Interview: Murder Club @ Deadpunk Special
Murder Club by Tom Damsell
With so many great bands gracing this year’s Deadpunk Special in Bristol, we couldn't resist the chance to have some quick chats with a few of them. To kick off the lineup, we're thrilled to introduce Welsh riot girl-infused indie-poppers, Murder Club.
Ellie Couburn (guitar, vocals), Kristy Cromwell (bass, vocals), Alicia Djan (drums), and Lily Gray (synth, vocals) have had an absolutely stellar year so far, marked by the release of their EP Night Out on the mighty Venn Records. We've been spinning its tracks on our radio show, and with the band taking the stage at Deadpunk, it felt like the perfect chance to get to know them a little better.
How has your Deadpunk been so far?
It's been great. Not too far to travel, just over the bridge. We parked nice and close, and the weather's been lovely. We had Spicy Margaritas and nachos and caught some bands, so it's been a lovely day out.
We're gonna stick around and watch some more bands. We're really excited to catch cheerbleederz later
Who have you caught so far?
We loved KNIVES and immy’s sets.
You recently put out your EP Night Out. What's next for the band?
Big things are coming. We've recorded some new material for a project that hasn't been announced yet. If you follow the right people, there have been some heavy hints. So, watch this space!
How have things been for you after putting out the EP?
It's been exciting! The response has been great. We never thought we would be featured in Kerrang! and NME, so that was thrilling. Working with Venn has been fantastic.
We're so lucky to have them put out our EP. It's been wonderful to finally share it; we've had these songs for a while—we recorded them last February.
Funny story, we don't think we've told anyone this before. We sent the songs to Lags at Venn and asked him to check them out, but we didn't hear anything back. So we thought he must have hated them.
Then, in November last year, we checked our emails and saw one from this guy named Laurent Barnard. We were like, 'Who the hell is he?'
We opened it, and it was from Lags, asking if the songs had been released yet and what our plans were for them. Then we noticed he had replied to the original email saying he loved them and would love to get us on board. We must have seen the name, Laurent Barnard, assumed it was spam, and deleted it.
We just ghosted him for six months, but he was still interested. So we released it this year, and it was perfect timing for us. We'd been through a lot, so clearly, it was fate.
Any other plans for the summer other than the "secret project"?
We're playing the Right To Roam festival in Bolton. We're going in a van with The Nightmares. Other than that, we've done all our hard work, so we're having a quiet one. But we're available if needed.
For those who haven’t heard Murder Club before, how would you describe yourselves?
We call ourselves Sugarpunk. We're heavily influenced by punk and emo, but our music has a very girly vibe. It's like the perfect soundtrack for the start of a 2000s teen movie. So if anyone's planning to write a new teen rom-com, we're up for doing the music.
Your music gives us Josie and the Pussycats vibes.
Oh, totally! That's what we were going for.
What are you listening to right now?
We listen to a big mix. Kristy and Lily are big Taylor Swift fans and are going to The Eras tour in Cardiff. We've also been listening to a lot of Chappel Roan lately. Whereas Elisha listens to a lot of rock—she's basically a dad at heart—loving stuff like Queens Of The Stone Age and Foo Fighters. She's a bit like Jack Black in School of Rock, handing out classic rock CDs.
Do the varying influences and styles come up when you are writing music together?
Yes, definitely. One week we’ll take influence from The Shangri-Las, and the next week it'll be from the Descendents. So there's definitely a bit of everything muddled together. We just like writing songs that are fun to sing, play, and listen to. We try not to take ourselves too seriously and have a good time.
Anything that we haven’t asked that we should have?
Kristy: "If you were a flavour of iced tea, what flavour would you be?"
Lily: "I normally go for Peach, but recently the only option was Lemon, and it's way better."
Christie: "I like Lipton Raspberry."
Kristy: "Yes, yes, I totally agree with the raspberry flavour."
Ellie: "Okay, how about a biscuit?"
Lily: "A chocolate digestive."
Kristy: "I'd be a custard cream."
Alicia: "I would be a Viennese Whirl. I'm going rogue, that's what I'd be."
Ellie: "Maybe a Pink Wafer."
Night Out by Murder Club is out now via Venn Records. Stay tuned for news about the "secret project"!
