Introducing The Grand

Here at Rapture, we like to bring you the best new bands around. this band is no exception. The Grand are a trio from Wakefield that like to bring the noise with them. Rapture caught up with the boys from Wakefield during a rehearsal to get to know the real them, and to let you wonderful readers get to know them.

Can you all just introduce yourselves and say what your part is in the band?

Russ: Yeah, I'm Russ. I sing & play bass. 

Tom: I'm Tom, I play guitar.

Andy: And I'm Andy & I play the drums.

For anyone who has not heard your music before, what would you say it sounds like?

Andy: It's always pretty hard to describe yourself cause you're just too close to it. People have compared us to The National, Springsteen, Nick Cave, Talking Heads, The Gaslight Anthem and probably a load more bands. I think for all of us it's important to sound like ourselves too.

How did you meet each other?

Tom: Russ & Andy met at uni, & I'm Russ' brother so we met at the hospital when I was born.

Where has been the best place you guys have played?

Tom: It's got to be the the BBC Introducing stage at this years Leeds & Reading festivals.

Andy: Yeah, they were great gigs. I think we all enjoyed playing with We Are Augustines at The Cockpit too. And we've played The Leadmill a few times recently which is a really great place to play.

You have a new single out I Don't Want To Make You Happy I Want To Make You Cry. What is that all about?

Russ: I guess it's about that thing in relationships when people seem to get enjoyment out of deliberately saying really shit stuff to each other just to piss each other off. People getting pleasure out of making someone's life a misery rather than making them happy. I think that's what it's about anyway.

The launch night for the new single is on Wednesday 27 November, what will you have in store for the people that will be coming?

Tom: 3 really good bands from the Leeds area & a free copy of the single on the door.

Russ: For our last single, 'Romance Is Dead', we had our own lager made for the launch night. It was quite a cool thing to do but just took ages to sort out. This time we're keeping it simple.

What were the first records you ever bought?

Andy: I really want to say something that's cool but as the youngest of four kids I was quite easily influenced by what they listened to, & there was a bit of an age difference, so it was probably something a bit shit like Bon Jovi.

Russ: I think it might have been Guns n Roses Use Your Illusion 1 for me.

Tom: I think the first CD I bought was Lost Prophets Fake Sound Of Progress but I also got Hanson's album so I've got a chequered past too! 

Do you have any strange experiences with fans, strange experiences in the music industry in general?

Tom: We had a song played on Hollyoaks a while ago & me & Andy went over to the set in Liverpool. That was pretty surreal. Walking past the dog & gun pub or whatever it's called & queuing up for a sandwich in the canteen behind Mercedes.

What's the most annoying comparison reviewers make?

Andy: It's not an annoying comparison, more of an annoying style of review, that don't really say anything that's worth reading. We had a couple of these when we first got together that used to say stuff like... 'this song starts with the drums, then the bass & guitar come in, then the vocals & then it ends'. Seriously, who likes songs based on the order that the instruments start playing?

You each get to invite one person to a dinner party. Who comes and why?

Tom: Kanye West cause I think he'd hold a pretty good conversation.

Russ: Probably Bill Hicks for me just cause I think it'd pretty interesting hearing what he had to say & he'd be pretty funny.

Andy: It sounds like it could be a pretty tense dinner party. Maybe a bit too tense. I might just invite Ben, my brother.

I have been doing some extensive research on bands and artists that charge a substantial fee to have a meet and greet with their fans. What is your view on this and when you get big and famous do you think it is something that you would think about doing?

Tom: I don't want to do it, I think it's pretty stupid.

Andy: I think the regular guy or girl that you'd like speaking to probably wouldn't be there. I think you'd probably get people like the Whitney Houston fan off The Bodyguard turning up so I'm not really up for it either.

Russ: It might be pretty uncomfortable for the band. Getting recognition for what you do & hearing from people that are really into your stuff is great. But you'd kind of want those situations to come about naturally. 

Describe each other in one word.

Tom: Andy's organised.

Russ: I'd say blunt for Tom, or a polite way of saying the same thing.

Andy: Honest for Russ.

Thanks guys.

Rochelle Massey

Remember to catch them at Oporto in Leeds City Centre on the November 27th 2013. 

Check their music out here

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