From Warwickshire, UK, comes Rubbish Party, a sonic force blending indie rock energy, alternative grit, and synth-rock exploration. Vocals / Guitar โ Alfred Lavender Bass Guitar / Vocals โ Edward Clutterbuck Drums โ George Hammich Synthesizer/ Lyrics / producer โ Evan Von Berg Mixer / synthesizer / Lyrics / producer โ The Crimson Creep Guitar / Lyrics / Vocals โ J. Edwin Galloway. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?
RUBBISH PARTY: Hello, Evan Von Berg with Rubbish Party, I think honestly it would just be the story of me finding myself when I was 14. I viewed some images of ancient Germanic artifacts online and it struck me so deeply as if I had seen it in a past life. It sent me on a wild journey of self discovery, Discovering what I was in my past life and shaping who I am today as a person, and shortly after that, I discovered indie music and bands like the smiths and modest mouse and it all turned into what I am today as a being returned to this cold earth.
2. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
RUBBISH PARTY: I wrote music about them. In our new album you will see a slamdown of many of our critics. Of course if I deem an individual useless I just easily ignore their hating. But if they have some sway, it infuriates me and sends me and my band mates into lyrical overdrive. I tale attacks on a personal level.
3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, whatโs the story behind choosing the name โRUBBISH PARTYโ?
RUBBISH PARTY: I discovered modest mouse as I discussed earlier, around the age of 14. Before then my musical taste was devoid and worthless. Discovering them sent me on a Indie / alternative life changing journey. The smiths, Modest Mouse, the pixies, ECT. All had a profound impact on me. As for the name Rubbish Party, My band mates in Britain always used the term rubbish to describe things they disagreed with, and it hit me. The band should be called Rubbish Party. Shame we only found out later there is also a political party one Scotland called that, that advocates removing trash from the streets. We have no association with them.
4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?
RUBBISH PARTY: I think what sets it apart is we are actually bringing back influences from a bygone era, and also adding in our own unique flare. I would describe is as classic British Indie with a slight modern twist. I hope to invoke all the emotions I had when I discovered indie, which is to say all emotions, depending on the song. For flat by the lake itโs nostalgia and longing, for Hear Ye, itโs sadness and a deep desire to fix what is broken, for Smile Now itโs control and power. I wish to bring listeners on a magical journey of emotion in our tracks. For the culinary Vendetta album, itโs a sick twisted homage to cannibalism and our darker sides.
5. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
RUBBISH PARTY: I would say love performances. We havenโt done much of it yet and thatโs what excites me. When we were young lads we had one live performance at a pub that didnโt go so well. But I have a desire to please the crowd and I am thrilled to tour one day.
6. Music often transcends entertainment. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
RUBBISH PARTY: I think music functions on all those levels you mentioned, depending on what the track goes for of course. Thatโs the beauty of music, it can be used to evoke any emotion, or to be used as a lesson on any philosophy, or polical idea. That what makes music so incredible. It can also inspire entire social movements. Think of Woodstock and the hippie era and all that era reigned in (which wasnโt necessarily a good thing culturally in my opinion). Iโm interested in our music expressing many different things and on a political and social aspect, you will see a lot more of that being addressed in our future album and Iโm thrilled to share it with you all. Its a slam of modern society as whole, Capitalism, the rotten system as it is, but also, sorry, also Communism, and other in my opinion, vile systems. I advocate a return to traditionalism and for me personally, So, โI long for the systems that existed in my past life, In the Migration Era. We have strayed so far. I also will warn against us marching as a society towards Techno Feudalism. J. Edwin Galloway, our band mate, wrote some amazing lyrics for this upcoming album. Just you wait.
7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment youโre still seeking?
RUBBISH PARTY: I feel that so far the rewards have yes. Iโm excited for the future and think big things are coming. Because we are only going to be investing more energy into rubbish party.
8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, whatโs the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?
RUBBISH PARTY: It all starts with the lyrics, we take the raw lyrics and then my mates start working on instrumentals they think would sort of fit the theme we are going for. Happy, Sad, ECT. Then we see what matches best and we start to put it together. Its a long process. These 2 releases we had were recorded over the last couple of years and so was our future September album coming out. It takes time and can be tedious. The most essential part would be making sure everything blends together well.
9. Whatโs been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?
RUBBISH PARTY: In our music career it was just finding the time to record. We al have jobs, we all have an outside life, and itโs hard to find time to hit the studio for sure, personally, for me, It was that I had a side of my family that despised me, and hated me, and blamed me for anything I did wrong. I think it created a lot of insecurity, trust issues, ECT. And sometimes now itโs hard to believe that anybody will like the stuff I put out. I was constantly being scrutinized by this branch of my family. For J. Edwin Galloway, our band mate, itโs that he was raised in a super strict household and now with us he can fully express himself.
10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And letโs talk about your latest release and future plans.
RUBBISH PARTY: My proudest moment is we have hit 20k streams on our EP Love and Decay, and itโs rising everyday. Our latest release, Love and Decay, is a homage to fisled relationships. It starts with hear ye, which is the early signs of failure and bad moments taking hold. Shimmy and Shake is the realization your partner has cheated on you (we have all been there at some point, especially nowadays in this society where itโs almost encouraged to be a disloyal scumbag). Flat by the lake is the longing for the simpler times in the relationship before the downfall hit hard, and Smile now is the moment where youโve been put through so much hell, itโs your turn to flip the tables and take command and be evil back.
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