Bull – in our humble opinion, ones to watch. The band recently announced they will be playing BBC Introducing at Reading and Leeds, not to mention their upcoming tour (they’ll be in Lincoln on October 22nd!). Have a read through their interview and get yourself up to speed before it all kicks off!
Where does the name Bull come from?
We think it was our friend Liam’s suggestion. I think we went with it partly because we knew we wanted one word, (like Yuck!) but also because it seemed to sort of match with our philosophy as a band. (Bull sh*t). I had been in a lot of bands before but never as the songwriter. I wanted to be in a band where it wasn’t stressful and we were doing it purely for fun, no rules!
How did you all meet?
When we first formed in 2011, we were all at school together. I met Dan as I am the boyfriend of his sister, Martha. And we would have a lot of fun playing music together and I showed him a few chords on guitar. One of his best buds Rory came over to my house and we enjoyed playing music together, then we figured we needed a drummer and my old primary school friend Louis had been seen wearing a pixies t-shirt at school (and I’d heard him drum) so that was Bull mk1. Kai went to school with Dan and us and joined the band on megaphone for a laugh a few times. He had also played bass in York for a long time and was a good friend of ours so a great fit to join on bass. Tom Gabbatiss we’d known through gigging and I went travelling with him and asked him to join the band then. And the rest is pop history.
What are the best (and worst!) things about being in a band?
Good question! I’m sure the answer (at least to worst) might be slightly different for each of us. But I’m sure best is generally the feeling of playing music, when we’re all playing together and on the same page. But yeah we all also like travelling and making friends and meeting people. It’s really nice revisiting places and feeling like your meeting back up with old friends, picking up where you left off type of stuff. Worst… financial instability. That’s not great. But I wouldn’t change it 🙂
What have you been up to lately?
We’ve released our album so we’ve mostly been working on the next one (actually two!) and preparing to tour our album (Discover Effortless Living) for the first time this September/October. We’re playing all over the Uk and returning to the Netherlands which should be great 🙂
If your music was a person, what would they be like?
Hmmm, like a mixture of the four of us I suppose. Dan’s hair, my eyes, Kai’s ears, Tom G’s lips.
What has been your most memorable gig so far (and why)?
There have been a lot. Remember a good one in Groningen in the Netherlands at a place called Vera. We were supporting Canshaker Pi. Was just one of my favourite times I can remember playing, the sound was amazing, that venue is very inspiring.
If you could collaborate with any other artist, living or dead, who would you choose?
Willem Smit (from Personal Trainer / Canshaker Pi / Steve French in the Netherlands).
What are your hopes/goals for the future of the band?
I’d like if we could record more albums, tour. I’d like it very very much if we could play at venues like Vera and The Brudenell Social Club and The Fulford Arms, and people would want to come out and see us play.
