lot of work for relatively little reward – i.e. you earn very small percentage returns, with the services themselves taking large chunks of your potential income. Is it worth the effort, or is it a fact of the business that you just have to accept?
The reality is that, in signing up for this, you accept that you are essentially buying a lottery ticket. Yes, there are things you can do to help increase your odds, but a lot of it is ultimately down to getting noticed by the right people at thew right time, which more often than not is based on a good amount of luck. That being said, most bands who do get noticed are incredibly hard workers, and that’s all you can really do. We all have jobs outside of this, so there would be no point in taking on what is essentially a second, arguably more stressful job, were it not for one simple fact: we enjoy it. If anything else comes of it, be it monetary or otherwise, then great.
Do you think that things like social media platforms, streaming services, etc., have made it easier for fans to discover new bands, or has it led to an even more competitive marketplace in which you need that vital USP in order to get attention?
I could write a whole essay on this, but in short, it has its pros and cons. On the one hand, I know that it has been amazing for me in terms of discovering new bands. However, you are ultimately at the mercy of an algorithm, making it unlikely to find a band in a similar position to us, for instance. While yes, everybody is free to upload onto these platforms, money (and industry muscle) still talks in this instance. That’s why playing live and having proper audience interaction is invaluable to us.
I also believe that streaming services have to a certain extent changed listening habits. Growing up, I used to love buying a whole album and really getting stuck into the artist’s broader concept/story. Today, with the popularity of streaming playlists, I think it’s more the case that the single is king.
Ultimately, music is mood, so having the choice can only be a good thing, so long as good artists aren’t put off putting out the genuine article, i.e. the music they are actually inspired to write for their own personal craft, not to adhere to algorithms and platform demands.
Even though life has returned back to normality (for the meantime anyway), do you think the option of things such as lives streams, which really took off during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, will continue to be used by bands, especially to reach into territories where they may not be able to play, or afford to go to?
Again, this has its pros and cons. Yes, you may be able to reach out to new audiences. However, they aren’t necessarily getting the full experience of the energy that comes with a live show, which again is crucial to us. That being said, it is also an opportunity to come up with something new, a different kind of creative outlet that combines more visual elements. The possibilities really are endless, in that respect.
So, what is next for the band? What is the plan for, say, 2023 in terms of getting out there and bringing your music to new and expanding audiences?
Our debut album is coming out early 2023. Buy it, stream it, steal it… tell us what you think! We’re super excited to finally get it out there. We will also be announcing a number of shows for the new year, so be sure to keep an eye on our socials!
OK, now a bit of fun, and a couple of quickfire “out there” questions to give us a wee bit of an insight into your personalities:
- Ice cream: vanilla or strawberry? Vanilla.
- Gravy or curry sauce on your chips? I grew up in Belgium, so mayo (only the good sh*t though).
- Salted or sweet popcorn? Both.
- Buckfast or Iron Bru? Water.
- Smarties or M&Ms? Smarties, although if you’re talking peanut M&Ms, different story.
- And the big one: pineapple on pizza? You want the drunk or sober answer?
Final question: now that live gigs are fully up and running again, we’ll give you your choice of any three other bands (signed or otherwise) you would choose to play with on a bill and where would that gig be?
METZ, IDLES and DIIV, preferably the ‘Rotonde’ at the ‘Botanique’ in Brussels (look it up, amazing venue).