Who?
Tarek (drums and lead vocals)
Pete (rhythm guitar that chugs like a train and vocals)
Andy (surf guitar with all the whammy you can imagine)
James (bass and vocals)
Where?
Manchester or there abouts.
How?
Me (Tarek) and Pete have been in bands together since we were 14, we met Andy a few years later at the local skate park. Then I asked the boys to start Spring King with me. We didn’t have a bass player, so I had a friend put out a Facebook status, and yes, we met James through Facebook. Thanks Mark Zuckerberg.
Why?
I listen to a lot of Beach Boys, that’s more or less the reason I am attempting to become a songwriter. The guys listen to loads of wild stuff. James is huge on trap music and electronic stuff, Andy is a bossa nova and jazz king with more knowledge on music than all of us put together. Pete is into loads of stuff, from Mars Volta to Etta James. It’s a huge pool of influences which I’m sure subconsciously have made their way into our sound somehow, whether it’s a mental thing or literally a stylistic thing.
Past?
Pete used to work in the bakery at Tesco. I used to work on the Health and Beauty aisle at Tesco. Andy used to work for an owl sanctuary! James works on the phones for an insurance company now.
Present?
I think we have moments of tranquility amongst all the chaos, but for the most part it’s structured chaos. We give everything we have on stage, to the point of exhaustion, but we play catchy songs with hooks and melodies. The word ‘pop’ isn’t an enemy.
Future?
Expanding the sound, changing the sound however it comes really. Whatever we do has to come from the heart, so the sound might change in a few years depending on how we feel, but it’ll always be honest.
Did you know?
In Leeds, on the last tour we did, a guy came up to me and told me the world is going to end. He said ‘they’ are watching everyone…
What’s next?
Currently writing songs for a new EP to be released early next year, followed by an album. At CMJ this week and will be playing a few showcases there, which included a Music Is Great / Ben Sherman ‘Best of British’ evening yesterday (October 21st) at Rough Trade Brooklyn and a Rough Trade Brooklyn daytime showcase on Thursday, October 23rd. Further UK shows include Fake DIY all-dayer on November 1st.
Live4ever:
Spring King’s new EP ‘Demons’ is a frolicky affair with the ability to round up a scattered crowd for a gentle mosh pit. Reminiscent of the jolly indie spirit of bands like The Fratellis, lead singer Tarek Musa’s jubilant ‘youhooos‘ on ‘Better Man’ rhyme happily with the ‘knewheeews’. They are backed by steady strumming of the untweaked, garage-kind and – if winter wasn’t approaching – you’d want to go out and play. The band, whose 10-track demo was washed up by the mighty Internet in late 2013, have definitely found a name that fits their music. Like the first rays of sun in the year, their sound is mischievously friendly.