Consisting of members of the now defunct Fine Young Firecrackers, Liverpool’s Pedestals are a pop-punk trio that recently delivered a free EP in the form of ‘Simple Life’ – four tracks of punchy, hook-filed songs with a DIY approach.
Although they’re influenced by US counterparts such as A Loss For Words and The Story So Far, the Liverpudlian trio Do-It-Yourself approach gives them a resonating sound that gives them originality.
Already Heard recently caught up with the band to find out more about ‘Simple Life,’ the transformation from Fine Young Firecrackers to Pedestals, working with producer Dan Lancaster (Lower Than Atlantis, Don Broco, Decade) and more.
Already Heard: First of all can you introduce yourself and your role in Pedestals?
Pedestals: There are three of us in Pedestals. It’s Jay – bass and vocals, Conor – drums and Carl – Guitar.
AH: For new readers, can you describe the band’s sound?
Pedestals: We wanted to take the sound from some of the current DIY Pop Punk scene, as far as guitar tone and general sound goes. With one guitar in this band, this works well for filling the sound behind very vocal driven songs. Vocally we take influence from the more melodic pop punk to create a sound we would want to hear. The songs are about the songs, not showing off so we choose to play solid songs to benefit what we are trying to say, and not just highlight technical moments.
AH: I understand your sound is influenced by US bands such as The Story So Far and A Loss For Words?
Pedestals: We draw influence technically from a lot of bands. Vocally Fall Out Boy are a big influence for Jay, and for tone and sound we draw from bands like The Story So Far and A Loss For Words. Personally, near the end of life as Fine Young Firecrackers, we toured with a US band called; Think Big. They have been a huge influence in how we write and our general work ethic.
<a href=“http://pedestalsuk.bandcamp.com/album/simple-life” data-mce-href=“http://pedestalsuk.bandcamp.com/album/simple-life”>Simple Life by Pedestals</a>
AH: You’ve just released a free EP called ‘Simple Life.’ What can new fans expect to hear from the EP?
Pedestals: Musically you can expect to hear what we’ve spoken about earlier, but we’ve really strived to put a lot of time and thought into our lyrics. Every song has something to say, and a point to make.
AH: I understand some of used to play in a band called Fine Young Firecrackers. How does Pedestals differ from FYF or is it a case of picking up where you off?
Pedestals: We were all in FYF but some members left. After they left we felt it best to change our name, but then realised with fewer members, the majority influence and style of writing changed. This formed pedestals. From there, we’ve been able to move forward with a common goal of how we should sound and what we plan to achieve.
AH: ‘Simple Life’ was produced by Dan Lancaster. Why did you want to work with Dan and what did he bring to the EP?
Pedestals: It was a good time and we learned quite a lot. We managed to get the DIY basement sound we needed for our first EP!
AH: Can we expect to see the band playing any shows soon?
Pedestals: Yes definitely. With the release Of ‘Simple Life,’ we are now confirming shows! We will be out and about playing them very soon!
AH: Liverpool is known for it’s rich music history. What is the current music scene like in Liverpool?
Pedestals: It’s getting better, but it is hard to get people down to shows. There are a lot of hard working people working hard for the city and it’s scenes. We look forward to getting back involved.
AH: Following on from the ‘Simple Life’ EP. What can we expect from Pedestals in the coming weeks?
Pedestals: We will be posting a video for ‘Everything I Am,’ along with a few other things. We are arranging to record some new material at the end of the year and plan to get out and play shows as much as possible.
AH: Finally why should readers check out Pedestals?
Pedestals: Because our début EP is free!
‘Simple Life’ by Pedestals is available now as a free download on Bandcamp.
Pedestals links: Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Sean Reid (@SeanReid86)
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