Exclusive Interview: Prides Discuss 'Higher Love' And Touring With Kiesza
If you're looking for anthemic electropop, look no further than Prides. The Glasgow-based three-piece have been making waves in the music industry for a while now and they just recently supported Kiesza on tour. We caught up with the band's lead singer Stewart Brock to discuss life on the road!
For those who haven't yet heard of Prides, the group consists of three talented members: lead singer and pianist Stewart Brock, guitarist and pianist Callum Wiseman and drummer Lewis Gardiner. All three guys are responsible the group's epic 80's synthpop sound.
They may not have released their debut album yet but Prides definitely have a lot to be proud of. Their catchy single 'Out Of The Blue' features on FIFA 2015's soundtrack and the band had the honour of performing at 2014's Commonwealth Games.
In our exclusive SuprTickets interview, Stewart spoke about: the band's latest single 'Higher Love', his personal career highlights to date, which songs he'd cover in a mixtape of 2015 and much more.
Check out Stewart's answers to all of our questions below!
We’d say that your music has an anthemic 80's vibe to it but for people who haven't yet heard your songs, how would you describe your sound?
"There’s definitely a big 80’s influence there, and there’s something I really admire about particularly bands from that era. They weren’t afraid to write big songs that meant something. We try to emulate that as much as possible, and really just try and write good honest pop music."
We love your latest single 'Higher Love' - what was the concept behind filming the music video at a bingo hall?
"We filmed it with ‘Something Something’ who have done all our video’s so far. The seed of the idea was from a review of us performing live that said we play every show like its an arena. There was something about that I really liked, so we decided to try and push those two extremes as far apart as we could, the most arena like show in the most inappropriate setting."
You’ve just finished touring the UK with Kiesza - how did it feel to be her opening act?
"It was great, some of the biggest venues we’ve played to date, and really awesome crowds. Plus her live show is wicked, she’s got dancers and everything. I’m pure jel."
And you recently completed your very own headline UK tour - how was that?
"So so great. It was the first time we’ve been out on the road and really felt a shift, like something was different. Turning up to places we’d never been before, in far flung places miles away from Glasgow, and having packed out rooms of people singing along to every word, it was pretty special."
Are there any funny stories that you can tell us from life on the road?
"Not many that bear repeating! Generally we have a great time when we’re away, we have an awesome crew, and we always have a laugh. We did recently go on what felt like a stag do out in Birmingham. We went to a novelty mexican restaurant and drank pitchers of buy one get one free cocktails. Rock and roll."
Your artwork and merchandise often features images of a dove - is that symbolic of anything to you in particular?
"It was something that came really organically. Myself and Lewis were working on some visual ideas for projections/videos and found this footage of a dove flying in slow motion. We just loved the way it looked, it really felt like it summed up what we were trying to do, and it’s been with us ever since."
Last year, you recorded an incredible mixtape of your favourite songs from 2014. If you were to make one for 2015, which tracks would feature so far?
"I reckon: Brandon Flowers - Can’t Deny My Love, Major Lazer - Lean On, and Charli XCX - Doing It would all be safe bets."
And you recently released a remix of Ellie Goulding’s '50 Shades Of Grey' single ‘Love Me Like You Do’. Are there any of your songs that you feel would lend themselves perfectly to a particular film?
"I’d love to see one of our tracks get used in a film. No idea which one, but if anyone’s making a John Hughes inspired coming of age story, I reckon we’d fit right in."
Who would you say some of your biggest musical influences are?
"There are lots. Personally I’d say Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, The Blue Nile all rank pretty highly. But bands like Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, The Postal Service are the reasons I actually started making music of my own."
You've got some shows in America lined up in May - are you looking forward to heading across the pond?
"Yeah can’t wait. We’ve been lucky enough to go over a few times already but this will be the first time we headline our own shows. We always have such a great time in the States, and the crowds have always been amazing."
From performing at the Common Wealth Games to supporting Blink 182, you've certainly achieved a lot. What are some your personal highlights?
"Blink 182 was a real dream come true moment. The first time we got to play and hang out in New York was amazing, as was our first SXSW. Headlining the BBC introducing stage at Reading and Leeds last year felt like a real milestone, and then of course the Commonwealth Games put a lot of new people onto us. We’ve been amazingly lucky!"
So what does the rest of 2015 have in store for Prides?
"More shows, loads of festivals and our album! We just announced that we’re opening T in the Park this year, the first band to play at the new site, which is a big deal for us, and we’re aiming to have the album out the beginning of the Summer. That’s the big one for us, we’ve been working for a long time to get it sounding as good as it can. We can’t wait for people to hear it."
And if you could leave a message for everyone who's supported you on your journey so far, what would you say?
"Thanks for dancing, thanks for singing, thanks for being a part of this. Don’t let up."
'Higher Love' is currently available here on iTunes alongside the band's previous releases. With numerous gigs lined up and their eagerly-anticipated debut album set for release this summer, it looks like 2015 is certainly going to be a massive year for Prides. We personally can't wait to get our hands on Prides' debut album; it'll be great to hear more of their original material.
