Music Q&A:
The Spitfires

What informs your music and songwriting?
As a songwriter I’m influenced by the environment me or my mates or anyone I know lives in. The current political climate is a strong influence too – I mean, it has to be. The bands we all admired growing up all had that political edge to them and spoke about things we could identify with.

How have you evolved as a band over the years?
We had just turned 18 when we started this band. So the main factor is that we’ve just grown up a bit, experienced different things, listened to different music or whatever. And playing together for all that time has improved our ability too.

Where do you feel you are up to at the moment artistically?
I feel like I’m finding my own thing, my own style or the band’s own sound. I’ve always been pretty prolific. However in the past I’d say only 50 per cent of my writing I deemed good enough. Now I think I’m at about 75 per cent.

What’s on your rider?
Lager and sandwiches. And an iron and ironing board whenever possible.

Tell us your most embarrassing or surreal experience.
In terms of experiences around the band I’m not too sure. There was always that thing when we started that if we played a new song for the first time it could quite easily fall apart on stage. And that would be extremely embarrassing. Especially if we’d spent weeks rehearsing it and then it fell apart ‘cos someone was too nervous.

What song do you wish you’d written and why?
As I said earlier I think I’ve found my own little thing now so I’m not too bothered about wanting to write like other people. But of course there’s the “perfect” pop songs like Up The Junction by Squeeze or There She Goes by The Las. Those little three minute tunes in which every little detail just works.

What do you think your worst lyric is?
There’s a few lines on our last LP which I think are a bit pony. Still better than most people’s though.