Review Fix chats with Paul Love, drummer, producer and one half of London alt indie duo Plastic Barricades, who discusses the band’s origin, goals and more.
Review Fix: How did the band get together?
Paul Love: Long ago in the days of yore thine guitarist Dan did say, “I wanna make some tuuuunes.” and thus did begin his quest to tickle the ears of many. He did so most exquisitely and happened upon the thought to seek his fortune in the lands of monarchs and unicorns. He ventured to Auld England and practiced his craft astutely and vehemently. Many companions would come and go along his quest until one day he met a drummer named Paul. He was naught the fastest, nor the wisest however he did share a love for Nirvana and The Foos. They have been brothers in arms ever since.
Review Fix: Where does your name come from?
Love: ‘Twas bestowed upon us by a fine young maiden whose glistening pale hand raised from the mixed swimming pond at Hampstead Heath. “Thou shalt be known as Plastic Barricades and that shall be thine name forevermore for it is good enough.” I guess she wasn’t aware it was a bit of a bitch when it comes to a google search. Maybe she thought road safety fetishists and constructions workers would like our stuff.
Review Fix: What makes this band unique?
Love: I don’t think there’s another Estonian/Scouse two-piece making everything in a wooden shed in North West London. Prolly dat.
Review Fix: How was One For The Road’ written?
Love: It came from the feeling that we’re a little stuck in society. That there’s so much communal pressure and expectation it’s kind of hard to live. Before mass agriculture your only needs were shelter and food each day. Past that you have freedom to do whatever. Agriculture tied us to a land rather than all land (but hey, we got beer and wine out of it) and now towns and cities tie us to contracts and taxes and event invitations on Facebook and a million other things that fill up the spaces in our heads that could have been used for ourselves and our friends. Being on the road is freeing. Expectations don’t mean much when you’re in a new county tomorrow.
Review Fix: How do you want that track to affect people?
Love: I want people to think about what they could do instead of what they need to do.
Review Fix: What makes UK music different to you?
Love: I think Britain has always had a way of reflecting what Europe and America are doing back at them. We’re kind of unaware of how strange we are culturally. We’re very restrictive and we re-contextualise other cultures without much consideration for their heritage rather rapidly because we’re blind to our own. A white guy from Ealing singing cotton field slave songs doesn’t make much sense but you can’t argue that it’s bloody good when you hear it. We have an odd mix of progressive and conservative culture. Everyone has healthcare but we still have a heavy class system. There’s poverty, but the impoverished still have an artistic voice (albeit ignored). The poor hear and see things from around the world but take it in rather than travel out. Growing up in Merseyside music was a way of escaping being told who I was supposed to be. Liverpool has produced some of the most significant art of the past century but we’re treated like uncultured yobs by most of the country. It’s a weird dichotomy. The middle and upper classes are very quick to claim The Beatles as British and do nothing to help the working class that produced them. We have a saying in Liverpool: “We’re not English, we’re Scouse.”
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound?’
Love: British guitar music from 2019.
Review Fix: What are your bucket-list goals as a band?
Love: An album in the top of the charts. US late night talk shows. A slot on SNL. World Tour. Knebworth, Red Rocks, Budokan, Madison Square Garden, Wembley. A farm either in New England or the South of France.
Review Fix: What do you want to accomplish in 2020?
Love: We want people to enjoy our music, remind people that guitars can sound new and exciting and meet some new friends on tour. We’re all about the good times!!
Review Fix: What’s next?
Love: Releasing our new album “Self-Theories” after a couple more singles or so. The next single is called “Optimist” and that’ll be out in February.
Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?
Love: Kanye’s right. He is the biggest rock star in the world. We hope to fix that.
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