We gave Simple Fiction the UpClose treatment ahead of their huge imminent London headline show
Emerging UK indie outfit Simple Fiction are the latest outfit to get the UpClose treatment thanks to our partnership with Close Up, and with a huge headline London show in just a few days at Notting Hill Arts Club, we can’t think of a better time to have got a bit better acquainted with them. The outfit have gained acclaim over the last few years for their textured and measured indie rock sound and 2021 has seen them finally release their debut EP Final Days of a Phase, a piece of work that continues to hint at the massive potential of the outfit.
In our chat we found out some more about the outfit and their approach to creating music, their aforementioned upcoming show, and coming out the other end of a global pandemic that has had the music industry on its knees. Simple Fiction look primed to really come into their own in the near future and continue to go from strength to strength.
Simple Fiction! It’s great to have a chat. We love your music as you well know. Tell us a bit more about the world of SF?
Well, thank you so much for having us! It’s great to chat to you. The world of SF has been a rollercoaster for the last couple of years, to be honest. We started playing together as a uni thing, and then before we knew it, we were supporting some of our favourite bands, and releasing a double single on a cool indie label. After that, in the middle of recording our debut EP, covid happened and we had to pretty much drop everything. Somehow we managed to pull it off and finish the EP ‘Final Days of a Phase’. We are so proud of what we achieved sonically with it, that I’d say it was worth the wait. So yeah, the world of SF is a bit of an adventure! Above all we’re very good mates who love sharing music with each other, so really can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next year.
What part of the musical process do you enjoy most, and why? is it performing live, creating your tracks, or..?
I think we all enjoy different aspects of the process really, it mostly varies with each track too. With a song like ‘The Weekends’ I really enjoyed recording that in the studio as that kind of song felt very new and exciting to us, so the process was really fun. On the other hand, there will always be more upbeat tracks that are a hoot to play live like ‘Grey’ and ‘Tall Stories’, and I guess that is what we’ve been missing for the past year and a bit. So, to me that is the most exciting part of it at the moment – to get back into playing live.
The last 18 months and the pandemic have been crazy for musicians, how much has it had an affect on your music?
It had a pretty big impact on our EP plans in the end. We went into the studio a few days before the first lockdown happened, we managed to get the drums and bass recorded before we had to pause the recording for a few months. We originally had a big summer release planned with lots of gigs, videos etc and unfortunately that all had to be put on hold. We were lucky enough to be able to get back into the studio in between lockdowns to finish the EP and release it in April this year, but the whole process was very different to what we initially had planned.
If you could create a ‘Simple Fiction Festival’, which 3 artists would you have headlining? (Fri, Sat, Sun)
(James): That’s a tough one.. If we all had to pick one I would probably go for someone like Whitney or Parcels currently..
(Carlos): Such a difficult question! I’d vote for Do Nothing or The Wombats (they are my last two Spotify searches!)
(Tom): Hot Chip. Saw them at Ally Pally a couple of years ago and it was the best thing I’ve ever seen
You headline Notting Hill Arts Club on the 17th September for a HUGE London show, what should we expect from your live return to the capital?
It’s been over a year since we got to play a gig and we’re mostly just super excited to be back playing live again. I think it’s going to be a really important night for us, getting to finally celebrate the release of the EP properly and getting to perform together again after so long. It’s also been too long since we’ve been able to just hang out at the bar after a show with the people that follow us – social media is great, but I really can’t wait to just have a pint and chat with everyone after the show.
